Day Seven 2016

Today was the last day of school before Christmas Break for the boys.  I am off work this week to get ready for the party.   Paul had an appointment at the chiropractor today after school.  So I picked up both boys and took them to the appointment.  In years past the week before the party, (also known as party week) has been highly anticipated, and the boys have come running out school EAGER to start on party prep.  Not so this year.

I tried to engage them in the car with a discussion about the menu that Kat an I had worked on at lunch.  I asked if there were any last minute additions, or things that were really necessary menu items.  They both were noncommittal “I’m sure its fine”.  “It is all good Papa.”  Finally I said “at lunch when Mama and I talked about the menu, at first I read her the list from my phone, then I put my phone away so we could discuss the menu without interruption…”  Matthew replied “that comment does not go unappreciated”, but still waited to put down his phone. 

To be fair, I don’t really need the input from them, but it is more fun when they are engaged.  When we got to the chiropractor Matthew wanted to wait in the car, but I dragged him into the office to wait with me.  While inside, I regaled him with many of my clever ideas and suggestions.  First I posited that we could serenade his brother, and the other patients at the chiro clinic today with Christmas carols.  I suggested we stand outside the rooms and sing loudly so they could hear.  I started to warm up in the waiting area singing that year round classic “La La La Singing.”  My Matthew tried to crawl under his chair.

Then I pointed out the under decorated Christmas tree in the waiting area.  Matthew tried to hush me, but I pointed out that I wasn’t talking that loud, and that the people who decorated the tree clearly knew it was under decorated.  A fact is a fact, regardless of whether or not anyone points it out.  That lead to conversation about trees falling in forests and bears and whether or not that makes a thing true.   

We then segued into a conversation about whether or not the ornaments on that tree were sad or not.   I assured him that they were, particularly because they were red, and red is one of the decoration themes for this year’s party.  #Allegedly.  I suggested that perhaps one of the ornaments might like to accompany us to our party, in Matthew’s pocket.  When he stood up, he awkwardly bumped the tree, which was really placed too close to his chair, and one of the ornaments fell off the tree.  He caught it. 

I told him this was a sign that that was the ornament that was most unhappy on that under decorated tree.  It seemed only right that that sad ornament be liberated.  And so the #OrnamentLiberationFront was born.  Honestly I am not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner.  We are already in talks to consider the happiness of several other trees we have access to have seen this year.

Kathleen suggests I let law enforcement everyone know I fully plan to return this to the chiropractor office on 12/26/2016.

Tap Tap Tap for Joy

Today was the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, Rose Sunday, the Sunday of Joy, so I wish you Joy.

Today our children’s choir and what my Matthew calls the “little kids choir” aka the nursery choir sang in the service.  I love, Love LOVE when the children perform during the worship, because you never know what will happen. And something unexpected always happens.

When my Paul was in grade school they used to have their performances on Wednesday night.  I think the first year he was in choir was the year his buddy Aaron kept pulling his turtleneck up and showing the crowd his belly, I mostly missed that because Paul was so nervous he couldn’t stop scratching his head, both hands vigorously scratching his head during the whole performance, as though he had flees.  For the record, he did not have flees. We had him checked. (Ok I am kidding, he has pretty bad eczema, and once he starts scratching, he can’t stop). 

I don’t remember if it was that year or the next year that my Matthew was in the little kids choir and only he Gracie showed up so they choir teachers elected not to have them perform. Those two were so MAD. Gracie was just going to get up and sing a song of her own composition, and Matthew suggested he could just get up and break dance.  I am not sure how Miss Kristin talked them out of that. I often regret that she did.  There is no telling what we would have gotten to watch.

So today, when the little kids got on stage, of course they forgot what they had practiced just a few minutes before, so there was plenty of herding those littles into place.  Just before they started singing, one of the little girls banged the hard heel of her dress shoe on the wood stage.  It made a nice loud tap dancing style noise.  You should have seen the smile on her face.  I imagine her inner dialogue went something like this “Wow I like that noise, it was loud.  Did anyone else hear that noise?  Let me try that again and see… Why is Miss Kristin making that sour face at me? I am just going to keep making this loud noise with my shoe while we sing it is so much fun!” When the singing was over she banged her heel a few more times, just for funsies.

So far this was the best Sunday morning service this Christmas season.

Day 9. A Christmas Hymn

Warning! Do Not Read if you go to church with me and are easily offended!  I am serious!

I mean it, I’ll wait, log in to pinterest or something, go on.

I am warning you, snarkiness ensues if you keep reading.

Ok, just those of you hoping for something scandalous are left?  Typical.

It isn’t so much a scandal as it just gave me the church giggles so bad.  We have a very poised and professional husband and wife music team leading the musical worship at my church.  Every Sunday we sing new and improved versions of the traditional hymns.  Lucky us.

On November 30^th, the first Sunday of advent our church had a big Christmas music program that evening.  Not only does this kick off the advent season in style it has the wholly unintended benefit of freeing up the schedule of the music staff so that they can attend to things much more important during the holiday season.  (A very funny sentence was here, hilarious really, but Kat edited it out.  I ironically used the word y’all and Texas in the same sentence, but Kat says the rest of it was too mean and I listened to her) 

ANYWAY, before I get sidetracked, now that the big music program is over they are not having choir practice again until January.  This basically says to me that they are winging it on Sunday mornings.  This Sunday morning after the choir opened the service with a Christmas hymn it was time to light the advent candles.  The professional pianist played the march of the sugarplum fairies as a church family ascended the stairs and lit the candles and then returned to their seats.  Someone sitting next to me leaned over and asked, “is that the oompa-loompa song?” Then the only thing I could see as this family lit the candle of peace was oompa-loompas climbing up stairs.  SO Wrong!

Then it was time for the congregation to sing.  This was a very special arrangement of a very familiar Christmas hymn.  This arrangement had excerpts from the nutcracker between each verse. (No! Do NOT engage me in a discussion of why the nutcracker music was included in a church service. Nooooooo!)  It could have been borne except the music leader brought the congregation back in to sing the second verse before the pianist, (who was using a keyboard to make it sound like a harpsichord) was finished with the special interlude.  The organist tried to come back in with the melody but the pianist kept going and we got halfway into the verse before the music leader had to stop everyone.

She started us over, from the beginning.  Really it was the only thing to do, except that it gave me the church giggles. Well, not really giggles, more like loud chuckles that I could not suppress.  Then my Paul got up from his seat in the balcony and walked over to me to whisper, ‘that was the BEST part of this morning’s church!’  Then I really couldn’t stop laughing.

I just managed to get composed when someone sitting in the balcony with us asked loudly, “Why can’t we just sing it the regular way?” That was it, I was done.

There really is a reason I sit in the balcony, and it just might be that I am not allowed to sit with the grownups yet.

Do me a favor? Sing a Christmas hymn for me!

Many Blessings

It’s been a busy few days and I got behind on the Blog.  Tonight my sister in law Becca called me out on it on facebook.  So for Becca I am going to do my best and get caught up. 

What is your favorite Christmas Movie?  Tonight the family is watching Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.  I don’t think the boys have seen it before, but they are familiar with the music.  When Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney sang  ‘Snow, it won't be long before we'll all be there with snow. Snow, I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow’ Matthew said, I know this one!  We heard it in the car!  But Papa, who washes their face in snow?  That is a good question.  One I don’t have an answer too.

My favorite part was when Bing & Rosemary sang Count Your Blessings, and Matthew sat up eyes wide and said Papa this movie has ALL the great songs! 

Go Tell It On The Mountain 2013

Go Tell it on the Mountain is my Paul’s favorite Christmas song. Of. All. Time. Year after year it is his favorite.  This is so peculiar to me as I am not particularly attached to it, and hardly recognize it as a particularly Christmassy song.  Although I am churched enough to know it can be found in the Christmas music part of the hymnal.

I know he first learned this song when he was in first grade.  The children’s choir at FBC OKC sang it.  He fondly remembers the piano arrangement that Alan Hicks played for them, and in Paul’s mind that is the standard that all other versions are judged.  Last year at Christmas when we were visiting in Oklahoma Bruce Greer played a similar sounding version of the song on Christmas and Paul was very excited, and let me know he thought Mr. Hicks must have given that arrangement to Bruce Greer.

I am pretty sure that the only recording I have of the song is on vinyl.  I own my Mom’s old Firestone Christmas albums and I think we may have it on one of those. Maybe the Mahalia Jackson version?

I have discovered in the last few years, that although my Matthew enjoys just about any sort of Christmas music, Paul really prefers Christmas hymns.  In the spirit of the season and in an effort to get Paul to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, Matthew and I created a special play list on my iphone. 

The playlist includes

·         Angels We Have Heard on High

·         Christmastime is Here (Instrumental from Charlie Brown)

·         Count Your Blessings

·         Do You Hear What I Hear

·         The First Noel

·         God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

·         Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

·         Joy To The World

·         Little Drummer Boy

·         Come All Ye Faithful

·         Holy Night

·         Silent Night

·         Come, O Come Emmanuel

I searched and searched and found that none of us own a digital recording of Go Tell It on The Mountain.  So I chose to purchase one on iTunes.  At first I thought there were only 3 or 4 versions, but then I expanded the search.  Good Googely Moogely.  Hundreds and hundreds of versions.

I played about 20 for Paul before he got too overwhelmed with the choices.  That is when I turned to facebook for help.

Judson Kinkade Trying to find "the perfect" version of Go Tell It On The Mountain on iTunes for my Paul. What are your favorites? Any suggestions?

Chris Young I personally just like a pure piano version with no lyrics or words. Everyone knows them anyway. My grandpa used to play it for me and I would religiously sit on his piano bench with him.

Judson Kinkade He wants someone singing, but not too country, Dolly, Randy Travis, Little Big Town, and Sara Evans have all been ruled out.
And he likes it to sound like a gospel hymn so Mahalia Jackson, Blind Boys of Alabama, Golden Gospel Singers are all in the running. As are Penatonix, (although it doesn't fit the criteria), Wynston Marsalis, (although no words), Veggie Tales, (because it makes him smile), and Big Daddy Weave, (mostly for the name)

Chris Young What r the options on iTunes you're leading towards too ?? I'm a pretty rounded subject on this song.

Judson Kinkade And Jim Nabors got a no because he made up some new fangled verses. Paul doesn't like that

Chris Young Does Mariah Carey do a version?

Chris Young Out of that list, I would personally go with Big Daddy Weave... Despite the awesome name.

Elizabeth Norman Worley Celtic Thunder

Elizabeth Norman Worley Bob Marley.

Judson Kinkade Bob Marley made him laugh but no. Celtic Thunder is a maybe

Chris Young Judson, I think this is perfect based on what u said Paul likes. A little bit of Country, a little bit of rock, and you can't argue with James Taylor's' voice.

Judson Kinkade He doesn't like how James Taylor's version isn't the traditional version.

Judson Kinkade Sandy Patti got a No as well.

Judson Kinkade Brenda Lee and Bing Crosby are potentials

Chris Young Beatles ??

Chris Young I hope Paul realizes that the resources put in to finding the perfect song have eclipsed the federal spending budget of Vermont in 2014....

Charley Lawrence-Harjo Simon and Garfunkel, Jewel, Vanessa Williams, CeCe Winans, Anne Murray, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Sheryl Crow, Garth Brooks, Hunter Hayes, and the Clark Sisters all have versions

Karen McWilliams The Kingston Trio?

Eric Stringer I love this one. by the Blind Boys of Alabama

Eric Stringer /\ That entire album is good.

Judson Kinkade Blind Boys is an option. It made his top 5

Uno Khan am listening to it now -- the minor key is an unusual approach, eh? they can sho sang

Rebecca Unzicker anne murray gets my vote.

Eric Stringer So, what's the verdict?

Judson Kinkade Good question. I'll blog about it. This is building the suspense right?!?!?

And so what Paul chose after much deliberation and all the help from the interwebs was. . .

Wait for it. . .

Bing Crosby.  He went with the traditional version, and Brenda Lee as a second choice.