Here is the story, from the beginning…
I haven’t seen the full clip of this – you have to buy it from the Skit Guys – but this is the Christmas story up until the manger 🙂
Peace On Earth
A memory, from another Christmas…
A turbulent time – but peace was still possible.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men
And the bells are ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (Peace on Earth)
In my heart I hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
But the bells are ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir singing (Peace on Earth)
Does anybody hear them?
Peace on earth, good will to men
Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
(Peace on Earth, peace on Earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
Then ringing singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men
And the bells they’re ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (Peace on Earth)
And with our hearts we’ll hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men
Do you hear the bells they’re ringing? (Peace on Earth)
The life the angels singing (Peace on Earth)
Open up your heart and hear them (Peace on Earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, Peace on earth
Peace on earth, Good will to men
Tree’s Up!
Finally got the tree up!
We’re a bit behind with decorating this year, but it’s looking cheery now 🙂
Even Fred got in on the celebrations…
Someone asked about family Christmas traditions the other day – we thought we didn’t really have any. On reflection, there are things we do every year, even now the boys are so much older.
We always put the tree up together. The boys put the lights on the tree, then I put the angel on the top. I do the breakable decorations, then they do the rest.
Christmas Eve we have a family lunch, and we go to the Christmas Eve service in the evening. Christmas Day morning the boys bring the stockings in to our room, then we all sit on the bed to open the stocking presents. We then have a special Christmas breakfast – this year we’re planning to have chocolate marbled brioche…
Everything else is decided on depending on how we feel. Even if we do different things later in the day I still feel happy if we’ve had our breakfast and stockings!
Another thing I like to do in the Advent season is listen to some new Christmas songs. I try to, at least once, sit with my cup of coffee and listen without any other distractions. Today was that day 🙂
I was blessed with a cloud heart as I listened.
…and I enjoyed some new songs.
Here’s one for anyone feeling frazzled by the Christmas rush.
Frangipanis And Chocolate Cake
…well, chocolate cheesecake, anyway 🙂
Two sweet blessings from my morning!
Yesterday a lovely friend dropped off a frangipani branch, which I planted in the back yard. It was a bit top heavy, so I broke one bit off and planted that as well…
My Babe had to go for a meeting this morning, and came home with some chocolate cheesecake for me ❤
My garden has been growing (mostly)! There’s been some losses – something ate all my original sunflower seedlings as soon as they came up – but I’ve planted some more.
Hello, little babies! 😀
The melons and cucumbers are flowering too; we’ll see what actually becomes fruit soon…
…and I have my legless flamingo (salvaged from kerbside pickup) to watch over things!
Here’s the song this post’s title makes me think of…
The Universe Is Singing
Thursday we went to a school workshop – art, drama and music – fun! The music component involved each age group of kids learning “How Great Is Our God”, either singing or percussion (Sweet Bean did some nice work on a drum box, or cajón ), then coming together at the end for a big, glorious finale.
Before the lesson, they played this clip.
And then we all rejoiced…
A Grate Day
Some days are power days – nothing is too hard, you feel invincible and as if you can knock out your entire to do list, and start on next year’s…
Yesterday was one of those days.
Consequently today is decidedly less “power” and more “endure”. Yesterday’s invincibility led me to do a bit more strenuous activity than I’m used to, and today’s me is just ouch… with swinging moods to complete that special feeling.
(Sample conversation for today –
Random family member – “Do you want coffee or tea?”
Me – “DON’T MAKE ME HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION!!!”
*copious sobbing ensues*)
I can do some things to cheer myself up, but it all seems a bit like this.
Thankfully I have some low energy things on my list, and a sandalwood and rose incense stick.
Also – writing a Christmas list 😀
OK?
You know how YouTube gives suggestions, generally based on previous browsing?
I’m not quite sure why it thought I was having a bad time (surely not because I was bingeing 80s memories and BBC comedy?), but these were the first three suggestions for me recently…
I don’t feel like I was in need of them particularly, but I enjoyed them.
Perhaps they were meant to be shared?
…and here’s one that caught my ear last week.
Come On – Get Happy!
Chase all your cares away!
I’ve been on a quest for “happy” songs, which has lead me around YouTube, and found not just the feel good, dancey, not too much thinking needed songs… I’ve enjoyed a bit of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and gone back to the 70s for classic rock.
Not exactly the most feel-good lyrics, but makes me want to dance.
It’s the bagpipes…
I’ve been reminded of the importance of standing up for what’s right, even if it starts with little things.
I’ve experienced again one of those moments where a beautiful voice, a connection with others, a memory and an iconic event combine to form magic.
The happy songs? I’m sure there are many, but I’ve only included a random selection.
An obvious choice if you feel like you need to walk on sunshine!
Or need to remember every little thing will be alright.
Just shake it off…
…and make your own kind of music!
Just say yes 🙂
A Spark Of Beauty
Fifty years ago this (longish) weekend, on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, “half a million” hippies and dreamers descended on a music festival that became a symbol of a generation. Woodstock was billed as “3 days of peace and music”, and became 3 (nearly 4) days of amazing performances, bohemian behaviour, and lots of mud… There were worries about the potential for disaster, with so many people in so close proximity, but it seems to have been a peaceful gathering on the whole.
Yasgur was a conservative Republican who supported the Vietnam war, but he also supported freedom of expression, and hoped the festival would help to bridge the generation gap. He appears to have been satisfied with the outcome, and saw it as a victory of peace and love.
After all these years, it’s easy to see the summer of 1969 as a sun-drenched time of peace and love, and forget anything else that was happening. Was it a time of innocence and hope? I don’t know – I was six months old, and not much given to philosophical reflection…
I suspect that the reality is much deeper, and more complicated. People are contradictory; history becomes as we would like it to be. Whatever the truth was, we could do with a bit of wide-eyed hope, peace and love about now.
It’s certainly worth giving the performances another listen – go through the line-up and set lists for inspiration. Here’s some clips. I decided to keep them to footage taken at Woodstock, which seems to limit what I can post. Nevertheless – enjoy!
Freedom, from the first set.
Joe Cocker, feeling the music.
A song for their generation.
Tripping…
…and a white rabbit, obviously high.
Janis, trying just a little bit harder.
Joan, looking forward.
An evening raga.
Jimi, closing the festival with his own take on patriotism.
And someone who didn’t make it to the gig, but wished she had…
Playing The Unplayable
Once upon a time (in 1980) there was a man (John Stump) who decided to write a parody of a musical composition, designed to be unplayable, and including such directions as “insert peanuts”, “have a nice day”, “remove cattle from stage” and, of course, “release the penguins”. The score purports to be based on a Cro-magnon skinning chant, with words and music by John Stump, and… arranged by Accident.
The piece is apparently well-known as a musical absurdity, and it would be easy to think it’s a hoax. John Stump did exist, apparently, and worked as a musical engraver as well as composing other (more playable) pieces.
There are clips on YouTube that are supposed to be this piece, but most are another composition by Japanese composer Junya Ota called “U.N. Owen was Her”.
There is one clip, though, bravely attempted by the Aurora division of the Colorado State Music Teacher’s Association. I’ll leave it to you to decide how successful it is!
https://youtu.be/sCgT94A7WgI
1000 Fields of Roses 