O Come Emmanuel

A sign unto you

But for D, that music idea I had would have fallen completely flat. The best laid schemes of mice and men...

Fortunately, this came to my attention thanks to the Ironic Catholic. What a great community project!

Tinsillica

Here's a little reprise of some some Christmas fun from 2009.

You Have Been Tagged . . . .

A Merry and Blessed Christmas to all.

Random act of Christmas

I'm going to try to post Christmas music again this year just so my blogging doesn't go completely fallow. Lately, I've come across a few "Random Acts of Culture" videos in which incognito choirs burst into the Hallelujah Chorus in public places. I believe they've been very widely viewed, so for today I'm posting this less ambitious but no less enjoyable random act:



The improv group's site, linked at the video on YouTube, tells the story of how they pulled it off.

(Note: This performance also makes a good antidote to the Wonderful Christmastime video D posted below!)

Mood Music

Happy New Church Year -- Advent has begun! As the Ironic Catholic lets us know,  Advent has its own moods, not necessarily reflected by the non-stop Christmas carols being piped into all the places of business. So, rerun from 2007, here is An Advent Carol:

The Ironic Catholic recently published a "conversion" of a secular Christmas song often heard in stores, dentists' offices, etc. into a proper Advent Carol. Not being able to resist the opportunity to do a song parody, I offer this Advent "conversion" experience:

"Happy Advent (We are Waiting)" by DMinor
to the tune of "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"
Apologies to John Lennon and Yoko Ono (but not many)

So this is Advent,
The Church Year's begun.
It's time to prepare for
The coming of God's Son.
And so during Advent
We pray and await.
The birth of the Christ Child
We anticipate.

We're getting set for Christmas,
Starting out this new year
We'll make it a good one
God is drawing near

And so for this Advent
Let's find time to pray,
In the midst of our shopping
And our busy day.
And so have an Advent
that reverently makes
us ready to greet Him
who died for our sakes.

We're getting set for Christmas,
Starting out this new year
We'll make it a good one
God is drawing near

So this is Advent,
The Church Year's begun.
It's time to prepare for
The coming of God's Son.
And so during Advent
We pray and await.
The birth of the Christ Child
We anticipate.

We're getting set for Christmas,
Starting out this new year
We'll make it a good one
God is drawing near

We are waiting
For the Christ Child
We await his birth

Timing is Everything

Often the Protestant and secular community don't understand why Catholics leave their Christmas decorations up so long. If they are so bold as to ask, they will find that Christmas, instead of being a single day, is a season in the Catholic calendar. So, in the spirit of this explanation and to mark the official end to the Christmas season, the parody department has reached back to the 60's and used a Diana Ross and the Supremes tune for inspiration.


Christmas Ends with Epiphany
(to the tune of "I Hear a Symphony," apologies to Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland, Jr., and Charles Wesley)
by Dminor

We waited all December,
And every day I remembered
That the seasons, in order:
First is Advent, then comes Christmas.

Our Christmas decor
Lasts 'till Epiphany;
A twelve-day jubilee,
Not about Santa;
Santa isn't it.

Oh Christmas time, ends on Epiphany;
Ooh twelve days for child divine;
Yes, we should take the time,
'till we leave it all behind.

The rest of the world
wants to just move on.

Our Christmas decor
Lasts 'till Epiphany.
Play and sing joyfully
Until January 6th, now baby.

Holy Baby;
He brings much peace and joy;
He's Mary's Baby boy.
Christmas goes on and on and on.

The Holy Baby,
Savior that came to earth,
To give us second birth,
And he's the one we call Emmanuel.

Our Christmas decor
Lasts 'till Epiphany.
After three kings appear,
We can make final Christmas cheer and clean up.

Maybe, Maybe,
If our spirits are high
Christmas will live in us
Long after the parties and the fuss.

Now baby, baby,
Holidays have to end;
Epiphany's the end.
Ooh that's when it ends, baby, baby.
Christmas, Christmas
Ends on Epiphany;
A twelve-day jubilee.

Many Happy Returns

So often the "race to return" dominates commercialist after-Christmas activities. While I don't care for that scene at all, I do like this send-up of the old "Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, which chronicles the returning and otherwise disposing of the well-known "twelve days" gifts. I sang this piece with my college-community choir way back when and still enjoy the humor.

News from Mt. Crumpet

No survey of Christmas music would be complete without the Dr. Seuss song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." And no survey of Internet music would be complete without Tay Zonday. Hat tip to No. 1 son!



The minor premise feels it necessary to state that, while professing admiration for Mr. Zonday's performance, it does not agree with his soapbox at the end. Everybody knows the Grinch's problem was a two-size cardiac insufficiency, not the economy.

Jingle Bell Rocky and Christmas Balls

Happy Boxing Day everyone! As a departure from C's more serious offerings, I give you Rocky and Balls' Song about Christmas songs, The Christmas Song Song. This song provides way in which you can get all of your caroling done in one sitting, which is convenient if you have other things to do.



Thanks to No. 1 son for pointing this one out.

How many hats (and moustaches) do they go through during this song, anyway?

Christmas

The Mandragora children's Choir performs Robert Southwell's "This Little Babe" from Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. Beautiful!

From North of the Border

Today's offering is the Huron Carol, sung in Wendat (Huron), French and English. This song was written by Jesuit martyr Jean de Brebeuf (and set to a French folk tune) to explain the Nativity to the Huron (now Wendat or Wyandot) Indians to whom he ministered.



By the way, we did this piece in our church handbell choir back when that was still extant and it is a fun ring!

[Strangely, I seem to have started with Siouxie and wound up, if not at the Sioux, then close enough. I also managed to venture north of the Great Lakes without bringing up the McKenzie brothers' version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, of which I am duly proud.]

That Mountain Music

Today, a mountain dulcimer interlude. First is the lovely "Coventry Carol." In about 20 years maybe I'll be able to play this well. I'll need a long calico dress and sunbonnet, work boots, and a corncob pipe to complete the look then.


For an encore, what could be better than kids with dulcimers? They sound great, and li'l bro's windmill strum at about 1:o8 is amusing!

Moving in a More Traditional Direction

From Sting's new album of Christmas and winter songs, If On A Winter's Night, here is the beautiful 15th Century German carol, Lo, How a Rose (please excuse the ad--this was the only recording I could find.) I'm quite excited with the way Sting has done this album, with traditional instruments and arrangements. Yet it still sounds very Sting, and you wouldn't mistake the original songs for anyone else's.

Collins Carols

Still in a musical mode, but a bit more Adventy: here is Judy Collins performing The Cherry Tree Carol.



Two candles are lit, and two more to go. . . .

Out of the Blue and Into the Black, part 2

The Parody department presents he audio version of "Enter Santaman:"

Out of the Blue and Into the Black, or Back in Black Friday

Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, has become a somewhat troubling American tradition, making an unofficial start to a secular Advent of consumerism. We usually do as little shopping on "Black Friday" as possible, but since Hon Daughter No. 1 needed a ride to her job at a retail establishment, we decided to go in and look around.

We were browsing a display of recorded Christmas Music, when what to my wondering eyes should appear: A Billy Idol Christmas Album, Billy Idol, Happy Holidays! He is one of the last people I would expect to be making a Christmas record.

On the way home, a local classic rock station serenaded us with a traditional-sounding rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
"Hmm, that sounds like Chrissy Hynde [of the Pretenders]." I guess parenthood can mellow anyone out.

So that got us wondering who else would we not expect to find in the Christmas Music business: Metallica came to mind. What would they sing?


Enter Santaman (to the tune of Enter Sandman)
by DMinor (apologies to Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Father Josef Mohr, Johnny Marks, Mel Tormé, Bob Wells and Clement C. Moore)

Full of joy, full of fun
for daughter and son,
tho' he sees everyone.

Up on his shelves, made by elves
(who keep to themselves)
toys for Santa's big run.

Sees the children hoping
Christmas will turn out right.

Beard of White;
Works by night;
Bag in hand,
His sleigh flies off across the land.

Rudolf's nose, a red light;
Reindeer-powered flight --
Al Gore says it's all right.

Chestnuts roast on a fire;
Hymns sung by a choir;
All is calm, all is bright, yeah

Sleep my children, hoping
Christmas will turn out right.

Silent Night,
Holy Night,
Flight is planned;
His sleigh flies off across the land.

(spoken)
'Twas the night before Christmas
('Twas the night before Christmas)
And all through the house
(And all through the house)
Not a creature was stirring
(Not a creature was stirring)
Not even a mouse
(Not even a mouse)

Hush little baby don't say a word
And you might get a toy Big Bird;
Transformer toys like in Japan
From a sooty red-dressed man.

Beard of White,
Works by night,
Bag in hand. . . .

Silent Night,
Holy Night;
Flight is planned,
His sleigh flies off across the land.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

His sleigh flies off across the land.
Bag in hand
His sleigh flies off across the land.
Flight is planned. . .

His sleigh flies off across the land.
His sleigh flies off across the land.
His sleigh flies off across the land.


Perhaps they could host a Holiday special with AC/DC (I heard Hell's Bells on Christmas Day), Judas Priest (Giving After Midnight ), and Sleigher.

Update: A Special Guest could be Twisted Sister, with their rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful. (Last entry courtesy of Foxfier. Many thanks!

War and Rememberance

May you all have a Happy and Free Veteran's Day!

video hat tips: Mental Floss by way of Henley the Great Dane Says Boof!

A Zero-Cal, Dental-Friendly, Slightly Spooky Treat for Halloween

...The original (accept no substitutes; there has been a proliferation of vids on this theme on YouTube) Buffy Summers v. Edward Cullen mashup. This is how a gal with spunk deals with a pesky vampire stalker!

A Certain Chemistry or Give Me a Little Sugar

A Mother's Day Poem -- Impossibly Sweet

Roses are red
and Pekoe is Tea
Can Sugar be Sweet
And be carbon-free?



Violets are blue
and pretty to see
do marketers take
high-school Chem'stry?

And can Hydrogen-free water be far behind?

Hat tip to Watts Up with That?"

On another note:

Happy Mother's Day C!