dual personalities

Month: December, 2011

December 22, 2011

Guiding the pilgrims through the night

by chuckofish

Yesterday while driving to work, I was listening to Emmylou Harris’s Christmas album from 1992 Light of the the Stable, one of my favorites.

I had been listening to another favorite, the King’s College Choir album, On Christmas Night. Like our favorite movies, it is sometimes difficult to fit in all our favorite Christmas CDs. But I am so glad I switched from the wonderful boys’ choir over to Emmylou! I sang along enthusiastically with Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem. I could not find a Youtube video of Emmylou, but here are the Judds. And here are the words so you can sing along too.

O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shining far through shadows dim
Giving the light for those who long have gone
Guiding the wise men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

O beautiful star the hope of life
Guiding the pilgrims through the night
Over the mountains ’til the break of dawn
Into the land of perfect day
It will give out a lovely ray
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine upon us until the glory dawns
Give us a lamp to light the way
Unto the land of perfect day
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

O beautiful star the hope of grace
For the redeemed, the good and the blessed
Yonder in glory when the crown is won
Jesus is now the star divine
Brighter and brighter He will shine
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine upon us until the glory dawns
Give us a lamp to light the way
Unto the land of perfect day
O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

O beautiful star of Bethlehem
Shine on

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December 21, 2011

A little ‘Yul-tide’ cheer

by chuckofish

The 'Yul shrine' with new additions

What Yule tide celebration would be complete without Yul? Even famous poet Marianne Moore made the connection with her immortal words,

“Yule — Yul log for the Christmas-fire tale-spinner — of fairy tales that can come true: Yul Brynner.”

Special thanks to my wonderful dual personality for finding these superb Yul-relics and for the symmetry. Great birthday presents! The picture does not do them justice. As usual, we (three of us tried) had a hard time with glare and shaky hands, but I think you get the idea. A disclaimer: the green piano came that way (it was free so we couldn’t complain), but we’ve grown fond of it.

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December 21, 2011

God bless us, every one!

by chuckofish

We are closing in on December 25 and I have yet to blog about some of my very favorite Christmas movies! Isn’t that always the way? We haven’t had time to watch them either. Sigh. Well, I do want to mention our favorite version of the Charles Dickens classic, Scrooge (1951), directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. It is, in our humble opinion, by far the best interpretation and the most English.

Alistair Sim is pitch perfect as the old skinflint, Ebenezer Scrooge. He plays it so straight all the way through–never mugging or clowning his way–and then at the end, his over-the-top joy seems just right. He is wonderful and all the character parts are well-done too. We especially like Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber and Michale Hordern as Jacob Marley (scary!).

We must also note that we are terribly fond of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) featuring Michael Caine as old Ebenezer.

Not Michael Caine

The Muppet version is admirably respectful of the original story and the Muppets are as always hard to resist. Kermit makes a pretty cute Bob Cratchit.

Somewhere in the 12 days of Christmas there must be time for: The Bishop’s Wife (1947), A Christmas Story (1983), Home Alone (1990), It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Miracle on 34th Street (1947)…So many movies, so little time! (Have I forgotten anything?)

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December 20, 2011

Grades are in…now for Christmas

by chuckofish

Well, now that the grades are in all I have to do is finish shopping, wrap presents, send cards, and cook — all of which I’m going to enjoy. For starters here’s our tree. It’s very large and pretty. One of the benefits of living in the north country is that we get beautiful, fresh Christmas trees at an excellent price from Canada (I don’t want to make anyone jealous by actually mentioning numbers so I’ll be tactfully vague. Perhaps Canadian trees aren’t subject to Obama’s Christmas tree tax; hence the lower price. But does buying a foreign tree make me unpatriotic?). I couldn’t get a good photo that showed the lights to advantage, but you get the idea. Note also the lego train and attendant buildings under the tree. According to family tradition, the boys build a village of lego around the train. Some of it’s very clever and funny like this little guy holding a snowball and fleeing a mean yeti. You should see the look on the mini-figs face!

Or this house with carolers out front and people at a street light. Note that someone from the house is bringing hot cocoa to the carolers and spot Santa on the roof:

or this miniature Christmas tree complete with presents. I particularly like the Jack-in-the-box to the right.

And, yes, my boys are all grown up so I guess that makes them lego-nerds, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Merry Christmas!

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December 19, 2011

A pine tree properly festooned

by chuckofish

Here is a little dual personality circa 1959 trimming the tree. I’m sure my mother (the aforementioned perfectionist) re-distributed all the balls that I had put at my level on the lower branches of the tree after I went to bed, but that’s okay. I was oblivious.

Here we are trimming our tree today. Things haven’t changed much (even my hairdo!). Some of the decorations are even the same.

Here is daughter #2 with a handful of tinsel, flaunting the Bunker Cameron rule of one strand of tinsel per branch, which our mother stuck to religiously as well. We laughed about it, but still…


And here is the tree!

Beautiful! And I’m so glad it’s done!

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December 18, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dual Personality!

by chuckofish

Can you guess which one is our birthday girl circa 1970? Hint: she’s in the first row…uh huh.

6 Comments
December 18, 2011

Westward leading, still proceeding

by chuckofish

The Star of Bethlehem by Edward Burne-Jones

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11 KJV)

I love that angel, don’t you?

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December 16, 2011

God was man in Palestine

by chuckofish

Christmas
by John Betjeman

The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many a stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.

The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that the villagers can say
‘The church looks nice’ on Christmas Day.

Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says ‘Merry Christmas to you all’.

And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.

And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children’s hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say ‘Come!’
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.

And is it true? And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,
A Baby in an ox’s stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me ?

And is it true ? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare –
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.

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December 15, 2011

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store?

by chuckofish

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
– Dr. Seuss

The Grinch first appeared in the 1957 story How the Grinch Stole Christmas, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, published as both a Random House book and in an issue of Redbook magazine. My paternal grandmother, completely out of character, sent us the story from the magazine and that was the version we always had. It turned brown with age and was taped and stapled. We read it every year on Christmas Eve, along with other Christmas stories, poems and songs. When my children were little, we finally bought the book. I was never a fan of the 1966 TV version and never saw the Jim Carrey film version. It is best read aloud. And its message is still solid and timely.

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December 14, 2011

How steadfast are your branches!

by chuckofish

THIS

PLUS

EQUALS

AWESOME!

On Sunday, when the boy will be home to put on the lights, it’s on to the big tree!

A bit of trivia: The first National Christmas Tree was lit on December 24, 1923, in the middle of the Ellipse outside the White House by President Calvin Coolidge. Paul Moody, president of Middlebury College in Vermont donated a 48-foot tall balsam fir as the first National Christmas Tree. Middlebury College alumni paid to have it shipped via express to Washington. I wonder if our mother, Middlebury College class of 1947, knew that?

Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

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