Tom Lehrer’s Christmas Carol is, for me, a delight, and I sing it to myself every December. Although his lyrics are ‘tongue in cheek’ I think we all have relatives like the ones in the song, and the commercial aspects that we complain about are very real. So – another one to make us all smile, and it’s American humour this time. I was unable to find a version with anything other than an album cover, apart from this, which at least shows the words so that you can sing along.
I took the photograph in central Manchester (not this year) and then played around with filters. I suspect our city centre is suffering badly this holiday season and I have no idea whether there are lights – we’re in Tier 3 lockdown and have been since the end of July with a short ‘break’ for a national lockdown.
Grandma got run over by a reindeer is one of those stupid songs that always makes me smile. This is the Irish Rovers’ official version. There are animated versions, and there are American versions, but somehow the whole situation feels more ‘real’ set in the British Isles. It is, I think, a peculiarly British and Irish sense of humour that tells a story of death at Christmas with a straight face or voice and expects the listener to laugh.
The model ‘reindeer’ is one I photographed a few years ago in the Manchester Christmas market. It was animated but at the time I didn’t have a smartphone so I didn’t get a vid of it. It only nodded and made a lowing sound.
White wine in the sun sung by Tim Minchin takes us on a journey to Australia and a Christmas family reunion. I like it because it makes me think of my Australian friends and time I spent with them there, and of how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world. Musically it doesn’t have a great deal going for it, but the lyrics are interesting, sometimes provocative and sometimes sentimental. It reminds us of sunshine – without snow.
The photograph of Uluru is one I took when I went there.
Last Christmas: the official video. I make no apology for this. Those who are playing Whamageddon don’t need to click on the link. I know perfectly well that people (including me) get tired of hearing Wham’s Last Christmas reverberating round the supermarkets of the land every day in December. However, I was, way back in 2016, inspired to write an mm ficlet using the chorus. It’s fanfic of a kind and I posted it on my website, here. https://jaymountney.com/2016/12/27/last-christmas/ as a gift for readers. So here you are again!
And I have to say I’d give a lot to go to a supermarket whatever they were playing. I haven’t been in a shop since March and it looks likely March 2021 might be my date for freedom. I’m not sufficiently vulnerable to be in the first vaccine cohorts, but I’m close enough to remain as isolated as possible. So, as Classic FM doesn’t play Wham, I’m unlikely to hear this or any other Christmas pop this year! (Although I do have a Spotify playlist when I remember to listen to it.) Now that even the garden is out of bounds because of the weather I’m beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic.
The photograph is of some decorations (including hearts) in a exquisite Christmas village in Portugal, where everything they use is natural and locally made or sourced.
Stop the Cavalry tells us to remember the soldiers who fought throughout the Christmas season of various wars (apart from the footballing truce of the first WW1 winter). It’s a piece that never fails to bring tears to my eyes and a chill to my heart. Jona Lewie sings it for us in this recording. There is some clever use of language: ‘buzz’ words such as ‘cavalry’ which can evoke thoughts of calvary; Mary waiting at home, evoking thoughts of Mary waiting for the birth of her child; the use of ‘home for ‘Christmas’ which strikes a chord with so many. I absolutely love the music, especially the introductory phrases, and the use of brass instruments which marry the ideas of military bands and town centre carol singing.
The picture is by roxicons, and I hope the kitten is merely in a snowhole and not a dugout.
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas is one of those quirky songs that is both sweet and hilarious. I’ve gone for the ‘original’ version with a twist. Make sure you watch to the end. Gayla Peevie sings as a ten year old and then again, today, in her seventies. I am reminded of this song whenever I see advertisements asking me to adopt an animal and can’t help wondering how the postman (or Santa) would feel about delivering a snow leopard or a whale… Or for that matter what the neighbours would say!
Today’s picture is a somewhat recoloured picture of a toad or frog (I can’t remember what biologist daughter said) which arrived in our garden. Needless to say, the original was not wearing a hat.
TV and films… …apart from the pandemic, Brexit and the US election!
DNA ***** Complex, well acted and satisfying Danish crime series. Vera Season 8***** Wonderful as ever. They seem to have stopped airing any more for now, so I can’t find out how much I’ve already seen of Season 9. Possibly all of it. Lucy Worsley’s Fireworks for a Tudor Queen***** 90 mins and I was totally gripped. Fascinating reconstruction of a display Robert Dudley put on for Elizabeth 1st. However, it vanished from iPlayer tonight (2nd December)
Monsoon*** A rather ‘different’ mm romance set against a fascinating background of modern Vietnam (both protagonists are just visiting but have links with the country’s past). However, despite the storyline and the location I got tired of the way the protagonists, and others, gazed moodily into the distance for no apparent reason. I’ve noticed this trend in modern films and dislike it intensely. Also, the plot was quite convoluted and not always well clarified. I don’t mind having to work for my dose of ‘culture’ but I would still prefer stories to be told from A to Z and have details to cue me in to all parts. Recommended if you haven’t seen it but I wouldn’t watch it again.
Apostasy. This sounded intriguing: sisters in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community have problems when one is ‘disowned’. But I abandoned it. Poor filming, direction, etc. made it virtually unwatchable for me.
Books
The excellent:
Scarlet Odyssey by CT Rwizi ***** High fantasy with African echoes. Despite the present tense and the high fantasy elements I’ve been raving about this novel and have pre-ordered the sequel. See my post on November 25th for more details. On wings of song by Anne Barwell ***** WW1 aftermath. Aiden and Jochen. Am angst filled but eventually delightful romance between men who fought on opposite sides in the war. Sympathy by JCP***** Slightly Halloweeny story in which a disabled landscape gardener meets a potter at Hook House, where he suffered fright as a child. The Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer***** I love one pan cooking where I can just shove everything in the oven and leave it to look after itself. This book (a birthday gift by request) has a lot of new recipes and techniques to explore Narrow Dog To Indian River by Terry Darlington***** Another requested birthday gift. Absolutely wonderful account of two pensioners and a whippet sailing their canal narrowboat down the east coast of USA. Hilarious and lyrical by turn. You need the paperback, not the e-book, because you need to be able to flip frequently to the maps at front and back.
Something Like Love by Beverley Jenkins. **** Well written chicklit set in late nineteenth century US in an all-black township. Some interesting historical detail accompanied by too much sex. Olivia, independent seamstress and mayor meets Neil July, an outlaw. Recommended if you like mf romance. One real flaw: pov changes from one paragraph to the next without warning. The Riley Brothers Collection by E.Davies**** 7 novels and 2 short stories with varied mm romances among members of a Canadian family. I loved getting to know everybody but despite the good plots and characters there was too much sex and I struggled with one book that had a focus on hockey. Sports romances send me to sleep.
The readable:
Off Leash by Daniel Potter *** Endearing concept (wake up as a cougar) but the magic is so convoluted I felt as if I was taking a physics course and there might be an exam.
The abandoned:
The Dragon who didn’t fly by CM Barrett. I just didn’t somehow connect with the style or the story. Urban fantasy. Mount Zero by Douglas Gellatly. I didn’t like the style, which I found wooden. I also tend to dislike books that begin with a sex scene before I have got to grips with the characters. Australian outback romance/saga
Short stories
None this month
Fanfiction
Never Settle by Brumeier***** A new ‘take’ on Cinderella. Fairy tale fandom. Meeting the prince with a difference.https://archiveofourown.org/works/27112592 500 Paint my love by nagi_schwarz*****This sci fi/fantasy story about a soul painter is SGA fandom but you don’t need to know the fandom to enjoy the story. http://archiveofourown.org/works/14377038 Greenlit by nagi_schwarz***** A soul bond that goes wrong. Again, SGA but you don’t need the details. https://archiveofourown.org/works/8416765? I went searching for wings by Fledhyris*****https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745312 A gorgeous modern fairy tale that was written for a real person fiction challenge but in fact casts the two actors from Supernatural as characters in a fantasy world. I did the beta and loved every minute. (Disclaimer: the author is my daughter.)
The Nutcracker ballet by Tchaikovsky is a traditional Christmas entertainment. I love all the music but instead of the Overture or the possibly more popular Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (which admittedly evokes thoughts of the fairy on the Christmas tree) I thought I’d go for the Dance of the Mirlitons. The tune was hijacked by a chocolate advertisement some years ago and given new words including ‘everyone’s a fruit and nut case’ and referring obliquely to the sweets found in Christmas stockings. I always find these words running through my head when I hear the tune even though I’ve never been keen on the chocolate being advertised! There are various explanations of the term ‘mirliton’ but most agree on shepherds and all reference flutes so I chose a lovely rendering by an American flute quartet.
In other news we now have our fairy lights on all over the place. The picture has no conceivable connection to the music – it’s just a winter icon by roxicons. It’s frosty here but there’s no snow yet.
’O come o come Emmanuel’ is a sombre piece of music. The theme of the lyrics expresses the Jewish longing for the Messiah but is in fact a hymn by Christian monks which starts the countdown to Christmas when their Messiah will be born. It’s usually sung on the first Sunday in Advent, but this year that was the last Sunday in November and as I’ve said, I’m not starting ‘my’ Christmas in November! So it’s a good way to begin on 1st December. I’ve chosen an instrumental version by the Piano Guys (in this case one piano and one cello). I love the flamboyance of their performances. This one was filmed on a Mormon movie set and is visually both dramatic and evocative of ancient Israel. It’s one of those pieces that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
The picture shows a plant beside our front door after a heavy hailstorm.
Last year Charlie Cochrane treated us to her favourite Christmas music during Advent, on WordPress, Dreamwidth and Facebook. I enjoyed the posts so much I wanted to do something similar. I’m intending to post every day in December with my favourite ‘winter’ music. I loved some of the carols Charlie posted but I’m trying not to have the same list though there might be an overlap here and there.
I start feeling festive after my husband’s birthday at the end of November. Then there’s the run-up to my daughter’s birthday which takes place at the Solstice. I find the Solstice a magical time for that reason as well as the significance of the shortest day etc. I celebrate Christmas as a kind of family/solstice/saturnalia type of festival then it’s a countdown to New Year. Coming from about as far north in England as you can get (the Northumbrian side of the Scottish border) I tend to take New Year quite seriously!
As I developed my list I became aware that it was extremely Eurocentric – there’s one Australian song, and a few American ones but that’s about it. I think, for me personally, the solstice is a time for looking at our forests and wild places, so while I normally like to be more inclusive, in this case I’m a native of the north. I’d love to see the choices of someone from another part of the world or even another part of UK.
Not all my choices are by any means religious though there are one or two carols. I hope there’ll be something for everybody to enjoy. I’ll collect the full list in a pdf on my website at some point so you can refer to it if you want any links again.
I usually listen on Spotify (apart from gazing at The 2 Cellos) but I’ve used YouTube links assuming most people can access that wherever they live. I’ve used illustrations for each post either from my own photographs or from icons by LJ/DW icon makers. Today’s picture is by roxicons.
Now taking a deep breath for tomorrow and remembering to post every day…
Jay's World 