Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: First Cigar of the New Year/MLK Day

Monday, January 18, 2016

Headed over to S.O.G. for my first cigar of the New Year. Mixed up a brandy Alexander before leaving home and sneaked it in  in my flask.

Have a few resolutions for this year:

1) Smoke more cigars. Last year I actually counted and made it up to 54. I'll try for 55 this year. That qualifies as more without overdoing it too much.

2) Read 24 books. My buddy Mike's goal is to read 35. Two a month for me sounds pretty reasonable.

3) Listen to more Johnny Cash. So far I've listened to his Christmas album.

My friend Steve stopped over to see me about a half hour before I had to leave for home. Good to see him. 

Happy New Year!

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: New Tchotchke

After Noel and I did so well purchasing NOTHING during the last Joe and Noel Post Holiday Shopping Adventure,  we weren't able to restrain ourselves very well on a subsequent outing. We both found some pretty good bargains. I found the above beauty.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: Nutcrackers

The nutcrackers were up this year as they are every year. 

Here's some information on Nutcrackers from Wikipedia: 

"Nutcrackers in the form of wooden carvings of a soldier, knight, king, or other profession have existed since at least the 15th century. These nutcrackers portray a person with a large mouth which the operator opens by lifting a lever in the back of the figurine. Originally one could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. Modern nutcrackers in this style serve mostly for decoration, mainly at Christmas time."

"The carving of nutcrackers - as well as of religious figures and of cribs - developed as a cottage industry in forested rural areas of Germany. Wood-carving usually provided the only income for the people living there. Today the travel industry supplements their income by bringing visitors to the remote areas."

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: The Gift of the Magi

In my possession is a little book titled The Little Big Book of Christmas. Contained in this anthology is the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. I find myself returning to it every few years. Charmingly sweet, it involves a young couple who make  gift decisions for each other. Their choices provide quite a twist in the story.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: Porridge

This year's attempt was something of a hodgepodge of a recipe I have for porridge and simply following the directions on the short grain rice package. All in all it turned out well and was a noble attempt to get in touch with my Swedish heritage. 

According to Trine Hahnemann, author of Scandinavian Christmas, "The "nisse" (elf) lives where we can't see him. He is naughty, and the best way to stay friends with him is to leave porridge in the attic for him, with lots of butter, sugar, and cinnamon! Then he won't eat your cookies or hide your favorite things; instead he will leave little presents in your boots." (p. 57)

Maybe some of my Swedish ancestors grew up with this. As kids, St. Nicholas always left an ornament in our shoes on December 6 (St. Nicholas Day). 

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: Who Know's Where the Time Goes?

My favorite Christmas song of the past few years isn't really much of a Christmas song at all. Or is it? Except for a few passing references to winter, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, sung by Renee Fleming, falls more in the category of standard pop than holiday music.  However, the song really captures the sentimentality of the season and a desire to hold on to things past. This Christmas season I found myself trying to hold on to memories of Christmas past for who know what reason. Maybe it's because I feel time is moving more and more quickly. Maybe it's because 2015 was a tough year on me and I was looking for the comfort of the past. Maybe it's because I haven't celebrated Christmas with my brothers in so many years. Maybe it's because Mom is getting older. Maybe it's all of these things. For whatever reason, this lovely song resonated with me. 

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: Christ Child's Lullaby

Dianne Reeves sings a lovely version of Christ Child's Lullaby on her album Christmastime Is Here. It's one of my more recently discovered holiday favorites.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds and Ends: Linda Ronstadt's Xmas Album

Listened to Linda Ronstadt's Christmas album, A Merry Little Christmas this season for the first time in a couple years. Here's the review I wrote for the recording on Amazon back in 2002:

Let me begin by saying that this is now one of my favorite Christmas CDs. I actually bought it a couple of years ago and must say that it was not what I expected. Well, that's not quite true. The first four songs were EXACTLY what I expected.
Ms. Ronstadt gives both The Christmas Song and I'll Be Home for Christmas very cozy treatments. She may as well be standing in your living room next to the fireplace and singing right to you and yours. White Christmas is a lovely addition due to the fact that Linda sings it with Rosemary Clooney (who better?). Linda embellishes Rosie's lovely burnished vocals and the end result is one of my favorite renditions of the venerable standard.
The gears begin to shift with Joni Mitchell's River. I've heard this lovely song before but not in a Christmas setting (Holly Cole and Dianne Reeves both have strong versions). The lyrics only make a passing reference to Christmas but it works well here. Christmas albums don't often include songs dealing with the meloncholy aspect of the Holidays. This song gives this collection that chance. After River, a touching selection dealing with lost love, the album slides into sacred mode.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel has Linda prominently featured along with a Tuscon choir. Xicochi, Xiochi is actually arranged by Linda and has Kris Karge providing a lovely harmony vocal.
The next two songs, I Wonder As I Wander and Away in a Manger, are credited to "The Choir from Los Angeles" and do not feature Ms. Ronstadt -- at least according to the liner notes. I Wonder As I Wander does not appear on Christmas collections enough so I really appreciate its inclusion here. Away in a Manger has a Richard White adaptation and arrangement that is different than the two versions I am familiar with. I enjoy it quite a bit.
The next five songs are credited to "Linda and the Choir from Tuscon". She sings along with the choir and her voice is not easily distinguishable from the rest of the choir. These final five songs are: Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming (also not heard enough on holiday recordings -- at least in my book), Welsh Carol, Past Three O'clock, O Magnum Mysterium, and Silent Night. All are incredibly lovely and very well done.
My only critisism of the album is that Linda's voice is not prominently featured on most of the sacred selections. She is the reason I bought the CD after all. Never the less, this has grown into one of my favorite collections of holiday songs. I highly recommend it.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odds 'n Ends: White Christmas

Dale and I watched it this year. It was just as fun as always. Dale and I have seen Rosemary Clooney perform a holiday show two times. Both times at Orchestra Hall and both times with our friend Noel, and one of those times with our friend Julie.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

The version of this that always comes to my mind first is the one from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Odd and Ends: Santas

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Twelfth Night & Summary

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The garden in winter. I think my white clay dough ornaments turned out rather well. Very mild. Pleasant albeit a little scary for the beginning of January.

As always, this season has been a wonderful time to stop and reflect while experiencing the wonderful sight, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season while enjoying time with family and friends and missing those no longer with us. 

I'll close out this Christmastide with a poem:

The Year

What can be said in New Year rhymes,

That's not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,

We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,

We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,

We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,

We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,

And that's the burden of a year. 

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 - 1919)

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Twelfth Night

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Ornament I picked up this season at the Holidazzle Market. Ate the Heidel chocolate that was stuffed inside it. 

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Twelfth Night

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

I also indulged in a shot of Jaegermeister, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate covered cherries. I picked up the Santa figure shown in the last picture in Bayfield this past summer.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Twelfth Night

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Twelfth Night was a low-key event this year due to the business of being back to work this week. However, it was still nice to give Christmas an official send-off. By the way, I never did find the 3 Kings figures I misplace last year to add to the manger scene.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Chocolate Covered Cherries

Monday, January 4, 2016

Mike brought these over for New Year's Eve. Made me think of Dad because he LOVED chocolate covered cherries. As a kid they were often the gift I'd pick up for him at Walgreen's or Woolworth's.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Poinsettia

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Brought this beauty home from church today.

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Manger Scene at Home

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Manger Scene at Church

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Noel's Annual Holiday Fete Part 2

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Noel always does a great job decorating her place.