Merry Freakin Christmas

So I was dreaming of this song all night...go figure.

• Merry Freakin Christmas..Jacoby Ellsbury signed with the Evil Empire for a gazillion dollars. Ouch! We knew it was bound to happen. Ellsbury's agent is Satan and nobody wants to deal with him. Ellsbury is from CA, so no ties here to his East Coast team and it's like Wes Welker all over again. Thanks buddy, for the dedication and the memories. 

• Black Friday was a great success. Small business Sat-not so much-and Cyber Monday was a huge blow out. What's that all about? Are brick and mortar stores a thing of the past? What does that say about stores like mine? Delivery by DRONE?? And according to Amazon CEO Jeffery Bezos, if you can buy it, you can get it from Amazon and have it delivered to your door. "Complaining is not a strategy," Bezos says to small business owners. Ok Jeffery, who died and made you retail boss? I can embrace technology too. You started small once and I can only imagine the possibilities today, but the second you think you are invincible is the second you are dead in the water. Jus sayin..(for the record that last statement is not a challenge to the world's largest online retailer. Just an opinion is all)

• Still don't have my Christmas tree yet. My house is decorated but this is late for us. I'm beginning to feel the XMas pinch. Why are the holiday's so competitive?

• It's like the song above says," I don't need expensive things. They don't matter to me." Even though the holidays are a crunch and a hustle and busy and crazy, I still love Christmas and the anticipation of the holiday like I did when I was little. This is, for sure, the best time of the year. And for all my complaining, I really love every little twinkling light and ribbon and all that holiday music. 

Merry Christmas everyone. 

A Dandy Merry Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Dandy, every creature was stirring, most especially Candy. The stockings were hung and the mantle was complete and the tree was all glistening and the dogs, hustling treats.

The children weren't snuggled all cozy in bed, they were downstairs playing L-R-C with Jenna and Fred.
And Candy in Lanvin, Her Guy dressed in Versace, they had decided that this year they would dance and sing mariachi. So they invited the Trio, some family and friends and a party was held until the sun put it to an end.

When over at the table there arose such a clatter Candy sprang from her Louboutin's to see what was the matter. It was Frick and Frack, and a disagreement had sprung, between Left and Right no one knew who had won.  There was money to be had and they sat in despair, until they agreed that a donation to the Red Cross would only be fair.

The smiles on the faces of family and guest gave way for them both to know that they both had decided for the best. It wasn't about money or things or winning, this year was about love and about sacrifice and giving. Happiness and joy were both important and needed and Candy and her family were rich in both and could afford to concede it.

This year had been challenging, to say the least, what with Frick leaving the nest but staying in the East. Frick was in New York and was Frack learning to drive, and slowly they all learned that they would certainly survive. Then The Candy Bar came, the biggest challenge of all and for Candy she learned that she too, could stand tall. For her family chipped in and everybody had a job and when it was done and they opened, the entire group began to sob. They did it together! and Candy wouldn't have had it any other way, because it was a labor of love at the end of the day.

For Candy, she felt like her dreams had come true, and she whistled and shouted and called out her crew,
"To the top of the stairs, to the top of the hall, now dream and achieve and work hard for it all!"

She was so thankful and she knew that she was fortunate and blessed, but there were others this Christmas who were suffering and distressed. So she prayed to St. Nick, to God and to anyone else, "Please ease their suffering and bring peace to their hearts."

And I heard Candy exclaim as she climbed the stairs and out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a great night."

Ring-A-Ling-A-Ling-A-Ding-Dong-Ding

Just like the song says, "just hear those sleigh bells jingling ring ting tingling too", once you hear them it's hard not to sing right along. "Come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you."

Admit it. Your car radio has been on the local all Christmas music-all the time station for weeks and your heart beats a little merrier when you listen to the songs of the season. There are so many Christmas songs that put us in the mood for merriment, I wondered which ones would be in the Top 5 of all time.

According to Billboard Charts, these are the Top 5 Holiday Songs of all time:

#5. Burl Ives, "Holly Jolly Christmas". Not bad for a song that was recorded for a children's Christmas tale like "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer." Who could forget his snowman voice overs and rendition of this song.

#4. Bobby Helms, "Jingle Bell Rock".  First recorded in 1957, this song has been recorded and re-recorded by thousands of others, but Helms version is the one we want to hear. The distinctive guitar that belts out the melody in the opening seconds of the song are best known.

#3. Nat King Cole, "The Christmas Song". What would Christmas be like without this soft and soulful rendition from Nat King Cole. Roasting chestnuts has never sounded so good.

#2. Brenda Lee, "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree". Brenda Lee, a singer who sang rock pop and country hits, was best know for this Christmas song. She was 13 at the time she recorded this Christmas hit in 1958.

And the Number 1 most beloved Christmas song of all time, (according to Billboard)

#1. Mariah Carey, "All I want for Christmas is You". Yup, my very own doppelganger. Written by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff and recorded in 1994, this song remains one of the best selling singles OF ALL TIME. The thing about this song is, even though at this time of year, when they play it four thousand times a day, it still makes me smile and gets my feet tapping. And it's one of the most covered too. Michael Buble brought it down tempo with his smooth vocals and lots of other performers have tried to cover it, but in reality, there's only one Mariah, and nobody even comes close when it comes to this song.

So bloggers, did I forget anyone? Any song? Any favorites? 

Merry Music

It was a heck of a Glee-full Christmas last night, power packed with plenty of holiday music for every Christmas music fan. Matthew Morrison's (Mr. Shue) Glee directorial debut was a holiday "special" about the making of a holiday special. Plot lines-a-plenty, I'm reviewing the music today because it truly was a holiday treat, disguised in a retro, Star Wars themed, weird, but politically correct world of Artie's holiday TV special.

My girl Mercedes got the show off on a bang, like only she can, with a Mariah holiday anthem, "All I Want for Christmas is You." Man, this girl is good. Too good, and she covered the Carey instant classic with just about the same amount of range and passion as the original. Was it predictable? Yes, but who cares, because I loved the high energy and cheer this song provided for the beginning of the episode.

Rory, the new kid, (and Glee Project winner Damian McGinty) crooning "Blue Christmas" with a smooth and tender soul, way past his teen-aged years. I enjoyed his celtic, folksy spin on this blues-y great. Channeling a boy in a foreign country, without his family at Christmas set up a Sam/Rory buddy story line based upon their mutual hard luck. Sam invites Rory to spend Christmas with his family.

When Artie is tapped to produce the local PBS station's Christmas special for under $800.00, he auditions the Glee club for musical numbers. Rachel belts out a Joanie Mitchell tune, "River", complete with sparkling Christmas trees and lots of falling snow. I felt like I was thrown back to the days of a celebrity variety show, with musical guests performing Christmas songs. Rachel was stunning, as usual, but safe and minimally memorable. Too bad, because there are so many great choices for a power house like Leah Michelle.

Rachel and Blaine perform for the Glee Club, "Extraordinary Merry Christmas". Anything with Blaine singing and count me in, but this was unexciting and just ok but I don't hate it. I LOVE both of them, and I will still download this song in the spirit of the season. But the real Christmas gold came from Artie's Christmas TV special.

Opening in black and white, Kurt and Blaine's bachelor chalet provided the perfect backdrop for the duet, and yes, My Download Pick Of The Week, "Let it Snow" . I loved the whole big band feel with the perfect blend of Kurt's mezzo soprano and Blaine's dreamy Dean Martin-esque pipes. These two have scored another holiday classic that rivals last year's, "Baby It's Cold Outside". And the dance number? Sensational and entertaining.

When did Roger's and Hammerstein's "Favorite Things" become a Christmas carol? This double team group number with Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine was pleasant and festive but seemed a bit out of place to the Christmas music die hard. Musically this number solidifies the talent that this cast has and their star power.

Next, a ridiculously dressed Finn and Puck, as Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo, enter this pseudo soiree and perform my second favorite of the night, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This Springsteen version of the song is great, even if they didn't change it up at all, but I'm not sure the Star Wars thing worked. It was awkward and pointless, and I'm not sure of the significance, yet Finn and Puck jamming with their instruments made me forget about their costumes momentarily.

The Cheerios and Brittnay rocked some sexy, Santa's helper's costumes with "Christmas Wrapping" and some rhythmic ribbons for effect. Great fun this was, and those girls made me smile and Brittnay was singing LEAD!!! I did not loose the power of the message of Rory's Christmas reading, and thank you to the creators of Glee for helping us to remember the peace that true Christmas story brings us.

The show wrapped with the Glee club showing up, unannounced at Sue's homeless shelter dinner for families, and made amends for canceling on her to film the PBS special. They performed the famous, celebrity packed recording "Do They Know it's Christmas". Inspirational and carried by the entire cast of Glee, I enjoyed the unity this song stands for. I even saw a tender moment where Sue Sylvester's Grinchy heart was touched by the kids from the glee club, sharing their passion to benefit others.

I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a cute, sappy, Christmas story. Couple that with some great Christmas classics and my heart is filled with all the joy of the season. This episode did just that for me, and I have all the merry music to remember it by.

Sucker For A Cute Face

This one was just too cute not to share.

More Than Once Is Once Too Much

Last week a customer came into my store and was telling me all about how her Christmas tree fell over, ornaments and all, and how she had to clean it all up and how all her favorite ornaments were broken in the fall.

"Oh no", I tell her. "I can completely sympathise," I say. "That happened to me once."

Once.

I then tell her, "You really have to tie the tree up every year because, you know, the falling over thing can happen at any time."
I continue, "Yeah, and isn't it a shame when you loose special ornaments that you have had forever? It's heart breaking."

Then I say, "I learned my lesson. I bought this hevy duty tree stand. The thing is iron clad and takes good care of my Christmas trees....."

Of course karma loves it when I put my foot in my mouth.

Late Saturday night,(the Saturday night after the conversation with the customer in my store) my daughter and I are having a grand old time putting up that Christmas tree in the picture above. We were laughing, listening to Christmas music, and ooohing and ahhhing over all our favorite ornaments. Just when we are about to wrap it all up and put the finishing touches on the tree........

Do I even need to tell you??

I know you know exactly what happened.

Yup.

Some of them were thirty years old. One I had just brought them home from Aruba....in bits on my living room floor.

You can't see it in the picture but NOW there is floral wire tied to the tree to both windows on either side.

As I said, more than once is once too much.

HYPOC-RINCH

About two weeks ago I noticed that this radio station in Boston, 105.7 WROR, began a 24-7 format of exclusively broadcasting Christmas music from now until Christmas day. I was dumbfounded when I first realized that, yes, I was hearing Christmas music coming from my radio and no, I was not inside a retail establishment. Now, 105.7 has a tradition of being the go-to-local radio station for "all Christmas music all the time" around the holidays, but I can't ever remember the change taking place this early.

I was pissed. "This is ridiculous", I complained to anyone that would listen, changing the station to punctuate my point. Nearly everyone agreed with me. I just couldn't see the reasoning behind airing the music 24-7 in the early days of November, so soon after Halloween. They even have a drive time spot from 5-7 daily where the kids can call in and talk directly to Santa "from the North Pole" and tell him what's on their list. Every time I came across it while scanning the radio, it would piss me off a little more. I created all these plausible scenarios in my head like:

"They're in cahoots with the retailers"; IE: their advertisers= all important ad revenues.

"Maybe the station had a bad fiscal year and they are trying to mix things up and create a buzz by changing the format WAY TOO EARLY."

What I really thought was that it was a risky move that would alienate alot of their loyal listeners (myself included). I could only imagine what their email in-box and their voice mail in-box looked and sounded like.

105.7 WROR Boston

Listener E-mail

Dear WROR,

I have been listening to your station for some 20 plus years and I am disgusted by your choice of timing in changing your recent format. It's bad enough that I am forced into facing an early Christmas season by every major retailer before I even hand out even one piece of Halloween candy, because now I am left no choice but to escape the constant drone of your untimely Christmas cheer on the drive to and from my job. A once simple pleasure, now ruined by your early exploitation and over commercialization of an already used and abused holiday.

Thanks a lot WROR. I will be taking my listening habits elsewhere. Preferably to a station that respects the proper timing in observance of the holiday season.

A pissed off FORMER listener

That might have been me. I say might because I have realized over the past week that I have been shouting a bit too loudly. I would be remiss if I didn't admit to, while picking up the kids at school or practice and running daily errands, leaving the station on, all the while complaining at it's ridiculousness. I even found myself humming and singing along to a few holiday classics. I have become the thing I hate most, a hypocrite.

As the days go by, I find myself listening and enjoying the music more and more. While driving around this weekend, (doing what?) early Christmas shopping, I was listening. Now the kids are getting into the spirit also. So what am I teaching them? We all agreed that this is just too early, yet there we are, listening and singing right along with WROR.

I decided that this Grinch had better make amends but fast or I am destined for coal in my stocking and not much else along with some pretty confused children.

Could it be that my head isn't screwed on just right, or perhaps, maybe, my shoes are too tight? Whatever the reason, my heart or my shoes, I must stop this whole WROR Christmas-music-hating-ruse.

I puzzled and pondered till I couldn't remember what I was puzzling for. Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, maybe Christmas, this year, means a little bit more."

And what happened next...? Well in our house they say, that mom's grinchy heart grew three sizes that day.

And she proclaimed to all, in an act of contrition, "Every radio in the house will be tuned only to WROR to listen."