Beautiful Cynicism III

Silver bells, silver bells,
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas Day.

Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, Silver Bells

Christmas – that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may well weave a spell of nostalgia. (Augusta E. Rundel)

As the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I adore the Christmas and New Year holidays, and everything they represent: love, peace, generosity, renewal, friends, family – and snow. The months at the end of our calendar year are generally my favourite, embued as they are with festive feelings and the desire to wear fuzzy socks and curl up beside one’s favourite people. And now, with Christmas only a few days away, the holiday spirit is out in full force. The homemade decorations and twinkling lights have been up for a few weeks now, the carols have been spinning on the stereo, and I’m hurriedly trying to finish my shopping and gift-wrapping.
Outside my window I see a clear blue sky, with the sunlight reflecting off the snow-covered ground, nearly blinding me. I will be trudging through that snow very shortly, en route to the store down the street to pick up some icing – today being Wednesday, I’ve decided to do some Christmas baking. (Why Wednesday? Well, why not?) Soon the house will be filled with an aroma of vanilla, as I dance around the kitchen, singing carols to myself and to Daisy – who will undoubtedly be getting caught underfoot as she scans the floor for any stray crumbs.
So, in the spirit of things, I’ve added a new category at the side, where I’ve gathered all of my holiday-themed posts from the past 14 months. You may have already noticed that as of the other day, I began posting one carol per day. (No special significance to the choices; just a small selection of holiday songs that I enjoy.) And if you’re feeling festive, click on this link to watch some Christmasy videos, which I will continue updating over the coming days.
In the meantime, good luck with your holiday preparations. Just don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the season, too!

Old Mr. Kringle is soon gonna jingle
The bells that’ll tingle all your troubles away
Everybody’s waiting for the man with the bag
‘Cause Christmas is coming again
He’s got a sleigh full, it’s not gonna stay full
Stuff that he’s dropping every stop of the way
Everybody’s waiting for the man with the bag
‘Cause Christmas is coming again

Brooks/Stanley/Taylor, The Man With The Bag

Sur le long chemin
Tout blanc de neige blanche
Un vieux monsieur s’avance
Avec sa canne dans la main
Et tout là-haut le vent
Qui siffle dans les branches
Lui souffle la romance
Qu’il chantait petit enfant:

Francis Blanche & Rolf Marbot, Vive le vent (1948)

The holly green, the ivy green
The prettiest picture you’ve ever seen
Is Christmas in Killarney
With all of the folks at home
It’s nice, you know, to kiss your beau
While cuddling under the mistletoe
And Santa Claus you know, of course
Is one of the boys from home

Redmond/Cavanaugh/Weldon, Christmas In Killarney

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go;
Take a look in the five-and-ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

James Pierpont, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (1857)

Today is Christmas Day according to the Julian calendar. While my family tends to follow the Gregorian calendar along with the rest of the modern Western world, at this time of year we pause and recognise this day. My family is Ukrainian, and January 7th for as long as I can remember has been referred to as Ukrainian Christmas. There are many traditions associated with this day, but over the years my family has loosened the ties with the past quite a bit, to the point where we often do not even hold the special dinner any more (which is really the whole point of the holiday)!

Of the many dishes eaten on this day, only a few are meatless, though my Baba has been kind enough over the past few years to have converted many of her traditional Ukrainian recipes into vegetarian versions, for which I am very appreciative. Traditionally the Christmas dinner begins with the placement of the kolach, a braided egg bread formed into circles (to represent eternity), on to the centre of the dinner table, with a candle in the middle. The first dish is kutia, a cold, creamed wheat dish, flavoured with honey and poppyseeds. Next comes a bowl of borsct. Included in the rest of the meal are many well-known Ukrainian foods such as holubtsi and pyrohy. The dinner traditionally ends with uzvar, a stewed fruit compote (which my family lovingly calls “compost”).

While I ceased attending church over 10 years ago, I do enjoy the buildings and the services themselves. Ukrainian high mass is always lovely to behold, full of mournful singing and chanting. And the Ukrainian Catholic churches are beautiful. There will be no churchgoing for me today, but I will play some old records of Ukrainian carols and reflect on my heritage and my family’s culture. Khrystos Razhdaietsia.

Photo: Father Time and Baby New Year, wikipedia.org

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.

Robert Burns

For those of us living in Commonwealth countries, today is Boxing Day (known in the UK as the Feast of St. Stephen’s). Historically, the day after Christmas was the time when wealthy families would bestow offerings of food, cloth, and tools to their servants – put in plain boxes, so as to be easier for the servants to carry back to their quarters, hence the name “Boxing Day”.

Nowadays, it is simply a time for extending the Christmas holiday – continuing visits with family and friends, eating leftovers from the Christmas meal, and having yet another day off of work. Actually, the most popular activity on Boxing Day (at least in Canada) is shopping: even though it is an official holiday, most stores are open, and they generally save their biggest sales and best discounts for this particular day. It is one of the busiest shopping days of the year… which is why I stay home!

Photo: noeleternel.com

Noël est là,
Ce joyeux Noël, des cadeaux plein les bras,
Qui réchauffe nos coeurs et apporte la joie,
Jour des plus beaux souvenirs,
Plus beau jour de l’année.

Washington Irving

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

J’ai quittée l’autobus peu de temps après; et comme chaque fois que je débarque le Santa Bus, pendant tout l’après-midi un sourire chatouillait mes lèvres.

Is this picture a foreshadowing of things to come? Will I be baking cookies? Not likely. It is already 11:00 and I am still in my pyjamas. My “To Do” list is getting longer by the minute…

Today’s To Do List:

- bake cookies? (probably not, but it’s a nice thought so
  I’ll keep it on the list!)
- make “nuts & bolts” mix
- finish buying gifts
- finish wrapping gifts
- ride the Santa Bus (more on that later)
- purchase Tofurkey?
- finish making Christmas cards and collages
- remain cheerful while others scowl and grumble
- walk in the snow

Citation du jour:

“Celui qui n’a pas Noël dans le coeur ne le trouvera jamais au pied d’un arbre.”  -Roy L. Smith

Compte à rebours!

Citation du jour:

“Quand on a bonne conscience, c’est Noël en permanence.”  -Benjamin Franklin

NB: Pour ceux qui m’ont visité hier et qui ont vu le photo mignon du chien, désolé pour l’avoir supprimer; c’était trop gros et le blog ne pouvait pas le supporter!

In the dark and damp of the alley cold,
Lay the Christmas tree that hadn’t been sold;
By a shopman dourly thrown outside;
With the ruck and rubble of Christmas-tide;
Trodden deep in the muck and mire,
Unworthy even to feed a fire…
So I stopped and salvaged that tarnished tree,
And thus is the story it told to me:

Her mother despaired and feared the end,
But from that day she began to mend,
To play, to sing, to laugh with glee…
Bless you, O little Christmas Tree!
You died, but your life was not in vain:
You helped a child to forget her pain,
And let hope live in our hearts again.

Robert William Service, The Christmas Tree