Showing posts with label hymns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hymns. Show all posts

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Grandma Got Run Over by a Narcotic

There are certain Christmas songs I love and others I loathe.

I don't like:
The Twelve Days of Christmas -- Don't like the birds.
The Little Drummer Boy -- All that "Rump a Pump Pump" gives me a headache.
All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
That Alvin song with the rodents
Any song where the artist tries to hip hop or jazz up a traditional hymn.

I especially dislike "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." But I've found a way to make it tolerable. I've written new lyrics that I sing in my mind.

Grandma got run over by a narcotic, while she was being kicked out the door.
Grandpa took one or more too. We could hardly get him up off the floor.

Feel free to sing along.

You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
They're in Texas and as for me and my house, we believe.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Christmas Music -- The Hunt

Technology changed at a frightening pace in my childhood and early adulthood ... microwaves, VCRs, etc. One of the biggest changes was music. We went from 45s to 8-tracks to albums and cassettes to CDs. Today, you can download anything you want on the Internet.

We played a lot of Christmas music in my childhood home. When CDs became the norm, smart music companies released old, old tracks and albums on CD. My mother and I went on the hunt. We had to find all of our old favorites on CD.

Don't underestimate us. We did it. And we continue to call each other and ask, "Do you have (name an artist) version of (name a song.) There are only so many holiday songs and carols but we all have our opinion of the singer who sings it best.

My parents have CD players in their home and CD capabilities in their car. I have these things too. But, I also have my iPod which allows me to download and program. (When did I become this geek?) I've made this extremely elaborate holiday play list. The great thing is I can plug it in the household sound system or I can keep it just for me when everyone else gets sick of it.

I'm a successful hunter too. Just not for the same things that my animal hunter friends and family do. I can't shoot a deer but if you need some holiday music, come to my house.

I love everything from the hymns to the current (last 20 or so years.) Here's a sampling of my faves:

My Grown-Up Christmas List, Amy Grant
Blue Christmas, Elvis
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Tony Bennett
White Christmas, Bing Crosby
Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer, Gene Autry
Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt
O Holy Night, Johnny Mathis
Silent Night, Barbra Streisand

I have a ton more but I suspect you do too.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

He Walks with Me

One of my favorite hymns is "In The Garden." When the mother-in-law plays it on the piano, I stop whatever I am doing and sing along.

And, he walks with me
And, he talks with me ...

Last night, the husband and I took the puppy for our nightly walk. He kept saying to her, "Walk with me." Of course, she does. When I'm holding the leash, she's crazy.

It was a gorgeous, peaceful night. Every time Big Daddy said, "Walk with me," I started humming "In the Garden."