Merry Christmas, Fellow Soul Searchers

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day today regardless of what holidays you may or may not celebrate. To commemorate this day, which is celebrated by so many as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, and a holiday I have grown up celebrating as well, I’d like to share this video and lyrics to Dave Matthews Band’s Christmas Song. I feel this song totally encompasses what the spirit of this season is really about:

♥ ♥ ♥ love, love, love ♥ ♥ ♥



Christmas Song
She was his girl; he was her boyfriend
She’d be his wife; take him as her husband
A surprise on the way, any day, any day
One healthy little giggling dribbling baby boy
The wise men came three made their way
To shower him with love
While he lay in the hay
Shower him with love love love
Love love love
Love love is all around
Not very much of his childhood was known
Kept his mother Mary worried
Always out on his own
He met another Mary for a reasonable fee, less than
Reputable as known to be

His heart was full of love love love
Love love love
Love love is all around
When Jesus Christ was nailed to the his tree
Said "oh, Daddy-o I can see how it all soon will be
I came to she'd a little light on this darkening scene
Instead I fear I spill the blood of my children all around"

The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children all around
So the story goes, so I'm told
The people he knew were
Less than golden hearted
Gamblers and robbers
Drinkers and jokers, all soul searchers
Like you and me

Rumors insisted he soon would be
For his deviations
Taken into custody by the authorities
Less informed than he
Drinkers and jokers all soul searchers
Searching for love love love
Love love love
Love love is all around

Preparations were made
For his celebration day
He said "eat this bread and think of it as me
Drink this wine and dream it will be
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children all around"
The blood of our children all around

Father up above, why in all this anger have you fill
Me up with love
Fill me love love love
Love love love
Love love
And the blood of our children all around

Enjoy your own celebrations today, big or small, by spending time with the ones you love! Merry Christmas!

What Do I Want?

It’s that time of year where those who celebrate the giving & receiving part of the season either start or finish their holiday shopping, but unlike many years before, I am actually participating this year. In the past I have both given and received handmade gifts, charitable contributions, baked goods, store bought items or those things that can’t be bought in a store like the gift of babysitting or something similar. This year though I have decided that in addition to donating to charities, for some folks there will be something wrapped and under the proverbial tree and I am putting it right out there that I am hoping for the same.

Does it sound selfish to want to get a gift? I don’t know really but I definitely don’t think it is selfish to want to give some so that is what I’m intending on doing!

My mom is still desiring nothing more than a charitable contribution so that is just what we will do for her, but for everyone else I want to start considering just what type of gift would make them happy. Are they an outdoorsy person? Do they love coffee? Did they just get a new pet? Are they out to dinner types? Once the questions are answered as to who they are and what they like, the next big decision of course is in what to give.

For many this year we are intending to do gift certificates. Lame? Perhaps, but as a firm believer in the awesomeness of getting exactly what one wants, sometimes that is the most excellent option. A perfume that rocks to one may not be lovely to another so why risk it when I can just pick up a gift certificate to the perfume house of choice and let them pick their own? You know what I’m saying?

The one person I will be picking up gifties for is Matt. For years we have exchanged nothing more than a Merry Christmas hug and kiss but we are both looking to do something special for each other this year. Well cool! He has given me a couple ideas over the year (whether he knows it or not) so I will be acquiring some of those things, but perhaps a few unexpected little items that he will really like as well.

Now of course comes the obvious question from everyone -- what do I want? Some things I’ve mentioned recently that I wouldn’t mind having are:
Treadmill
Drums (my own real ones) &/or pre-paid lessons with Gil
Wii
Music (specifically this)
Tires for my car
To have my book published
Time
Energy
A paycheck

Okay, maybe those last three can’t technically be given for Christmas but if I were to receive any of the other things above them, some (if not all) of those would certainly be taken care of as well. Now here’s the real deal. I hope that Matt doesn’t get me anything on this list. I know it might sound odd because I’m not really asking for anything else here but if he’s going to get me a gift then I really want it to be creative, and romantic.

That movie Love Actually keeps coming to mind “I don’t want something I need, I want something I want. Something pretty.” From Matt I want something that only Matt could give me, that only he would know I want.

So if you’re reading this babe, maybe that seems like a bit of pressure but after ten years I know you will figure it out.

Image thanks to Associated Content

As the Fog Lifts

Huh, the title reads like the name of soap opera or something. Well the November haze of Nano is over now and suddenly it occurred to me this morning there are only three weeks until Christmas. Wow. Kind of fast moving again this year but seriously, what year isn’t anymore right?

All this holiday talk has reminded me that red and green work together in such a pleasing color combination, especially when used in varying shades and tones. I like the way sage green and cranberry, plus a little gold sprinkled in for sparkle, looks together. It is perfect on the wreath on my front door.

Funny though, I don’t really ever decorate for the holidays anymore, other than that fake pine wreath. It isn’t that I don’t believe in the holiday spirit or anything, frankly it’s just because I’m lazy. Plain and simple.

I barely see the point of putting out a whole slew of stuff all over my house, that no one will see but us because everyone is far too busy running around doing their own holiday things, that I just have to take back down and put in the basement for the next 49 weeks before doing it all over again.

Something just gets lost on me when I realize the only one who will see the wreath is our letter carrier because everyone else uses the side door. Am I too cynical? Maybe that’s it, but between the pressure to send out cards, torn wrapping paper, empty bank accounts and countless hours spent in return lines, I frequently understand the inclination to follow Pagan traditions of the celebration of returning light and that whole ‘eat, drink and be merry’ attitude instead of the ‘buy, buy, BUY’ mentality that seems to accompany this season now a days.

Seriously, Dar Williams hits it right on the money here.

Anyway, regardless of all of that, we have a few awesome events coming up this year. We get to see not just one but two amazing choirs perform their holiday songs next weekend! My mom’s best friend sings in one that plays a bit north of us and Bridgete sings in one a bit south of us. Can’t wait to hear the tunes, these concerts are always so uplifting!

Another cool thing about Bridgete’s is that her mom will be in town so hopefully I’ll finally get to meet the always awesome KC! After meeting Bridgete’s dad at Thanksgiving and laughing over dinner for like three straight hours I have no doubt we’ll have just as much fun with her mom.

I have some other exciting news about Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve but can’t really divulge just yet so stay tuned for the update…

In the meantime I’m going to go make a Holiday playlist on iTunes. Yes I mean holiday and not just Christmas because I plan to include things like Adam Sandler’s Hanukah and Thanksgiving songs, Chicago’s Saturday In the Park and Jason’s Remedy (both for their 4th of July references), NKOTB Valentine Girl, Dan Fogelberg’s Auld Lang Syne, Monster Mash, maybe a few selections from Jesus Christ Superstar and perhaps You’re Not Irish by Robbie O’Connell. Plus of course a bunch of Christmas tunes that I love. Hmmm, does anyone know of any good songs about Flag Day, President’s Day, MLK Day, Boxing Day…

Here It Comes Again. Sigh.

Last year at this time we were living in a little beach cottage in Humarock, marveling at the fact that it snowed there in early December. This year we are living in a little apartment, still in Massachusetts but a bit further inland, and yet I am somehow still marveling at the fact that winter is officially here as the snow began to fall this morning just before I woke up. Denial. It is a happy place. At least in my head because I can wear flip flops and tank tops all year long.

Every year I try, really and truly I do, to embrace something about winter. I make my best effort to psych myself up to the fact that as long as I have some fluffy socks, sweat pants, long johns, a wool hat, scarf, heavy jacket, gloves and earmuffs that I will be able to make it through. Sadly though each year, I am reminded that it is still mother-effing cold as the tears I shed instantly turn to icicles on the only two inches of exposed skin I can bring myself to reveal. They do not call us “hearty” in the north east for nothing. And it has barely even begun yet. Surely this is the year that I will perish (read: I am a drama queen when it is cold out).

Geographically speaking we have not gone far but in many other areas of life things have changed a lot in this past year for Matt and I, as well as life milestones for a lot of people we know like the birth of babies or graduating from college. All in all 2008 was a very jam packed year and we are still living it up for the last few weeks of what is left on the calendar. Because we have decided that it is important to drag our sorry cold butts out of the house even in winter, last night we had the distinct pleasure of going to listen to the North Reading Chorale perform at their annual Holiday Concert. It was just what we both needed to get into the spirit of the holidays and one of the best times we have had in a long time.

My Mom’s friend is in the Chorale so really we were going to see her but what a pleasant surprise it was to hear the thirty seven members (including her) belt it out in perfect unison while accompanied by three flute players, a guitarist, three percussionists, a trumpet player and four bell ringers. They were, in a word, amazing. The concert went off without a single hitch and they performed classics like White Christmas, Adeste Fideles, Silent Night and All I Want for Christmas Is You. But then the song of all songs came second to last and I wished I had recorded it.

The name of the song is The Twelve Days After Christmas and thinking back on the lyrics of this hilarious song might just save me from one more day of frigid peril. Well, this and the onslaught of yummy food available at this time of year.

The first day after Christmas, my true love and I had a fight

And so I chopped the pear tree down and burned it just for spite

Then with a single cartridge, I shot that blasted partridge

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The second day after Christmas, I pulled on the old rubber gloves

And very gently wrung the necks of both the turtle doves

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The third day after Christmas, my Mother caught the croup

I had to use the three French Hens to make some chicken soup

The four calling birds were a big mistake for their language was obscene

The five golden rings were completely fake and they turned my fingers green

The sixth day after Christmas, the six laying geese wouldn't lay

I gave the whole darn gaggle to the A.S.P.C.A

On the seventh day, what a mess I found

All seven of the swimming swans had drowned

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The eighth day after Christmas, before they could suspect

I bundled up the eight maids a milking, nine pipers piping, ten ladies dancing, eleven lords a leaping, twelve drummers drumming (Spoken: "Well, actually, I kept ONE of the drummers" ) and sent them back collect

I wrote my true love,

"We are through, love!"

And I said in so many words,

"Furthermore your Christmas gifts were for the birds!"

Today will be a fun day of watching the snow fall and football while cooking soup, sauce, lasagna and chicken stir fry. I think I will stay away from that French hen soup though.