One Of Few
There are not too terribly many "modern" songs that I find to be real Christmas classics (this dates back to 1975) but Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas" is one. The original video for this is marred by an unthinking reflexive anti-war imagery that I'm sure seemed right at the time but now looks both dated and silly. So I post a mid-2000s version which hews closely to the original song. It has always seemed a pessimistic song to me but on reconsideration, and watching some YouTube video interviews, I see that the song was intended as a real Christmas song with a heart. And the music is brilliant. I hope you like.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
If You Love Mark Steyn
And really, who doesn't? If you visit Blazing Cat Fur, you can hear him sing "Sweet Gingerbread Man" with Jessica Martin. It's a little bit of wonderful. I wish I could imbed it but it's a non-clickable player so I have no idea where to go. But you can buy a copy of "Gingerbread and Eggnog" from the Steyn Store. Link to buy is at the link above.
In other holiday-related news, the iTunes Christmas playlist has been officially re-authorized and playing begins immediately. Have a holly jolly!
And really, who doesn't? If you visit Blazing Cat Fur, you can hear him sing "Sweet Gingerbread Man" with Jessica Martin. It's a little bit of wonderful. I wish I could imbed it but it's a non-clickable player so I have no idea where to go. But you can buy a copy of "Gingerbread and Eggnog" from the Steyn Store. Link to buy is at the link above.
In other holiday-related news, the iTunes Christmas playlist has been officially re-authorized and playing begins immediately. Have a holly jolly!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
What I Did On Christmas Eve
I helped make gingerbread cookies! The cutting of shapes and the icing thereof. My specific contributions after the pics.
So Blogger has fixed the problem. Good for them. My contribution to the cookie fest were the silo, the Obama O (we hadn't made the blue icing or it would have been all blued up), both Christmas trees, the wreath, the heart, the angel, the deer's butt (hey - we had a deer head) and the original design from which the tractor was created. I'm creative but kinda suck at free-form cookie making.
I believe the next foray into holiday gingerbread cookies will be for the Fourth of July. I'm going to work on my icing skillz in the meantime.
I helped make gingerbread cookies! The cutting of shapes and the icing thereof. My specific contributions after the pics.
(as always, click to embigggen)
So Blogger has fixed the problem. Good for them. My contribution to the cookie fest were the silo, the Obama O (we hadn't made the blue icing or it would have been all blued up), both Christmas trees, the wreath, the heart, the angel, the deer's butt (hey - we had a deer head) and the original design from which the tractor was created. I'm creative but kinda suck at free-form cookie making.
I believe the next foray into holiday gingerbread cookies will be for the Fourth of July. I'm going to work on my icing skillz in the meantime.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve Day
I wish you, one and all, a very Merry Christmas, a blessed time of peace and joy. PoW blogger Paul has recently lost his father and my feelings for the season have been overlaid with sadness for his loss. I knew him and he was a good friend of many years, going back to the Navy Language School in Boulder, CO with my father. My hope is for for his family's finding rest in a time of turmoil and that the new year brings them blessings and the memories are only the good ones.
Paul, Ana, I love you (and Angus too). May you find the joy even if a teardrop hangs over a smile.
For you other friends, readers and fellow Americans, I hope to re-make the blog in the new year with all sorts of expanded and fingers crossed, interesting content. I have committed myself to guitar lessons which I will be reporting on as a method of forcing my hand. Don't worry though - I won't subject you to videos of my learning to play!
God bless us, every one.
I wish you, one and all, a very Merry Christmas, a blessed time of peace and joy. PoW blogger Paul has recently lost his father and my feelings for the season have been overlaid with sadness for his loss. I knew him and he was a good friend of many years, going back to the Navy Language School in Boulder, CO with my father. My hope is for for his family's finding rest in a time of turmoil and that the new year brings them blessings and the memories are only the good ones.
Paul, Ana, I love you (and Angus too). May you find the joy even if a teardrop hangs over a smile.
For you other friends, readers and fellow Americans, I hope to re-make the blog in the new year with all sorts of expanded and fingers crossed, interesting content. I have committed myself to guitar lessons which I will be reporting on as a method of forcing my hand. Don't worry though - I won't subject you to videos of my learning to play!
God bless us, every one.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Have Yourself A Sultry Little Christmas
Eartha Kitt, looking as luscious as ever back in the early Fifties, sings her Christmas classic "Santa Baby." This is just the kind of song writing that's missing in the modern world - funny but not ugly and draped with class like a Christmas tree in Swarovski crystal. Today we get things like "White Trash Christmas." which, while laugh-inducing is like watching a Keystone Kops movie instead of a Cary Grant screwball comedy. And Miss Kitt just wears the song. Brilliant.
Eartha Kitt, looking as luscious as ever back in the early Fifties, sings her Christmas classic "Santa Baby." This is just the kind of song writing that's missing in the modern world - funny but not ugly and draped with class like a Christmas tree in Swarovski crystal. Today we get things like "White Trash Christmas." which, while laugh-inducing is like watching a Keystone Kops movie instead of a Cary Grant screwball comedy. And Miss Kitt just wears the song. Brilliant.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Christmas Eats
I'm having a friend over for Christmas Eve dinner. Her birthday is early in December and I offered to have to dinner which turned out, due to our incompatible schedules, to be a dinner on the Eve. I decided that I had to actually cook for a change if I'm going to change my habits in the new year and stick to good, home-cooked meals instead of relying, as I do, far too much on the easily available modern foods, either "fast" or "prepared."
So the menu, as it stands, with much cooking to do is as follows: a cheat on the appetizers - Costco frozen oriental "Dim Sum" shrimp-filled treats with dipping sauce, salad (another cheat - I buy bagged salad greens), the "Cooks Illustrated" version of the famous green bean casserole, roasted cauliflower, prime rib roast (stuck with garlic cloves and draped while cooking with bacon), French onion tart (again from "Cooks") and for afters pomegranate sorbet and chocolate pots de creme.
If things turn out even halfway decently, I'll take some snaps. But my point in posting all this is to lead to the question: Do you have any Christmas Day or Christmas Eve traditional eats? Leave me a comment. I'll go into what my family traditionally did for Christmas Day in a future post.
I'm having a friend over for Christmas Eve dinner. Her birthday is early in December and I offered to have to dinner which turned out, due to our incompatible schedules, to be a dinner on the Eve. I decided that I had to actually cook for a change if I'm going to change my habits in the new year and stick to good, home-cooked meals instead of relying, as I do, far too much on the easily available modern foods, either "fast" or "prepared."
So the menu, as it stands, with much cooking to do is as follows: a cheat on the appetizers - Costco frozen oriental "Dim Sum" shrimp-filled treats with dipping sauce, salad (another cheat - I buy bagged salad greens), the "Cooks Illustrated" version of the famous green bean casserole, roasted cauliflower, prime rib roast (stuck with garlic cloves and draped while cooking with bacon), French onion tart (again from "Cooks") and for afters pomegranate sorbet and chocolate pots de creme.
If things turn out even halfway decently, I'll take some snaps. But my point in posting all this is to lead to the question: Do you have any Christmas Day or Christmas Eve traditional eats? Leave me a comment. I'll go into what my family traditionally did for Christmas Day in a future post.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Christmas Music
I am no fan of Mariah Carey, melismatic sludge is no way t treat good music. However, her song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" which I suppose can be called a hit of sorts, is wonderful. She shows her vocal talent (and as much as I am not a fan, I will readily admit that the girl can sing) in a bouncy, rollicking tune with some great touches like the almost Jerry Lee Lewisish piano as it comes in. I'd never buy the entire CD but I'm quite happy to add the song to my Christmas playlist.
I am no fan of Mariah Carey, melismatic sludge is no way t treat good music. However, her song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" which I suppose can be called a hit of sorts, is wonderful. She shows her vocal talent (and as much as I am not a fan, I will readily admit that the girl can sing) in a bouncy, rollicking tune with some great touches like the almost Jerry Lee Lewisish piano as it comes in. I'd never buy the entire CD but I'm quite happy to add the song to my Christmas playlist.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Finding Christmas
I live alone. Family is distant, friends abound but don't share the living space of course. Offspring have never sprung off so I've developed a life that runs to suit myself and no other. Which is all well and good until something like Christmas comes along. Last year I recall that I wrote it just didn't seem like Christmas. This year I'm setting out to change that. I listen relentlessly to my "Christmas" iTunes playlist (now up to 93 songs which plays for over five straight hours) and I'm doing the decorations. The wreath is already hung, though not yet jazzed up, and the tabletop tree is cooling in the garage awaiting its setup.
The problem has been that I have a box of Christmas stuff from the tree stand to ornaments to a string of battery-powered LED lights for the wreath and I have been unable to find that box. Yesterday was finally gut-check day. I even crawled into the under-stair storage area to look for the box. Just could not find it. Finally I pulled a box marked "Christmas" out of a corner and yanked it open to find ... kitchenware. Hunh? Then it hit me. I had originally packed that box with Christmas until I had too much of holiday stuff to fit. So I used an inexpensive plastic footlocker to repack all the Christmas goodies. D'oh! The footlocker has been sitting in the garage, easily accessible all this time.
So now the Box o' Cheer is all wiped off of car hole grit and sitting in the living room and today the tree goes up and the decoration begins. I've added Hallmark's "Santas of the World" miniature set as my ornament purchase this year. I'd like to get a string of miniature bubble lights if such a thing exists. Having grown up with bubble lights, I find that they just define Christmas tree decoration for me. If anyone cares to weigh in with favorite ornaments or ornament types, I'd love to hear it.
I also must tip my hat to my former mother-in-law "Yuletide Carole." A woman of rare artistic ability who did Christmas like no one else. A collection of Nativity scenes practically had to fight for space in the house with the several highly-decorated trees. That's right, I said "several." She is a Christmas Goddess. I have never before seen a tree like hers that has so many Hallmark "Sound and Motion" ornaments (which plug into light strings to power all sorts of little scenes) that the lights at the top of the tree are dimmed due to the 'lectricity load on the light strand.
I live alone. Family is distant, friends abound but don't share the living space of course. Offspring have never sprung off so I've developed a life that runs to suit myself and no other. Which is all well and good until something like Christmas comes along. Last year I recall that I wrote it just didn't seem like Christmas. This year I'm setting out to change that. I listen relentlessly to my "Christmas" iTunes playlist (now up to 93 songs which plays for over five straight hours) and I'm doing the decorations. The wreath is already hung, though not yet jazzed up, and the tabletop tree is cooling in the garage awaiting its setup.
The problem has been that I have a box of Christmas stuff from the tree stand to ornaments to a string of battery-powered LED lights for the wreath and I have been unable to find that box. Yesterday was finally gut-check day. I even crawled into the under-stair storage area to look for the box. Just could not find it. Finally I pulled a box marked "Christmas" out of a corner and yanked it open to find ... kitchenware. Hunh? Then it hit me. I had originally packed that box with Christmas until I had too much of holiday stuff to fit. So I used an inexpensive plastic footlocker to repack all the Christmas goodies. D'oh! The footlocker has been sitting in the garage, easily accessible all this time.
So now the Box o' Cheer is all wiped off of car hole grit and sitting in the living room and today the tree goes up and the decoration begins. I've added Hallmark's "Santas of the World" miniature set as my ornament purchase this year. I'd like to get a string of miniature bubble lights if such a thing exists. Having grown up with bubble lights, I find that they just define Christmas tree decoration for me. If anyone cares to weigh in with favorite ornaments or ornament types, I'd love to hear it.
I also must tip my hat to my former mother-in-law "Yuletide Carole." A woman of rare artistic ability who did Christmas like no one else. A collection of Nativity scenes practically had to fight for space in the house with the several highly-decorated trees. That's right, I said "several." She is a Christmas Goddess. I have never before seen a tree like hers that has so many Hallmark "Sound and Motion" ornaments (which plug into light strings to power all sorts of little scenes) that the lights at the top of the tree are dimmed due to the 'lectricity load on the light strand.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
We'll Have Pugs For Christmas
The XMBD NMSE sent me a picture which just cries out to be shared. I'll let her do all the heavy lifting:
The XMBD NMSE sent me a picture which just cries out to be shared. I'll let her do all the heavy lifting:
The Snack Pack meets Santa! Chaos ensues!As ever, click image for a bigger view. I'll have to post a pic the Spikerman as a bebe. He was so key-yoot!
Front row: Allie (95% blind), Spike (95% blind, 100% deaf), Chino (98% goofy), Panda (110% willful), Fred (100% deaf).
Back row: Santa (100% exhausted).
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