I was woken up at about 2:15 this morining by some very loud thunder! It's rare that this kind of weather shows up in the flatlands of California, so when it happens I'm generally headed for the car to get a better vantage point. I demurred this morning, and instead stood on the balcony watching the lightning flash and the thunder roll. Just as the light show was moving on farther south, a gullywasher fell from the sky, so much rain that it sounded like hail. That lasted for about five minutes before things settled down, with thunder still rumbling way off in the distance. All the clouds had pretty much blown through by the time I headed to work this morning. Exciting!

Well, let's see – I got off work a little early on Friday the 23rd and met JayP and her visiting daughters and son-in-law for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen at the local mall, then spent a couple of hours prowling around for some last-minute bargains. The mall had a Magical Snowfall in their central courtyard, identical to the one we saw at Disneyland a month ago.

Then on Saturday (after an appropriate time sleeping in) I headed out to do my limited Christmas shopping at the newly- and spectacularly-remodeled Topanga Mall; I ended up doing more people-watching, though. At one point, I was walking along and saw out of the corner of my eye that someone seemed to be hiding behind a pillar. I didn't think much about it – until they fell in behind me. It finally dawned on me that I might be their target, so glanced over my shoulder and, lo and behold, it was JayP and one of her daughters. And there I was with her Christmas surprise in a see-through bag in my hand!. I kiddingly said, "Hello, now go away" which they kindly did.

Later that night I attended JayP's annual Christmas party for family and friends. There were over 30 people there, all of them said they always looked forward to this particular soiree, what with the white elephant gift exchange (with different rules every year), the delicious food and especially the carol singing. My first Christmas gift to JayP was, unfortunately, my cold, so she was pretty croaky for the evening, but everyone had a grand time.

Christmas Eve I again slept in, then ran a few last-minute errands before heading out to join her family for Christmas Eve service at her church in Camarillo – she was supposed to sing in the choir, but her voice had not yet recovered. After that, we headed south and stopped in at Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills, which was hopelessly clogged with traffic, then off to the late-night Christmas Eve Procession of Carols followed by a Eucharist service at St. James In The City in Los Angeles (mentioned below in a post on the 24th). The music was glorious, absolutely miraculous. But we grew tired as it grew later, and we ducked out at midnight, about halfway through the service.

Christmas morning after sleeping in (see a pattern here?) I wandered around the apartment for a while before joining JayP and the family once again in the afternoon to attend a party at some cousin's beautiful Victorian home in Ventura. We ate, we laughed, we played Scene It!, a DVD-based movie trivia game, then we karaoked before JayP had to take one daughter to LAX for a red-eye flight, and I had the responsibility of taking the other daughter and her husband home. It wasn't until we got there that we realized that no one had a key, and there was no other way to get in. A few phone calls later they decided to make a late-night (10 or so) visit to a family friend to play some games until Mama got back from the airport. I dropped them off and headed home, as I had to work the next day.

All in all, it was a busy and bustling time, very enjoyable; although I missed my own family, I was folded into another family, so I am double-blessed.

Well, that’s it for this year. I know that not everything was everybody’s cup of tea, but hopefully you found a tune or two that appealed to you, some things you may not have heard before.

There was no particular order to the songs. These were just the songs that I don’t get tired of hearing year after year. The blog has had a lot of new visitors over the previous month from all over the world, really. Hope everyone enjoyed it!

Merry Christmas! Let’s wrap up this list with Ring Those Christmas Bells by Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians.

This has got to be the corniest song of the bunch, so it makes a perfect sentimental Christmas song. Replete with sound effects and a bonus chorus of Jingle Bells, it’s a happy, rollicking singfest – everybody’s having a great time. C’mon, you can’t help but sing along!

Oh, ring those Christmas bells,
Ring those Christmas bells.
While they chime we’ll have a happy time,
So ring those Christmas bells.

Some folks like to hear a Christmas song,
But I like Christmas bells that go ding dong,
Jingle-jangle, ding-a-ling, or just bing-bong –
I love to hear ‘em ring.

Up above the stars are clear and bright,
While all around the snow is soft and white.
Santa and his reindeer soon will be in sight
And you will hear him sing.

I like holly wreaths and mistletoe,
And fireplaces that are all aglow,
Children singing Christmas carols in the snow,
But best, I like the bells.

For the music of an open sleigh
When ev’ry jolly jingle seems to say,
“Happy, happy, happy, happy holiday!”
Come on and join the fun!

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We're at St. James in the City for a Christmas Eve service, which starts at 10:30 PM. Hope your time with family and friends is a blessing to you all.

For Christmas Eve I’ve selected Quem Pastores by The Swingle Singers from the album The Story Of Christmas.

The melody for this lesser-known carol may date back to the 13th century; it became very popular in Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries, where it was printed in a number of song and psalm books. It’s a song with the basic message of Christmas: the King of glory has been born; let us give him all glory, laud and honor.

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Today I present A Christmas Carol, sung by Chanticleer from their album Sing We Christmas.

This is a serene and lovely carol, written in the late 19th century by Charles Ives’ wife daughter Edith, and set by Ives himself in the 1920s.

Little star of Bethlehem!
Do we see Thee now?
Do we see Thee shining
O’er the tall trees?

Little Child of Bethlehem!
Do we hear thee in our hearts?
Hear the Angels singing:
Peace on earth, good will to men!
Noel!

O’er the cradle of a King,
Hear the Angels sing:
In Excelsis Gloria, Gloria! (Glory in the highest)

From his Father’s home on high,
Lo! for us He came to die;
Hear the Angels sing:
Venite adoremus Dominum. (Come let us adore God)

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Our song for the day is A hymn to the Virgin, sung by The Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge, directed by Richard Marlow from the album Carols from Trinity.

This is a piece I sang with the Bay Area Lutheran Chorale (now called Soli Deo Gloria) back in the late ’90s, I guess. I was a hired hand for a skimpy tenor section in their Christmas concert that year. I remember that we sang it ‘in the round’; the choir was lined up in the outside aisles of the church, surrounding the audience, with a small quartet singing the Latin responses at the front. I recall that the sanctuary was candlelit, making it a real challenge to read the music!

This is a 20th century composition by Benjamin Britten, one of his first works, composed in 1930 at the age of sixteen, and performed at his funeral in 1970.

Of one that is so fair and bright
Velut maris stella (like the star of the sea)
Brighter than the day is light
Parens et puella (Mother and maiden)
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me
Tampia, (So tender,)
That I may come to thee.
Maria.

All this world was forlorn
Eva peccatrice (Eve having been a sinner),
Till our Lord was y-born
De te genetrice (Of you, his mother).
With “ave” it went away
Darkest night, and comes the day
Salutis (Of salvation);
The well springeth out of thee.
Virtutis (Of virtue).

Lady, flow’r of ev’rything,
Rose sine spina (Thornless rose),
Thou bare Jesu, Heaven’s King,
Gratia divina (By divine grace):
Of all thou bear’st the prize,
Levedy, quene of paradys (Lady, queen of paradise)
Electa (Chosen):
Maid mild, mother es Effecta.

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Here are some slides from a cube marked “Christmas’s”. Most are from 1968, then a few from ’71, then a couple of Thanksgivings as well.

Let’s have a little fun today with Jingle Bells by Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters from the CD White Christmas.

I have 2,056 songs in my iTunes Christmas library from I don’t know how many CDs and records – over a hundred, I guess. Fully one percent of them are different versions of Jingle Bells, by such divergent artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Dave Brubeck, Earl Scruggs, Barry Manilow, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This version, however, has got to be my favorite of the lot.

I remember from when I was a kid that it was the first track on side 2 of the LP. Side one was mostly hymn-like songs, with maybe a sentimental track or two. But side 2 was no nonsense fun Christmas: Christmas In Kilarny, Silver Bells, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and Mele Kelikimaka. But this track, man, Der Bingle and the Sisters are swingin’ for the fences!

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight

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