Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas Day! Here is a wonderful song that I listened to on my way to and from church this morning. Merry Christmas! ~Stay gold!

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone. I hope you are enjoying your time with friends or family, whether you're unwrapping gifts or watching football. Whatever your choice, Christmas Eve is a very special night. For little kids, it is spent in anticipation of Santa's arrival. For others, it is the storm before the calm, making sure everything is ready for Christmas morning. I hope you can take one moment, though, just to sit in the quiet and be still. Reflect on the year you've had, the blessings you've been given. One of my favorite moments of the Christmas season happens on Christmas Eve. During our evening worship service, the last song to be sung is always Silent Night . Candles are passed around, and the lights are turned off in the church, and we all sing this beautiful song in the dim light. The atmosphere is incredibly reverent, and every year it brings tears to my eyes. Our church decided last year to move our Christmas Eve service to 7:00 pm rather than 11:00, in

I will be perfectly honest...I hadn't even heard of this song until last year, but apparently it has been around for a while. And suddenly, it is everywhere. Don't you find that sometimes? When you learn about something or someone, suddenly you see or hear it everywhere? I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas  was first performed by 10-year-old Gayla Peevey in 1953 on The Ed Sullivan Show . A local radio show actually raised money from playing this song and gave little Gayla an actual hippo, which she donated to the local zoo! It's just a fun, silly Christmas song. And, as my friend Cheryl says, this little girl's voice "comes from her knees!" I honestly hadn't known what song I was going to post about today--I have tomorrow and Christmas Day already picked out, but my friend Meagan suggested I go with this one for today. And I think it's a fun song, so enjoy! ~Stay Gold!

I love Christmas. I love everything about it:  baking cookies, wrapping presents, decorating the house, listening to Christmas music {obviously}, watching Christmas specials. Even the things that are stressful like shopping and waiting in line! I have found that if you go into it with the right attitude, even the madness can be tolerable. Can't get a parking spot close? That's okay, the walk will do me good. Store is sold out of whatever it was I was looking for? I will just find something else {or see if I can find it on Amazon}. I love getting Christmas cards in the mail. I love singing Christmas carols. I love standing in the empty church just before the worshippers arrive on Christmas Eve and basking in the peacefulness of the place. I love driving around and looking at Christmas lights. I love wearing silly shirts with reindeer and candy cane earrings and snowmen socks. I love drinking my coffee out of a Christmasy mug {my favorite was a gift from my work BFF...seriously

I am running out of days, and I have so many more songs to write about! Who'd have thunk it, right? So I've altered my original plan:  some of the songs I would like to post about are not strictly Christmas songs, like Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, and Let it Snow.  I think that means I can post about them after Christmas since they are really just winter songs, right? Whew. That takes the pressure off. I mean, how do you pick, exactly? Today I want you to enjoy one of my favorite artists, Lindsey Stirling. Never, ever, ever will I be able to play the violin like she can, but ever since I started taking lessons two or three years ago, I have enjoyed listening to her music. She is phenomenal, no doubt about it. I especially love how she uses her whole body to perform, dancing and moving to the melody. This is her take on What Child is This , a hymn written in 1865 to the tune of the English folk song, Greensleeves.  Interestingly enough, What Child is This , even tho

Let's talk about one of the best things about Christmas:  Christmas trees. This song actually came as a request of sorts from a teacher friend of mine, Mallory. Thanks, Mallory! A couple of weeks ago, my mother and I were driving around Gilman, waiting for our pizza to be ready, and we were enjoying the very few  houses with Christmas lights. I'm not even talking about hoping to see decked out houses set to music. A simple lighted wreath on a door, some lights around the eaves, candles in the windows. I'm not picky, I just like Christmas lights. We were sorely disappointed, but what struck me most was that there were so many houses without Christmas trees in their windows, either! I love seeing people's trees through their windows. I love that each tree is inherently unique--that no two trees can actually be the same. Real or artificial, short and bunchy or tall and scrawny, colored lights or white lights, garland or tinsel, a star on top or nothing, matching orname

So, I don't know any Christmas songs that go something like "the roads are like sheets of glass/so please stay indoors/seriously, if you live in the country/don't leave your house." Darn, right? How much more appropriate could a song be? However, I have decided on a classic:   Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas . The song was written for the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis  starring Judy Garland. Frank Sinatra also recorded a version of it with slightly different lyrics. The video I have chosen is a scene from the movie The Monuments Mens.  Such an interesting war story, if you haven't seen it. In this scene, Bill Murray's character is overseas searching for artwork stolen by the Nazis, and his daughter sends him this record. He doesn't play it right away, but his roommate, Preston, plays it over the camp's loudspeaker. When this scene plays, I dare you not to tear up. It is a beautiful representation of Christmas for our boys overseas. V

I must apologize for not posting yesterday {if you didn't notice, then just pretend you didn't see that part}. Yesterday was a very busy day for my family. Not only was it my sister's 26th birthday, but my brother also graduated from ISU, which made it a full day of travel and celebration. So I have decided to post one song for Saturday and one for Sunday. My Saturday choice is Silver Bells . And it is by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards. I have always loved this duet version--we listened to it all the time when I was a kid. This video is really pretty, too, but there is one notable error. It is not Rosemary Clooney singing but Carol Richards. Still, the pictures are neat. As for today, I thought I would post Do you Hear What I Hear?  Today was supposed to be our Sunday School Christmas program, which my kiddos have worked hard on, but church was cancelled due to poor road conditions {as it should have been--I don't think I saw anyone go by my house any faster than

This is going to be another short one…I do apologize. But life is rather busy at the moment, so the fact that I’m taking a few minutes to actually blog is a great step in my favor. This Pentatonix original Christmas song is absolutely gorgeous. We all have “those things” that really make it Christmas. Maybe it’s your grandma’s special cookies. Maybe it is watching a classic movie with your family and just the Christmas tree lights on. Maybe it is going to church on Christmas Eve or drinking hot chocolate while driving around looking at Christmas lights. Whatever it is, we all have something that makes us feel like our Christmas has finally arrived. This song puts that to music. And the melody is also just plain beautiful. I find myself singing this song all throughout the year, simply because it is such a pretty song. Enjoy! ~Stay gold!

Confession time:  who doesn't love singing Santa Baby?  In the shower or in the car, usually not around other people. It's just kind of a fun, vixeny song to sing, whether you're crooning with Eartha or twanging it up with Kellie Pickler. However, I absolutely love  the masculine twist Michael Buble brings to the song. A Rolex, Canucks tickets, '65 convertible in steel blue...plus, it's Buble, so you can't go wrong with that. I know today is short, but it was a long day without internet at school, and I'm still kind of angry at computers in general. So let's hope this posts without any problems :) ~Stay Gold!

O Come All ye Faithful is one of the most beautiful Christmas hymns, especially when you just look at the lyrics. It’s like a beacon to those who are ready to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas:  the birth of Christ. The writer is calling all the faithful to come and adore him. Adore him. I think that is so beautiful. Come, let us all marvel over this tiny little baby. Let us bow to him, let us adore him. “Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning. Jesus to thee be all glory given! Word of the Father now in flesh appearing, O come let us adore him!” What a beautiful sentiment. And I love this very modern version by Rush of Fools, especially the chanted part in the chorus. Enjoy their take, the clear excitement and awe in their voices. ~And stay gold!

Today I want to share an amazing version of a beautiful Christmas hymn. Angels We Have Heard on High is one of my favorites to actually sing, especially when you get to those “Gloria” runs. Gorgeous. But this version by the Piano Guys I find to be particularly beautiful, especially as a musician myself {amateur, of course}. The way they use the piano strings and the frame of the instrument to such a neat sound is very, very cool. I love it. So enjoy this piece played by 32 fingers and 8 thumbs :) ~Stay Gold!

Christmas is not always a happy time for everyone. Anyone who has lost a loved one or has a friend or family member far from home can find their Christmas spirit a bit lacking. I’ll be Home for Christmas is a song that always brings a tear to my eye. It reminds me of those I no longer get to spend Christmas. More than that, too, it reminds me of all those who are serving our nation in the armed forces overseas. This song was actually written from their perspective in 1943 by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, and Buck Ram. Gannon had the song rejected originally but after singing it to Bing Crosby while playing golf, Bing decided to record it. The song was played often at USO shows and the like, and in fact was banned by the BBC because they were afraid it would dampen British troop morale. There are so many beautiful versions of this song, but I think we have to go with Bing for this one. Straight to the source. ~Stay gold.

The third Sunday of Advent. Two weeks exactly until Christmas. Can you believe it? Do you have your shopping done? I do--almost. Do you have those presents wrapped? I’m planning to--if I get my grading done. Have you baked your Christmas cookies/candies? I still have to do that for gifts and things--already did that for a Christmas party. Have you made your plan? I’m working on it--lots of schedules to sync up. My goal this Christmas season has been to not let it stress me out. There are enough stressors in my life--Christmas doesn’t need to be one of them. I’ve done a good job so far, but there is still quite a bit of time to go. We’ll see if it stays that way. My song for today is The First Noel . I know it seems like it has no meaning at this point since in every post I have said that the respective Christmas song is “one of my favorites.” But this song is very near the top of the chart. I absolutely love singing this song, too. Hitting that high Noel  in the final few meas

I’m feeling the need for a classic today, and as I look out my window, watching the snow drift to the ground, I’m thinking about the one day of the year on which everyone--and I mean everyone--wants snow. Everybody wants a White Christmas. Most people associate White Christmas   with the movie of the same name, but the song actually debuted in another Bing Crosby film, Holiday Inn {one of my all-time favorites}. Irving Berlin actually wrote the song for the movie after writing Easter Parade . He was approached to write a song for each holiday of the year, and Berlin thought that his Valentine’s Day song Be Careful, It’s my Heart   would be the most popular. Did you also know that the song White Christmas , which is full of nostalgia, was released 18 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor? The version that made the song famous, recorded by Bing Crosby, wore out from overuse. That original version of the song, heard by our troops overseas during World War Two, no longer exis

Every year, I make it my goal to not be a Grinch at the holiday season. I think being a Grinch is much worse than being a Scrooge, although that isn’t much better. Ebenezer Scrooge was rather grumpy and un-festive {now a word, thank you very much}, and yes, he began to ruin Christmas for the Cratchit family and for his nephew, but he was reformed before he could really do any damage. But the Grinch? Man oh man, he actually stole the presents and decorations! Not that it really bothered the Whos much, but still. That’s a much more visible step to ruining Christmas. We don’t really know why he hates Christmas so much, other than that he is just incredibly uncomfortable all the time, due to his too-tight shoes, poorly screwed head, and rather small heart. Which wouldn’t that just make him unpleasant to be around all through the year? Is it like summer comes and suddenly his head doesn’t bother him anymore? Anyway, I love the song the Whos sing at the end of the movie. It has such

It snowed this morning. Not a lot, or really much to speak of at all, but it still snowed. A pretty, light snow--more of a flurry, really. Like sugar, floating through the air and drifting softly to the ground. Big, soft flakes of snow. Did it linger? No. But it was enough. This weekend, it snowed quite a lot. As we drove through it and then looked at it later, it occurred to us just how beautiful of a snow it was. The trees, heavy with layers of snow. Like marshmallows or frosting. Enjoy today’s song. It’s metaphoric lyrics really did fit for the past few days. ~Stay gold!

Today’s song is surrounded in controversy, which is partly why I have chosen this particular song and video. First of all, the video is absolutely adorable. Secondly, I love this song and do not see it the way so many people see it. Baby, It’s Cold Outside   was written by the husband and wife team of Frank Loesser and Lynn Garland in 1944 and was performed by the couple as a duet at many parties. Loesser sold the rights to the song to MGM for use in the film Neptune’s Daughter . The song was actually performed twice in that film, each time with the roles reversed. In today’s world, this song seems rather “rapey,” which I am sure might offend some people. However, when you look at the song in its context {written in 1944, remember that}, it takes on a different tone--not an innocent one, just a different one. In 1944, it was socially unacceptable for a woman to spend the night at the home of a boyfriend or fiancée. Therefore, the couple in the song is basically talking out a g

It just wouldn’t be a Christmas music list {in my humble opinion} if Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters didn’t make an appearance. In all honesty, most of this countdown could consist of a combination of Bing, Deano, Frank, and Michael, and I would be just fine with that, but I am trying to share some different versions of the classics {and soon-to-be classics} to widen your musical horizons. But you’ve gotta go with the original for this one. I love the undertone of this song, as with any song in which we sing “Merry Christmas” in another language. Christmas is a worldwide celebration. Everyone celebrates it differently, and I think it is so neat to delve into the holiday traditions of other nations. Another great one to listen to is Sammy Davis, jr., singing It’s Christmastime All Over the World .  And sometimes, as much as I love snow, in the dead of winter, it would be great to celebrate Christmas on the beach, soaking up the sun, with a tropical drink in one hand and S

This song is one of whimsy of which I have fond memories from my childhood. One year, when I was very young, there were some reruns of the Bozo the Clown show, and my dad taped them. I believe we had a VHS tape that contained the original Rudolf, Frosty, Grinch, Garfield’s Christmas, and three shorts from the Bozo show:  Suzy Snowflake, Frosty the Snowman, and this song.  As far as Christmas songs go, this one is fairly obscure, but as I said, I have an emotional connection to it. My dad would always say, after we listened to this song, that each of us kids was one of the three elves. As Hard Rock, I drove the sleigh, and my sister was Coco, who read maps and showed the way. My brother was Joe, taken along just because Santa loved him so. The graphics aren’t great, but it’s a fun one, and since I am at a conference until tomorrow, I won’t write too much, as I am actually writing this on Saturday. Enjoy Hard Rock, Coco, and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs. ~Stay Gold!

The second Sunday of Advent is today, so it seems most fitting to share another Christmas hymn today. This hymn is usually sung at the beginning of the Advent season, in anticipation of what is to come. In anticipation of the birth of Christ. If you really pay attention to the words, it is most definitely a prayer…the prayer of a people seeking freedom from sin and from the hardships of the world. Of course, in this version, you won’t be able to understand the lyrics unless you speak Latin. But I think this version of O Come O Come Emmanuel   is one of the coolest. A loose history of the song would tell you that it was originally a Gregorian chant, and I think Mannheim Steamroller’s arrangement really takes it back to its roots. Can’t you just picture a long line of monks in their brown robes, maybe carrying lanterns and such things as they solemnly marched to wherever they were marching? It’s pretty cool, especially when you think about how old this song is and how many gen

Today I had the opportunity to hear some local music students play Christmas pieces on the piano. When you really think about it, music is an absolutely amazing creation. By taking a series of random sounds together, you can form a melody, and once that basic melody is complete, you have an infinite number of options for a harmony. You can take a simple song and put it into a minor key, giving it an ominous feel, or jazz it up with some runs and a repeating pattern in the bass. You can syncopate the notes to your choosing, and each time, you create a new piece of music:  a new way of listening to something familiar. I think that is one of my favorite things about Christmas music. Because Christmas music is so engrained in our holiday traditions and such an important part of the season {in fact, I can think of no other  season where that is quite the same}, every time you turn on the radio, you might hear the exact same songs, but each time, they are different. I know for a fact I

I’m going to say something right now that is going to make me very unpopular. I love snow. I love walking in it, all bundled up and warm. I love the sound it makes as it crunches under your boots. I love watching it through my windows. I love the way it looks on tree branches and mailboxes and roofs. I love the way it muffles all the sound and makes the world so very quiet and still. I don’t love driving in it, but that’s about it. I’m an Illinoisan, so driving in it is a necessary evil. But I love snow. Always have. And so, to celebrate my love of snow, comes another of my favorite songs from another of my favorite Christmas movies (or movies in general--I could watch this all year long). Snow from the 1954 film White Christmas. I love the line “I’ll wash my hair with snow!” All I can think is, “And get pneumonia from snow!” But even so, how cute is this song? And how cute is the part where they hold up the blue scarf behind the white napkin with all the little tr

I have been a very, very bad blogger. In the sense that I’m not entirely sure I could have been called a “blogger” the past couple of months. It’s like that old adage:  if a tree falls in the woods and there is no one to hear it, does it make a sound? Well, if you have a blog but you aren’t writing in it, are you a blogger? Well, as of today, I suppose we can answer that question in the affirmative. I have many, many excuses for my lengthy absence, but just as I don’t want to hear the tale of how your homework folder got left on the kitchen table because of x, y, and z, I am sure you don’t want to hear all of the reasons I found other things to do but blog. Wait, you do? Why? Well, you asked. In no particular order:  being one year closer to 30, parent/teacher conferences, NaNoWriMo, an upper respiratory infection, and Gilmore girls. And no, I’m not going to fill in the gaps there, because it’s my blog, and I’ll write about what I want to write. Keep your nose out of it