The Carols of Christmas

It's just two days after Christmas and I turn on the car radio to the station that has been playing holiday music for the past four weeks. Today, it's back to contemporary rock and songs I haven't heard.

The seasons change fast. But our choir director is adamant that the music of Christmas will continue through Twelfth Night.

There's something comforting about Christmas music -- whether it's carols with a religious theme or just Frosty the Snowman. I know the words; I know the tune and we can all sing along.

My son postulates that there must be something in the Ipod that cycles Christmas Carols more often during the holidays.

Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, giving them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Christmas carols were banned between 1647 and 1660 in England by Oliver Cromwell who thought that Christmas should be a solemn day? The tradition of carol singers going from door to door came about because they were banned from churches in the Middle Ages.

Today we sing some old and new carols in our church services -- O Little Town of Bethlehem, Angels from the Realms of Glory, Silent Night and the Chancel Choir's version of Vivaldi's Gloria. But my favorite song at Christmas time is Sleigh Ride, preferably the instrumental version.

Why do we love Christmas Carols? Not just because they are easy to sing and traditional, but also because they speak of a time of year whens the words comfort, cheer and peace all come together in one holiday.

Perhaps we should be singing them all year.

Saying Thanks To The Troops

To the left is a new widget that I urge you to click.

It allows you to send a thank you note to a random member of the U.S. Armed Services now serving in a war zone.

It doesn't matter about your feelings on the war, the president or any other political situation, these are young men and women who are away from home, guarding your freedoms.

Just a simple click and you can say thank you.

Thanks.

Our Three Christmas Trees

We now have three Christmas trees.

If you count the deer, we might have five, but those are just part of the light forest on our front lawn.

The first tree is in the living room with presents underneath it. (These presents once had bows but we have a cat, don't you know.)

Another tree is in the upstairs hall and is riding in a wooden sleigh that our tree guy gave us last year.

Finally, the little tree in the side yard that was bought by my son with Capt. Crunch boxtops is now large enough to host a couple of light strings and we have decorated it as our outside tree.

We've got the Christmas spirit, indoors and out.

I Want My Day Back

I lost Friday.

My breakfast with the guys was kinda canceled, because everyone was somewhere else. Also, I needed to be by the phone early to check on the newspaper.

Once the newspaper was put to bed, Cathy offered to cook me breakfast. But while deciding I had an urgent need to spend some time kneeling before the toilet. That put a kibosh on food (and movement) for much of the rest of the day. I spent most of my time in my chair napping and shivering and feeling awful.

Needless to say, I didn't make it to the "Gloria" rehearsal on Saturday morning or the performance on Sunday.

By late Sunday night I was feeling near normal again and hope to get out Monday.

I can do without losing a day.

Suit Up!

I was bold and bought a Bluetooth wireless earpiece for my phone back during the summer. I'm not one of those folks you see wearing them everywhere they go – the mall, church, social situations – but it does come in handy while driving or walking around with something in my hands.

It worked great, but several months ago I realized it was misplaced. A cell phone you can call and it will ring and you have a chance to track it down. The earpiece is small and hides well.

I had searched every coat pocket, every desk drawer and under furniture. No luck.

This morning I attended the Cobb Chamber of Commerce First Monday event and wore my best black suit, because it's that kind of crowd. A TV character uses the phrase "Suit Up!" as advice to look, good, be ready and increase your confidence. So, I did. You have to fit in, you know.

At some point I reached in the side pocket and felt a strange shape and there was my earpiece.

There are good reasons to Suit Up; and I need to follow that advice more often.