Tuesday, December 26, 2006

It's official!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Is it a girl or a boy?

It's going to be a . . .

B.O.Y

Merry Christmas, grandpa and grandma. What a great present and we are very happy and excited.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Oooh, the excitement is almost too much to bear


Do you wish to see a picture of our new grandbaby? You can see him/her here. Daughter alipurr and family visited their physician today and an ultrasound revealed the gender of this baby. But, we have requested that they do not tell us the results -- at least not just yet.

I have asked that they wait until Christmas morning, when we open presents, to reveal their little secret. I hope Dancer Girl and Little Sister can keep a secret this good until Monday morning. Do you think they can? I'm not to talk to them on the phone because the little darlings may not be able to contain themselves.

I promise that I will take pictures of the "moment" when the secret is revealed and then I will tell all of you. Until then, we are all on pins and needles until Monday.

I'm like that kid in the candy store. I can have whatever I want but I must wait to eat it. So deliciously awful to have to wait. Will I be surprised when I finally find out? You bet!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Christmas music (as background noise)

As I sit here at my computer terminal, this fine Tuesday morning before Christmas, I'm listening to Christmas carols. Husband has the XM radio going in the living room on the Christmas carol station. Listening to this themed music can really put you in the mood. Some of the songs that have played so far have been:

Christmas Songs

Contents

  1. A Baby Just Like You
  2. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
  3. Blue Christmas
  4. Christmas Dinner
  5. Christmas For Cowboys
  6. Christmas In Killarney
  7. Deck the Halls
  8. First Christmas
  9. Frosty the Snow Man
  10. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
  11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
  12. Here Comes Santa Claus
  13. Holly Jolly Christmas
  14. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
  15. It's the most wonderful time of the year
  16. I'll Be Home For Christmas
  17. Jingle Bell Rock
  18. Jingle Bells
  19. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
  20. Let It Snow!
  21. Mary, Did You Know?
  22. Merry Christmas Darling
  23. Must Be Santa
  24. Nuttin' For Christmas
  25. O Christmas Tree
  26. Pine Cones And Holly Berries
  27. Rocking around the Christmas Tree
  28. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
  29. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
  30. Silver Bells
  31. Sleep Well, Little Children
  32. Sleigh Ride
  33. Tennessee Christmas
  34. The Christmas Song
  35. The Little Drummer Boy
  36. The Night Before Christmas
  37. The Twelve Days of Christmas
  38. Up On the Housetop
  39. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
  40. White Christmas
  41. Winter Wonderland

Christmas carol lyrics

Dove

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

from the film Meet Me In St. Louis
Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane 1943
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Kim Gannon, Walter Kent (c) 1943
I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
and presents on the tree

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams


The Christmas Song

Mel Torme (c) 1946
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey
and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys
and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer
really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said
many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you.

The Night Before Christmas

A Visit From St. Nicholas
Henry Livingston, 1808

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen!
On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Just listening to these songs really gets me nostalgic and in the mood. I want Christmas to hurry up and get here already. We've had to wait all year for this special day and I've had about all the waiting I can take. I want to see the look on everybody's faces when they open their packages. I want to watch as they eat all the good food I prepared for their holiday meal. I want to listen to their happy talk as they sit in our living room and kitchen. But, most of all, I want to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! I can't wait.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Happy Holidays: Christmas vs. Chanukah

At this most joyous time of year, there remains some confusion as to the differences between these two holidays. They are celebrated by most of the peoples of this Earth in some fashion.

So, what's the difference? The following is a tongue-in-cheek "explanation" of the differences. I hope nobody takes offense as this is offered to you in the spirit of good, clean fun.

  • Christmas is one day, the same day every year, December 25th. Jews also love December 25th. It's another paid day off work. They can go to the movies and go out for Chinese food. Chanukah is eight days. It starts the evening of the 24th of Kislev, whenever that falls. No one is ever sure. They know only that it is always either late or early. It is never on time. Jews never know when it is until a non-Jewish friend asks, which forces them to consult a calendar so they don't look like idiots. They all have the same calendar, provided free with a donation to the World Jewish Congress, the kosher butcher or the local Sinai Memorial Chapel (especially in Florida) or other Jewish funeral home.
  • Christmas is a major holiday. Chanukah is a minor holiday with the same theme as most Jewish holidays -- they tried to kill the Jews, they survived, so let's eat.
  • Christians get wonderful presents, such as jewelry, perfume, or stereos. Jews get practical presents, such as underwear, socks, or the collected works of the Rambam which looks impressive on a bookshelf.
  • There is only one way to spell Christmas. No one can decide how to spell Chanukah -- Chanukkah, Chanukka, Channukah, Hanukah, Hannukah.
  • Christmas is a time of great pressure for husbands and boyfriends. Their partners expect special gifts. Jewish men are relieved of that burden. No one expects a diamond ring on Chanukah.
  • Christmas brings enormous electric bills. Candles are used for Chanukah. Not only are Jews spared enormous electric bills, but they get to feel good about not contributing to the energy crisis.
  • Christmas carols are beautiful -- Silent Night, Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Chanukah songs are about dreidels (tops) made from clay or having a party and dancing the hora. Of course, Jews are secretly pleased that many of the beautiful carols were composed and written by tribal brethren. And, don't Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond sing them beautifully?
  • A home preparing for Christmas smells wonderful like the sweet smell of cookies and cakes baking. Happy people are gathered around in festive moods. A home preparing for Chanukah smells of oil, potatoes, and onions. The home, as always, is full of loud people all talking at once.
  • Christian women have fun baking Christmas cookies. Jewish women burn their eyes and cut their hands grating potatoes and onions for latkes (potato pancakes) on Chanukah. Another reminder of Jewish suffering through the ages.
  • Parents deliver presents to their children on Christmas. Jewish parents have no qualms about withholding a gift on any of the eight nights.
  • The players in the Christmas story have easy-to-pronounce names, such as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The players in the Chanukah story are Antiochus, Judah Maccabee, and Matta-whatever. No one can spell it or pronounce it. On the plus side, Jews can tell their friends anything and they believe Jews are wonderfully versed in their history.
  • Many Christians believe in the virgin birth. Jews think, "Yossela, Bubbelah, snap out of it. Your woman is pregnant, you didn't sleep with her, and now you want to blame G-d? Here's the number of my shrink."
  • In recent years, Christmas has become more and more commercialized. The same holds true for Chanukah, even though it is a minor holiday. It makes sense. How could Jews market a major holiday such as Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)? Forget about celebrating. Think instead of observing. Come to synagogue, starve yourself for 27 hours, become one with your dehydrated soul, beat your chest, confess your sins, which amounts to a guaranteed good time for you and your family. Tickets for the service are a mere $200 per person. Better stick with Chanukah.
So, no matter which holiday you celebrate, I send you greetings for a wonderful, healthy, and happy Christmas and Chanukah. Be good to yourself and hug someone. They will love you for it.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

My excuse for not blogging


Several people have asked me why I haven't blogged anything lately. They hoped I was okay and wasn't sick, hurt, depressed, lost, or nothing else bad was happening to me.

Thank you, everyone, for your concern over my welfare. No, I'm not sick, hurt, depressed, lost, too busy, too bored, or too lazy. I've been plagued not only by sadness thinking about my mother, but also by a lack of anything clever and witty to say (not that this post is either). I sometimes get very quiet when I'm crabby. Just ask my husband. He can tell you about my crabbiness.

It's not as if I'm an old bah, humbug sort of person. I absolutely L.O.V.E Christmas. In fact, for someone not of the Christian faith, I'm more "into" Christmas than a lot of people. Kerri thinks I'm soooo organized. This year I got my act together and everything is done except for shopping and cooking for company.

For my thoughts on Christmas, read this.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

*Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!

The heart-warming Christmas song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” was immortalized by Judy Garland when she sang this song to Margaret O’Brien in the movie “Meet Me In St. Louis”. It brought tears to the eyes of the audience. The lyricist for “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” was Ralph Blane and the haunting music was composed by Hugh Martin. The song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was first published in 1943. The title of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is undoubtedly one of the saddest Christmas songs of the century.

My wish for family and friends is that you ALL have a Merry Big Christmas filled with joy and happiness. For those who are alone, know that our thoughts are with you. For those who are facing some hard challenges in the days and weeks ahead, know that our prayers are for your well-being. For those who are despondent, know that there are those who love you. For those who feel lost, know that there is Amazing Grace in this world. After all, compared to some other places in this world, we do enjoy a wonderful life.