I bring you glad tidings of Mrs. Giggles, Haven's cats, and Christmas songs

So it all began with an email from a reader who told me, “you’ll never believe what Mrs. Giggles wrote on her blog!” She included a link. And I looked, and she was right: I couldn’t believe it. Because, frankly, it’s heady stuff indeed when Mrs. Giggles says she has “a new favorite author” and she’s “in heaven” and it turns out she’s talking about...me. Right after this I had an email from another reader who alerted me to reviews posted a few days ago.  And… well, talk about nice little Christmas present. I love Mrs. Giggles—if you’re familiar with her, you know she’s hilarious, cranky, fearless, inimitable, opinionated, articulate, and very, very particular. And I’m not deluded enough to think she’s going to enjoy everything I write, but it’s a pleasure to please someone like her, because she obviously cares enough about romance to keep reading and reading and reading it, hoping to uncover that next little gem. I really hope she finds a few more keepers in my body of work over the years. Happy holidays, Mrs. G! I’m lifting a glass of nog to you, and thanks to those reviews you just posted, I won’t even need to add that dollop of brandy to warm my cockles.

        Speaking of warming cockles, today's blog illustration is courtesy of Haven. Those are her cat babies when they were little. I love how baby animals sleep all piled together. Of course, a lot of baby animals are all covered with fur, so it's probably a pretty darn comfy way to sleep.

            So how are you doing on your holiday preparations, kittens? Shopping done?? Gifts wrapped and sent? Baking done?? Decorations up?? Are you bloody sick of talking about and thinking about Christmas yet?? LOL. An interesting side effect of baking my little brains out over the past few days is that now, by the time I pull things out of the oven, I really, really don’t want to eat any of it. But this effect, mind you, took a few days to kick in. I mean, first I needed to test the cookies and brownies I intended to foist upon my dear ones, right? For quality control purposes? So I baked, I tested, I foisted. And now I could swear my jeans are tighter. I tell you. The sacrifices I make for loved ones. I just ran myself silly on my mini-trampoline by way of damage control, and though I fully intended to write a profound blog for you (ha!), as a result of all that running I feel kinda punchy instead. Ho ho ho! I think I'll just yammer on about...about....

        Well, how about Christmas songs? My favorite Christmas song: “Oh Holy Night.” Hands down.  It’s such a perfect, beautiful song. I always want to fall on my knees during the “fall on your knees” part and fling my arms wide and throw my head back and sort of belt it. You'll be happy to hear that I don't typically do this, however. I usually let Johnny Mathis do the belting. I also love, love, love Vince Guaraldi (who, coincidentally, was born in San Francisco and spent much of life gigging and recording here), particularly...

Christmastime Is Here [Instrumental]

But every bit of his "A Charlie Brown Christmas" makes me very happy. It's all so...lovely and tender and playful and relentlessly bittersweet. And Vince G. really jams on "Linus & Lucy." LOL. I've loved that piece my entire life, seems like:

Linus & Lucy

          So do you have a favorite Christmas song? Is there one you hate? What Christmas records did you grow up listening to, if you did? Did you do any baking this year? What else spells Christmas to you? And I swear I won't ask any more Christmas questions, but feel free to volunteer any info. LOL. Hope you're all quite warm and comfy, finished with shopping, done with wrapping, and leisurely sipping something hot while you're reading this. :) (It's a nice dream, isn't it?) And Haven, if you're around, tell us who's who in that basket up there. :)

(P.S. If all goes according to plan, I'll be having a quickie contest here on the blog on Friday and Saturday, so stay tuned. Who knows? All may not go according to plan. LOL.)

Comments

[Kathy K]

Congratulations Julie! Mrs. Giggles had some very nice things to say. Must say, the lady has good taste!! And now that I'm waiting for books for Christmas, it's a perfect time to re-read THE RUNAWAY DUKE and TO LOVE A THIEF. My TBR cupboard is bare and I'm searching for something. ^.^

Christmas...as my youngest pointed out just before leaving for school this morning...only 4 more days. ACK!
For the most part I'm done...Christmas cards are out ~ check; cookies done for babysitting kids ~ check; tree up and decorated ~ check; MOST of the presents bought [hoping DH gets the last couple today] ~ check; presents wrapped...um, no...only 2 wrapped so far...that's my chore, er, work for the day and I have to do it with my older kids not seeing anything...huh.
House decorated...nuh uh...it's been an odd year for many of us and my house-decorating daughter is not much in the mood so I guess my youngest and I will be getting the Christmas stuff up and out tomorrow. Hopefully this will get the others more into the spirit of the thing...they did decorate the tree. And that was great to watch...all 4 of my kids (22 1/2 son and daughters 21, 19 & 14) going through their decorations and putting them up on the tree. First time in a couple of years that they've all been together to do it and I LOVE watching them interact, tease and do an excellent decorating job! One of my very favourite, wonderful Christmas moments.

We're going to have a full house for Christmas dinner; it seems to be that we're the place for the only and lonelies to go...and that's a VERY nice feeling. My youngest sister and mom will be here and it looks like my oldest daughter's friend will be here, as well as my second daughter's perennial friend, again boyfriend will be here for dinner [his family does the Christmas thing on the Eve]. So, 10 of us...I'm not an entertainer, but having extras for Christmas dinner is wonderful! Another of my favourite season moments.

My favourite Christmas song: What Child is This / O Holy Night / Little Drummer Boy / Perry Como's Do You See What I See [or is it "Hear What I Hear"?]
I can't even pick ONE favourite...but anytime any of these songs comes on, I stop, sing and get teary.
Growing up we listened to Bing Crosby ~ the White Christmas album and the Perry Como album [can't remember what the title is]. I'm sure there were others, but those are the ones that meant, and still mean, Christmas to me. I finally found Bing Crosby on CD and I'm hoping to run across the Perry Como one someday 'cause I could listen to those over and over and over again...all year long! Well, maybe not in July, that'd be a little too weird!
I'm going to have to find more of my favourite albums too, I have the vinyl and the cassette tapes, but nothing to play any of them on, so I want more CD's. Ah well, maybe next year's Christmas list?!

Anyway, congrats again Julie! What a nice holiday thing to happen.

Kathy

[Julie Anne Long]

Speaking of things possibly not going according to plan, I spent a good portion of the morning in the bathroom with a plunger and a mop and...I'll spare you more details. LOL. Suffice it to say, it was an unscheduled disaster (but then, how many disasters are ever actually "scheduled??"). But I feel like a rock star, as I solved my own plumbing problem. Yay for me! LOL.

Good for you, Kathy K! Hope some of those presents under the tree or in your stocking help replenish your TBR shelf. :) and it sounds like you've showed Christmas who's boss. :) You have everything well in hand. My wrapping always starts out very artful and color-coordinated and eventually devolves into these sort of...pastiches of ribbonless wads. LOL. But i'm done, too. I love the sound of your cozy housefull of folks. Oh yeah! and Perry Como and Bing!! DEFINITELY the voices of Christmas!! You almost want to hear all the scratches and pops of a record, too, as you listen to the songs. There's something very evocative about the sound of a vinyl record. :) I still have a record player stashed away and boxes and boxes of various records. You never know when the urge to hear vinyl might strike. :)

Oh! I forgot to mention that also love the duet with David Bowie and Bing Crosy on "The Little Drummer Boy."

I know, isn't it funny about Mrs. G?? I really like surprises of THAT sort. Maybe some new readers will find me a result, who knows??

[Kathy K]

'Oh! I forgot to mention that also love the duet with David Bowie and Bing Crosy on "The Little Drummer Boy."'

I absolutely LOVE that song...and I dearly wish that I could find it. I actually watched the Bing Crosby special that that song was done on ~ years ago now ~ and was totally blown away. It takes "The Little Drummer Boy" aeons away from it's usual sweetness.
I can't believe that I forgot that song!

"My wrapping always starts out very artful and color-coordinated and eventually devolves into these sort of...pastiches of ribbonless wads."

ROFLOL ~ Oh jeepers Julie, I can just see the results...you are one very descriptive writer...comes in handy as an author, eh?

Love it!
Kathy

[Kathy K]

I was curious if I could find anything about the duet and I found a video on YouTube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTHvW2JcAA

I've watched it a few times already. ^.^

[Julie Anne Long]

OMG, Kathy, I have to thank you for that link!! I really love the two of them together. I've watched it twice, too, and sent the link around. I remember watching it when I was younger. It's officially Christmas. :) Funny how a few new things trickle into our little...cluster?...of traditions over the years...those Rankin Bass cartoons (Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to town) and Charlie Brown specials have been around for...forty years or more or so now? And this Bing/Bowie clip is from 1977, and definitely a classic now. The movie A Christmas Story is now part of my tradition, too. Wonder if this year will bring new things for little kids, or if babies born today will still be watching Rankin Bass cartoons in 2030?? LOL.

[Isabel]

Hi Julie, I know it's been a while since I stopped by but before things get even crazier here at home, I'd like to wish you Merry Christmas and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[Julie Anne Long]

Hey Isabel!! How lovely to see you here! Thanks so much for the holiday wishes—I hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend, too. :) Stay warm and dry!! Take care for now!

[Diana]

I don't celebrate Christmas (never have), so this time of year is like any other time for me. I don't get stressed out or anything, so that's very nice. :D

I'm so cold. I know I'm a San Francisco wimp, but I don't care. Where are my gloves?

[Marcy Arbitman]

Hi Julie! Happy Holidays. I hope you get your Erte. I really need a little, inexpensive cd player (I want it, too), but, I would so love a one bedroom apartment instead of my dinky tiny efficiency!

[Vicki Lynn Hale]

My favorite christmas song is probably The Pogues "Fairy Tale of New York", not too upbeat, but very singalongable!

I haven't been listening to much christmas music, I'm sort of 'off' the holidays this year, it's so stressful! Plus I live in a town with lots of shopping malls, which attract lots of out-of-town-meanspirited-bad-drivers from other counties -- grrrrrrr. My daily commute is miserable this time of year. I wish I could take a vacation for the whole month of December! To the Bahamas maybe... *sigh*

I spent Christmas in Mexico one year, as a spur of the moment, uncharacteristically spontaneous thing for me to do. I went to a language school in Cuernavaca for 2 weeks, & did the homestay thing with a Mexican family, and it was a blast. Christmas is much much MUCH less commercialized there. It's more about family get-togethers and so on. Lots of pinata-busting parties (did you know, they fill them with fruits and nuts, & not candies? Mexican kids must be sooo healthy!)

At the school, we had a little "posada" party, singing Mexican carols, followed by yummy tamales (just cornhusks filled with what seemed to be flavored masa, one green chile flavored one, and one pinkish strawberry flavored one -- yes, you read that right - strawberry flavored masa! and it wasn't half bad... You should also go to an ice cream shop if you are ever there and order the corn-flavored ice cream, it's the best I've ever had!).

I had some of that really strongly alcoholic nog they serve, and the fruity "ponche navideno". I'm not really a drinker so the first sip of nog kind of threw me, but the fruit punch was soooo good, & I so wish I could find the proper ingredients and make some to share with my family this year.

But, I'm not really in the spirit of Christmas music this year. Right now, I love listening to the Idan Raichel Project. I wish someone would give me the dvd/cd set for Christmas, but I think it's only available in Israel. The American version CD (I read somewhere) is sort of Idan Raichel - lite. If you haven't heard it, the album is great. Here's a clip of one of their songs on Google Video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2407860071118580738&q=idan+raichel&hl=en

[Julie Anne Long]

Diana, it HAS been cold here in the city!! I actually had to buy a hat. LOL. I've never really *needed* that sort of headgear before. (All of you non-San Francisco dwellers are rolling your eyes right about now.) I need fingerless gloves in the house!! But at least the sun is out right now. It should be shining in earnest in my office window in another hour or so.

Vicki, you sound like a gal after my own heart. LOL. Can you imagine a Pogues Christmas Special, for instance?? Pretty funny. Although I suppose they thought pairing Bing and David Bowie was pretty funny way back when. :) Thanks for the video clip! Quite cool. A Mexican Christmas sounds lovely. I think every now and then experiencing Christmas in a new way can help re-inspire us about the holidays, and help us find new and different meanings in them, beause, as you say, they of course can be stressful. Despite the stress, I do love the idea of cultural traditions stretching back over the centuries, and I like how different families and different people have their own unique ways of celebrating them (or not). I'm an anthropologist at heart, really. LOL.

[Kathy K]

Wow Vicki Lynn... that was an awesome video and song; I would totally love to find more from this band / singer.
Thanks for the link.

Kathy

[Diana]

I am so bummed because I can't find my gloves, and I get so cold when I'm typing at the computer. :(

[Laurie G]

Favorite- Silent Night
Hate -Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Childhood- Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, and the Mitch Miller Orchestra's Christmas Albums
The scent of pine spells Christmas to me.
We lived in the area where they grew the Christmas trees. Loved to go out and cut our own every year! We saw them grow from seedlings to trees (over the course of a few years).

[Laurie G]

Favorite- Silent Night
Hate -Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Childhood- Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, and the Mitch Miller Orchestra's Christmas Albums
The scent of pine spells Christmas to me.
We lived in the area where they grew the Christmas trees. Loved to go out and cut our own every year! We saw them grow from seedlings to trees (over the course of a few years).

[Laurie G]

Looks like I need a new comuputer for Christmas! Sorry for the duplicate! It froze while sending the first time. Happy Holidays everyone! I want cable for Christmas too. I HATE DIAL UP!!

[Julie Anne Long]

LOL, Laurie G.! The scent of pine—in the house, I should specify—does it for me, too—spells Christmas. It's the smell of anticipation. :) Silent Night is absolutely beautiful, too. It's practically a lullabye, isn't it? I love how these songs have endured over the centuries. And good call on Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer! LOL!! Amusing, in its way, but yeah, it's obnoxious, too. Hope you get cable for Christmas!! Have a great one. :)