Monday, November 27, 2006

A one horse soap and sleigh

I think I was 14 before I realized that it was actually a "one horse open sleigh."

You know, as much as I fucking HATE Christmas sometimes, I love all the singing. The last few days as Soph and I have been driving around, she's been requesting, "Sing Christmas songs Mommy." I've been having fun doing "The Christmas Song" a la Karen Carpenter, "The Little Drummer Boy" a la David Bowie, and last night, I was totally channeling Billy Holiday while sing "Jingle Bells."

Soph's favorite is, like most 4 year olds, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." She has totally mastered the "like a lightbulb!" and "like monopoly" bits. My favorite just-for-fun Christmas song has got to be "Let it Snow." There's so much room to slide around in that one. Plus it's so cozy and just ever-so-slightly naughty. As for the more "serious" carols, for my money you can't beat "O Holy Night." Even though I'm not a believer, that crescendo "Fall on your knees. O hear the angels' voices. O night divine...." and so on gives me the shivers every time. That song just swells an breaks and swells again until you're ready to just shout out "God bless us, every one!"

Of course, I've always found "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" to be down right creepy. The, "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake," is just too Santa-as-Stalker for me.

I also hate the "push-the-button-and-listen-to-the-carol" toys, ties, and whatever else. Yesterday, after Thanksgiving Part Deux at Grandma Bud's house, Soph, Grandma, and I all made the pilgrimage around the corner to the Griswalds. (Actually, I have no idea what their last name is, but their house is lit up like, well, like something very, very light-y. Katy, I think, refers to it as "The house Christmas threw up on.") This year along with the plastic baby Jesus surrounded by light up candy-canes and polar bears and every other tacky Christmas decoration in creation, they added a very electronic sounding carol bonger-outer. Yikes.

Today's best thing about being a mom:
Crayon masterpieces on the fridge


Today's worst thing about being a mom:
We just can't seem to get the haircut right these days.

6 comments:

NME said...

I need to start bringing out our Christmas CDs - and I could use a couple of new ones. It will be cute when Noah starts learning the words.

Being a city girl I like "Silver Bells." Oh and anything sung by Nat King Cole.

Anonymous said...

my favorite serious christmas album is the drummer boy by the harry simone choral. their version of o night divine would break your heart. I love singing christmas carols, too, but never in front of anyone unless it's in a group.

until about 3 years ago, sean thought the refrain for the US for Africa song "do they know it's christmas" was "FEEEE-VER, WHOOOOOOAH!" and not "feed the world".

~A~ said...

Let it snow is my all time favorite, plus it holds special snow magic when I sing it while wiggling my butt. :)

Love that catalog BTW. One of my "things" when people ask what to buy this kids, is consumable craft supplies. A child can not have too much clay, crayons, washable paints and markers, paper, glue, craft foam and felt. Usually my parents find something really cool to add to the normal stuff. I think that new crayola cutter thing may be on the list.

Stine said...

a very electronic sounding carol bonger-outer

- on occasion, my voice has been described as such over the last few years. Glad you made it through Logan.

I don't care who knows it, Karen Carpenter singing Christmas carols gets me every time.

JJisafool said...

I'm not a big believer, either, and yet the religious carols do it for me more than the secular ones. I used to have a regular karaoke bar in Seattle, big actor hangout so lots of people that could actually sing, and I actually chose "O Come All Ye Faithful." All three verses.

The song I could do without - f-in' "Santa Baby." I'm so stinkin' sick of hearing Eartha and Madonna tart around with that stupid song. And, its everywhere, absolutely evverywhere, and I HATE it.

~A~ said...

J - My Honey HATES that song too with a flippin' passion. So funny.