Tidings of Comfort & Joy...
Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 7:36PM Some random meanderings on the Christmas season... This has long-ceased to be my *favorite* time of year, simply because it's so busy and hectic, but there are still some things to love about this time...
This morning the sun came streaming into my bedroom window through a misty glow of overcast clouds. But there it was, the sun, golden and glowing, diffuse and gorgeous over the Oakland hills across the bay. Through my own misty early-morning thoughts I said "red sky morning, sailors take warning"... Almost as soon as I had the thought it began raining. The sun was still there, shining like thick honey onto my matellasse quilt, but now there were the silvery cold cracks of raindrops hitting hard onto the fire escape outside. I looked through the window and it was like looking into a piece of vintage mercury glass - gold, silver, and shining all over.
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My favorite Christmas movies are as follows (in no particular order):
It's a Wonderful Life
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Family Stone
The Bishop's Wife
As far as the animated ones go, I do love The Grinch as well as Charlie Brown, but my heart belongs to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I think it's because of the Abominable Snowman, as well as the misfit toys. Being a bit of a misfit toy myself, I think this movie is utterly adorable and optimistic.
In The Family Stone, there is a scene toward the end when Luke Wilson & Sarah Jessica Parker are cuddled up in bed. Luke Wilson's character says "repeat the sounding joy"... like he's just beginning to understand the words for the first time.
Just what is the "sounding joy" anyways?
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My favorite Christmas carols in the traditional category are:
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
We Three Kings
I cannot wait to hear: "angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold" - that line gives me chills. In "We Three Kings" the line about "guide us to thy perfect light" has something transcendental about it too... these hymn people really knew what they were doing.
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When I was a girl, my Mom always brought out the classic pine-scented candle from Rigaud at this time of year. It lived in a zebra-print box, but during the holidays it sat in the living room and spread its elegant pine smell everywhere.
I've always wanted a Rigaud of my own, but the other day I indulged in the Jonathan Adler holiday candle and it's just divine... Red berries, pine, spice, cedar... j'adore!
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My favorite Christmas carols in the contemporary category are:
Good Morning Blues
The Christmas Waltz
Merry Christmas Baby
Hazy Shade of Winter
Run Rudolph Run
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
It's a Marshmallow World
The Christmas Song
In "It's a Marshmallow World" there's a line that says "it's a whipped-cream day"... I love the idea of running around through whipped cream. That's just too much... I also get chills whenever I hear the words "let your heart be light" in "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"... it's like you can almost feel your heart getting lighter when you hear it.
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A list of movies that really don't have a lot to do with Christmas, but Christmas is a part of the story, or an important thing happens in the plot during Christmas time, therefore they are sometimes called "Christmas" movies...
Mame
When Harry Met Sally
Die Hard
Less Than Zero
Doctor Zhivago
Little Women
L.A. Confidential
Desk Set
Sleepless in Seattle
Fanny & Alexander
Bridget Jones' Diary
Moonstruck
Love Story
Meet Me in St. Louis
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I love the scene in The Thin Man when Nick & Nora are sitting in the living room of their hotel suite enjoying their Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. Nick is shooting balloons off of the Christmas tree with a new bebe gun that Nora gave him, and Nora is watching him while wearing her new fur coat...then, Nick shoots out the window...:
Nora: Well, I hope you're satisfied
Nick: Hunh? Where am I?
Nora: You're not in a shooting gallery
Nick: Ah...but sugar, this is the nicest Christmas present I ever had...
Nora: You act as though it were the only Christmas present you ever had.
Nick: Say, where'd you get that wristwatch?
Nora: It's a Christmas present.
Nick: Yeah? Who gave it to ya?
Nora: You did.
Nick: Ahem, well, you must admit I got pretty good taste....
......
Nick: Say, aren't you hot in that?
Nora: Yes, I'm stifling! But it's so pretty...
Nick: Is that...another Christmas present?
Nora: Mmmhmmm.
Nick: Did I give it to you?
Nora: Yes.
Nick: I'm spoiling you.
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I scanned my collection of vintage Christmas postcards the other day and they're in a set up on Flickr. I noticed that while they're mostly not religious in any way, they feature a more traditional imagery than we're used to: bells, holly, snow, poinsettias, etc...
I wonder why these kinds of things are now taboo for being *too* traditional. Instead we have Santa Claus, snowmen, birds, ornaments, and Christmas cocktails. Everything is now sort of generic in its imagery - I wonder if people even know what a sprig of holly looks like any more...
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The two songs "Santa Baby" and "Baby It's cold Outside" are also among my favorites, but I cannot decide which recording I love the most. For "Santa Baby", I think that Eartha Kitt does it the best, but "Baby It's Cold Outside" is a toss-up. I grew up hearing it from Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme on vinyl (thanks Mom!), but there's something to be said for the Dean Martin version, as well as the cover from Brian Setzer & Ann-Margaret.
I'll bet Ann-Margaret does a killer version of "Santa Baby" too...
In "Santa Baby" I love the line "think of all the fun I've missed, think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed..." It's so charming and good, but so rife with possibilities! All you need on the end is "yet", and the intention changes completely.
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I like thinking of Christmastime as being rife with possibility... it's all a part of the comfort and joy... What's your favorite part of Christmastime?
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Helene
The Luxe Chronicles