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12/17/2004 Entry: "Christmas MI-5"
1. What's your favorite Christmas carol of the religious variety?
It's too hard for me to pick a "favorite," as I have so many. On the list of "really digs," I'd put "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "How Great Our Joy," and "Coventry Carol." I like the ones in the minor keys. :-)
2. What's your favorite secular Christmas song?
Nat King Cole (from whom one of my sons takes his nickname) sang the difinitive version of "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...), even thoug Mel Torme wrote it. (Mel wrote it with another Jewish guy in July in California. Funny that's it's a perennial Christmas favorite.) Carol of the Bells is another minor key favorite. So is Gabriel's Message.
3. Ever performed in a Christmas pageant? Where? What did you do?
I think I was a Sheppard once. I remember going to the fields on Waterman's Beach and doing something, though it's all a little hazy. And I sing in the church's Christmas Cantata every year.
4. Fruitcake or Eggnog?
Uncle's Ade's eggnog. As you can see from the comments, it gets rave reviews. I think Aunt Ginny makes it every bit as good as he does. For those of you who haven't had it, let me try and explain, if I can without crying (it's that good!). First, it's not heavily spiced. It's got cinnamon and nutmeg, but just a touch. The creaminess really comes through. And egg whites. Something in there about them, too. It's light, not all heavy and cloying like commercial egg nog. It looks like snowballs made of clouds. I was discussing my uncle with a mutual friend (Arthur) the other day. Uncle Ade's eggnog came up for discussion. Arthur starts discussing his Mom's recipe for eggnog, and by gory he starts describing the same thing! Light, creamy, eggnog, not all heavy and nasty. He's of Massachusettes Portugese desent, and Uncle Ade is from NY and English (I would guess). Not sure where the recipe came from, but my guess is they're from the same neighborhood somewheres along the line.
5. The Christmas tree--got anything you'd like to share? Special ornament, or special ritual for set-up?
As we did when I was a kid, so continues the tradition in my house. Dad (that's me now) sets up tree (we use fake), and shapes it. The father then strings up the lights and garland. His job is now done. Mom and kids now add ornaments, and tinsel at the end. I do have a special pink ornament my grandmother gave me, and it sits proudly towards the top where neither cat nor child hands can reach it. My parents still display some hideous and heavy wood ornament I made for them when I was in kindergarten or first grade. The teacher picked up some wood spheres someplace, and we painted them as we wanted. I think I started out painting it all blue, but then switched to yellow. So the ornament is some ugly yellow/green/drippy looking thing. One year they didn't put it up, and I accused them of not loving me. So Mom put it up. It doesn't make the tree anymore, but Mom always hangs it somewhere.
Replies: 3 people have rocked the mic!
1. Favorite religious carol? What Child is This
2. favorite secular carol?
Little Drummer Boy
3. Pageant? I had to memorize a lengthy poem and recite it while rocking my doll. Can't remmeber the poem but it started with "Dolly Dear..." I think I was about eight or so
4. Eggnog...I hate fruitcake. Adrian makes the best eggnog in the world, but I keep trying.
5. When I was a child, Ma always put the tree in too early. Then we would have to undecorate it, go get another tree, and decorate it again. On one of these tree cutting missions, she made Ashley climb way up in a tall tree and cut off just the top.
Posted by Aunt Ginny @ 12/17/2004 10:54 AM EST
1. My favorite one to play is either Silent Night or Angels We Have Heard on High. My favorite to sing? Maybe Hark the Herald. I think O Holy Night is probably my all-around favorite--although I can't sing it or play it.
2. Sleigh Ride--without question. I especially love the piccolo part that the Carol Thompson and Laurel Butler used to play in the RDHS band.
3. Spruce Head Community Church Christmas Pageant--"Some hearts are filled with selfish pride, and have no room to spare; and so the Christ of Christmas can find no dwelling there." I think I was 4th grade or so.
4. Definitely eggnog. And, I can't tell the difference between Aunt Ginny's and Uncle Adrian's. And--I really appreciate the fact that Aunt Ginny made sure that she used pastuerized egg product when Sue and I were pregnant. That's thinking! (And very thoughtful, too.)
5. When Eben was a baby, I started collecting Hallmark ornaments. Now I'm obsessed. They're the only ornaments on my tree. (I cherish the ones that Eben has made me, though, and they are given special treatment elsewhere in the house, and are left out all year round.) I also have steady, solid-color lights on my tree (currently blue, but has always been clear in the past).
Posted by Lisa @ 12/17/2004 11:25 AM EST
1)we three kings or silent night or o holy night...i love christmas..it's too hard to choose.
2) little drummer boy sung by lynn barboza
3) I remember many christmas pageants with lisa crouching down in the front row to remind us of our lines. I think I was usually a shepherd or an angel.
4) eggnog for sure!..but only Dad's...the store stuff is nasty...i'm glad we brought that tradition back.
5) I remember Christmas tree shopping with my dad..we'd have to smell every christmas tree in the state of maine before we found the perfect tree. 
Posted by sarah @ 12/18/2004 01:48 PM EST
