"Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" is truly a brilliant song.I couldn't believe Celine co-wrote this song including the music which came to her while having dinner. She called Ric Wake a producer of hers and sang the tune and first verse and chorus into his answering machine. Later he added the last verse and - voila! the song was ready the next day. Every song is a treasure. It's an all time favorite C.D. Brahm's Lullaby has Celine barely whispering throughout the song and is so sensuous and pleasing to the ear. I'm your Angel holds the record according to Billboard Magazine for the fastest rise to number 1 spot, leaping from 47 to number 1 in one week. It stayed number 1 for 8 weeks. The huge "The Prayer" is magnificent and larger than life. The list goes on and on..

Celine Dion's These Are Special Times is one of the better Christmas album out from a pop singer thanks to the choice of songs.There's traditional favorites O Holy Night,The Magic Of Christmas Day,Ave Maria and O Come All Ye Faithful.As always Celine does an excellent job on vocals and makes these worthwhile remakes.She also covers Blue Christmas,The Christmas Song and Happy X'mas(War Is Over) and with her family singing with her Feliz Navidad and the French song Les Cloches Du Hameau.There's also new songs Another Year Has Gone By,Don't Save It All For Christmas Day,Theres Are The Special Times and the upbeat Christmas Eve.Celine also does two duets I'm your Angel with R. Kelly and The Prayer with Andrea Bocelli.For some reason theres the song Brahms Lullaby which doesn't have a Christmas theme.The best songs are O Come All Ye Faithful,Happy X'mas (War Is Over)and The Prayer Andrea and Celine's singing make this a beautiful and moving song.These Are Special Times is nothing new or different but compared to most pop Christmas albums this one is worth listening to.

I received "These Are Special Times" as a holiday gift last year, and I haven't been able to take it out of my CD changer since. I admit, upon ripping open the wrapping paper, I was a little worried that I had opened a gift for my mother, but this CD has made me a genuine Celine fan. (And thanks to Amazon.com, I have the CD collection to prove it!) Some of my favorite tracks are perfect for the whole year 'round, including "Another Year Has Gone By," which talks about love enduring and growing throughout every season, "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day," which Celine co-wrote, "The Prayer," with Andrea Bocelli, which brings tears to my eyes after only a few lines, and, of course, "I'm Your Angel," with R. Kelly, which spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100! My favorite track, though, "These Are The Special Times," was played at my graduation last June. Simply beautiful. Diane Warren and Celine are a match made in musical Heaven. So, even though the holidays are a good month away, get in the mood with this awesome CD! And once January rolls around, you won't be able to put it away. Hey, "don't save it all for christmas day!"

This is one of my personal favorite seasonal CD's. Celine sings these songs with her usual power and emotion, so that anyone can enjoy them. It's a beautiful collection. I find the greatest song on the album to be "Christmas Eve." The rest of it is a fine combination of classic favorites and newer ones that may become classics as well. "Feliz Navidad" is a fun and refreshing track too. Thumbs up to Celine's contribution to holiday music.

From traditional songs to new, like "Don't Save it All for Christmas Day" which was co-written by Celine, this is a diverse selection of Christmas music that will appeal to those who appreciate Celine's talent and the many colorations of her agile voice.
Starting with my favorite Christmas song, "O Holy Night", which is here given a lovely rendition, my other top choices would be:
Track # 3, "Blue Christmas", with a superb jazzy interpretation, Celine using her smooth, smoky voice, and Diana Krall adding a lot with her piano magic. I would love to hear Celine record an entire album in this quiet style; though it does not have the powerful top notes many expect from her, it is the "Celine voice" I enjoy the most.

Track # 6, the "Ave Maria" by Charles Gounod (adapted from a prelude by J.S. Bach), is heavenly. Exquisitely gentle and tender, this familiar and beautiful melody is always a pleasure to listen to, and is sung in English and Latin.
# 9, "The Prayer", by Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster has meaningful and moving lyrics, and makes an ideal duet for Andrea Bocelli and Celine, and the pianissimo ending is perfection.
# 13, the John Lennon/Yoko Ono "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" is poignant and marvelous, and the final track, sung by the Dion family, is a joyous Brahms waltz, "Les Cloches du Hameau".

Though everyone will have tracks they will like more than others, the overall production and musicianship is top-notch, making this a very satisfying CD, and one I do not mind hearing any time of the year. The enclosed booklet has most of the lyrics, extensive recording info (many different arrangers and musicians are involved in this CD), the sound excellent, and total time is 68'28.