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Critic's Review
William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
The Christmas song was not invented during World War II, but that conflict gave holiday music tremendous impetus at a time when many families were separated, resulting in such bittersweet standards as "I'll Be Home for Christmas" ("if only in my dreams") and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Captain & Tennille's 2005 holiday single "Saving Up Christmas" (written by Sue Ennis and Hummie Mann), their first U.S.-released studio recording in 25 years, is very much in that tradition. Tennille soulfully sings in the voice of a spouse addressing her husband who "went off to war," meaning, in the context of the times, the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. There is a hint of protest, as the narrator notes that the husband was expected to be home by December but is still not back. Yet the overall sentiment is an expression of longing and devotion: "I'll be saving up my Christmas for you." Tennille, now 60-plus, has a throatier voice than she did a quarter-century ago, but that only lends feeling to the emotional message of the song. The single's B-sides (if such a term still has any meaning) are Tennille's own bouncy "Tahoe Snow" and her husband Daryl "Captain" Dragon's studio novelty "Here Comes Santa Claus," essentially a zany instrumental, though boasting some Chipmunks-style vocals.
