While I love the traditional Christmas carols that we sing in church, I also love many of the songs that I hear on the radio. One of my favorites has always been “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree”; no Christmas is complete until I have heard Brenda Lee a few times (couldn’t resist the video!):
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Can you go a Christmas season without hearing “Blue Christmas” at least once? I say you cannot! This is one of those songs that grows on you over the years.
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The first time I heard this arrangement of “The 12 Days of Christmas”, I knew that I had to go out and buy this group’s album:
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I liked their music so much that I bought copies as Christmas presents for our church choir director and organist (and the organist’s son loved it so much that he insisted on listening to the CD at bedtime every night!).
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I have to admit, when I was a kid, I didn’t care for this song at all – I think it’s only as we grow up and leave home that we are able to appreciate the bittersweet sentiment of this song. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned the story of this song – and that has made it one of my favorites as an adult:
In 1943, this song joined “White Christmas” to become one of America’s most popular Christmas songs. The recording by Bing Crosby shot to the top ten of the record charts that year and became a holiday musical tradition in the United States. The idea of being home for Christmas originated in World War II when soldiers at first thought that the war would be quick and they would return by Christmas time. This inevitably did not happen, hence the line “if only in my dreams”.
Back in 2011, I got an idea for something to do for the days leading up to Christmas – I LOVE Christmas music, both sacred and secular, so I thought it might be nice to post some of my favorites. People seemed to like it, so now it’s an annual tradition!
The thing is, I have LOTS of favorites – too many for just one post – so I decided to do a musical version of an Advent calendar, and count down the days until that most joyous day which celebrates Christ’s birth. Whenever possible, I have included links where you can purchase your own copy of each day’s selections.
I hope you enjoy my selections – some days there may be just one song; other days, I may do both a “church” and a popular song (both “classics” and contemporary); some days I may post different versions of the same song. I’m just winging it, so bear with me!
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Every family has their own “family lore” – stories handed down from generation to generation. These are generally told around the campfire, on the front porch, or around the dining room table. The good ones are side-splittingly funny; the really great ones are the ones which manage to embarass one or more family members.
Every year, Paul or I will drag out this old chestnut – it never fails to leave friends and family rolling in the aisles:
When Rebecca was a baby, Paul would oftentimes get Sarah and Michelle ready for school in the mornings. Since they were ages 9 and 10 at the time, this consisted of waking them up. telling them to get dressed/ready, and driving them 3 blocks to the school.
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With holiday parties coming up, here’s a neat idea for either bringing along to share, or giving as a hostess gift. It is delightfully easy to make, and it is decadently delicious.
If you don’t like alcoholic drinks, you can always leave out the booze and just have a really yummy chocolate sauce. This is great straight, over ice, or over ice cream:
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1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Irish whiskey (or vodka, for a more neutral flavor)
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From 1978, this classic clip from the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” never fails to leave me in stitches:
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Turkey Day’s comin’!
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Whenever I think of Thanksgiving, this is the song that comes to mind – and this is a beautiful arrangement sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:
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(This post originally appeared on October 2, 2011)
So the New York Times put up a really cute picture of a sassy little bird:
You know you want it…..
It’s got that certain je ne sais quoi , no? I don’t know about you, but when I saw it, I laughed and smiled, because That.Bird.Has.Attitude. It’s sweet. It’s funny.
It’s playful and – dare I say it? – sexy.
The Fat Lady Has Sung
