Merry Christmas

Times aren't good; they never are. We can only be thankful for what we've got and work for a better world. Merry Christmas

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 Yuletide 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.

Top 5 Christmas Albums

So that last title was terrible. Anyway, here are my top 5 Christmas Albums of all time.

5. The Jackson 5 Christmas Album - The Jackson 5



The energy and fun that made the Jackson 5 such a phenomena just seeps out. This feels like it was made by your own family, if you had talent.

4. A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra



Frank was known for his Christmas albums, and with good reason. The Rat Pack put out some great seasonal albums, but this was Frank's first and best. He made "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" his own, even having a line changed that he felt was too much of a downer.

3. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole



It's not just a great Christmas album, but a great Nat King Cole album. Everything is a winner here, especially the title track. Cole is never better.

2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby



A timeless Christmas album. It may not be the first Christmas album ever, but it sure feels like it. If a song ever belonged to someone, it's "White Christmas" to Bing.

1. A Christmas Together - The Muppets & John Denver



I have to admit, this is a sentimental pick. The perfect match between Jim Henson's familiar creations and John Denver, the mix between the sacred and the swinging, the tender and the uptempo. This is greater than the sum of its parts. You wouldn't think a bunch of puppets could embody the spirit of the season, but they do. For me, this album is snow falling on Christmas Eve, a roaring fire, and gathered family.

Christmas Season Begins?

I just saw the first 2008 Christmas commercial. It was for Kmart, in case you were wondering.

"Didn't we just carve pumpkins?"

Merry Christmas!

"A Child of the Snows"

There is heard a hymn when the panes are dim,

And never before or again,
When the nights are strong with a darkness long,
And the dark is alive with rain.

Never we know but in sleet and in snow,

The place where the great fires are,
That the midst of the earth is a raging mirth
And the heart of the earth a star.

And at night we win to the ancient inn

Where the child in the frost is furled,
We follow the feet where all souls meet
At the inn at the end of the world.

The gods lie dead where the leaves lie red,

For the flame of the sun is flown,
The gods lie cold where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes forth alone.

— G. K. Chesterton

Giants and Christmas

Kind of a lucky win for the Giants today. They played ten minutes of football and came away with the whole game. It's looking like they will make the playoffs (hopefully). I doubt that they'll get very far; however, as the Packers and Cowboys are far and away better, and the Patriots are in a different league altogether.

Well, at the house we got a giant Christmas tree. It's a little bulbous on top, but damn is it huge. We have to decorate it soon but need for lights. It's snowing outside, or was anyway, and I've got my cup of hot chocolate and Christmas music playing, so I'd say the Christmas season is upon us.

P.S. We have Rock Band. It rocks.