Just to let you know, we got our tree decorated today–although I’m just totally exhausted (I had to vacuum, too, and dust the stairs) and Patty says I don’t look like I’ll make it to suppertime. But we’re having duck, so I’ll remain conscious for that.
Our tree is much smaller than what we usually have, and it wasn’t possible to use all the ornaments and I didn’t even put on Grandpa’s string of lights. I just wanted to be sure to use most of our family heirlooms. Just didn’t have the energy to do more.
Uh… got to clean the litter boxes now. I wouldn’t want our cat to face used litter. Not on Christmas Eve.
Phoebe asked for this one–Angels from the Realms of Glory. Posted by the Racine Bible Church: I wish I could tell you the singer’s name, but it has not been provided.
How many Christmas carols should I post today? But meanwhile it’s time to decorate the tree.
This is my annual Christmas gift to my readers–My Love’s an Arbutus, by the Fairhaven Singers. This hauntingly beautiful song is used as Alice’s theme in Scrooge, my favorite movie adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Can’t watch it without being deeply moved. But then if redemption doesn’t stir your soul, what will?
My mother and my aunts used to sing this carol in German, because that’s how they learned it from their mother, and she from hers. And I break into tears when I hear it, because it brings them back to me.
Speaking of Christmas trees, I’ll still tired from yesterday. We have this nice little tree and I wanted to set it up in the living room so I could trim it today. Ah–but it doesn’t fit in the bucket, the stem’s too long. I’ll have to saw four or five inches off it. Which I must do outdoors–where it’s freezing cold and raining. Well, how long can it take, just to saw off a little bit?
Answer: If you’ve only got a rip saw, designed only for sawing with the grain, it’s going to take you a freakin’ long time! Wrong tool for the job, but the only tool I had. Eventually I sawed through it enough to knock off the rest with my hand. I’d’ve gotten an A in Shop for that, if you overlooked the fact that I used the wrong tool.
Brought it back in and set it up, and now it fit… and in just another minute or two, Robbie was camped out on the blanket under it. That sort of made it worthwhile.
Suppertime. Chinese food tonight. Plus Christmas present for the lady who runs the restaurant. One little problem, though: by now it’s so blisteringly cold, my car doors are frozen shut. Ditto Patty’s car. If I want our supper, I’ll have to walk. It’s only half a dozen blocks or so, but the wind practically took my face off.
So today we’ll vacuum up a bit, and I’ll decorate the tree, and we’ll listen to Christmas carols while we do it, and there’s duck for supper.
May the Lord bless your Christmas–as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless us, every one.”
P.S.–Just wonderin’: why are the Vienna Boys Choir wearing sailor suits? Not much call for a navy in Vienna, one would think.
Requested by my wife, so here goes–Ding-Dong Gloria on High, sung by the Kings College Choir.
This is so very beautiful! And I can’t help a silent cry–well, all right, not so silent: “You traded this for atheism? Even the San Francisco Giants make better trades than that!”
I know, I know I’m off to a late start and I’m still tired from yesterday (more on that later)–but this hymn, Sing We Now of Christmas, is so beautiful, such a haunting melody, that I just can’t pass it up. Performed by our dear friends and colleagues, Joshua and Jeremy.
Once upon a time, sodomy was euphemized as “the love that dare not speak its name.”
Now Christmas is the “holiday” that dare not speak its name.
We’ve just been to the Stop & Shop, where we bought beaucoup groceries for the Christmas weekend. The weather’s supposed to be horrible and we don’t want to go out.
The P.A. system was on, like it always is, and pumping dreadful music at us, as it always does. It’s Christmas-time, so the store management’s vision of Christmas is to play lots and lots of songs about some nameless “holiday” that no one must ever mention. Much of the music features screaming. After about 15 minutes of it, I’m ready to join in.
Where is it written that we must be “inclusive”? Do I get bent out of shape because Hindus celebrate their holidays? Gee, wouldn’t that make me a Biggit, if I did?
Boy howdy… If they could just change Christmas into “Obama Day” or something… You can bet they’ll hail that holiday by name.
Requested by SlimJim, sung by “a traditional choir”–O Come, O Come Emmanuel. And as St. Matthew tells us, “Emmanuel” means “God with us” (Matthew 1: 23).
The carol contest is open all day, everybody. Don’t miss out!
Erlene asked for “Oh, Night Divine,” but whenever I searched for that, O Holy Night came up. Well, I thought it might. So let’s make the best of it–O Holy Night, sung by Home Free (I like their sound).
