| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
 Posted - Dec 19 2017 : 07:52:01
|
I've talked to a lot of folks that love the Little Drummer Boy special from the 60's, and nobody seemed to have it or know where to get it. (It's not available in Amazon.)
Fortunately, somebody did a rip and posted it to YouTube.
|
 |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
 |
|
|
Nosehair-OMO
Administrator
|
Posted - Dec 19 2017 : 15:12:47
|
listening to the song on Alexa now (per 8 yr old daughters request)
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 5300 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 20 2017 : 06:47:36
|
The words to What Child is This? were written by William Chatterton Dix, an English writer of hymns. He was working as an insurance agent at the time of its writing and was struck with a near fatal illness. He was confined to his bed for months and sunk into depression; however, it was during this time he experienced a spiritual awakening and most of his hymns were written.
The lyrics are adapted from three stanza of Dix's poem The Manger Throne and pose the question, "What sort of a king would be born in a manger?". Dix is said to have written the poem after reading about the shepherds and the magi visit to the nativity and it attempts to describe what they must've been thinking when they arrived.
These lyrics were later set to the tune of Greensleeves by Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer and published in a book of carols, Christmas Carols Old and New.
Here is Christina Grimmie singing the carol with her brother accompanying her on guitar. Sadly, Christina was killed while signing autographs outside an Orlando, FL theater following a performance in 2016.
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 21 2017 : 06:38:21
|
My first introduction to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol came in the form of a cartoon.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol first aired in December 1962. It was the first animated Christmas special produced specifically for television. The introductory titles say it's "freely adapted" from the book; however, it's fairly faithful - with the only significant differences being omissions from the book primarily to fit a 1 hour time slot. It's still considered a holiday classic with many people naming Mister Magoo as their favorite Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Mister Magoo was voiced by Jim Backus (aka Thurston Howell III). Backus was often cast as an upper crust millionaire, perhaps playing off of his upbringing in a wealthy village in the Cleveland area. He attended the Kentucky Military Academy for a while, but was expelled for riding a horse through the mess hall. Later in life, he suffered from Parkinson's disease which limited his appearances to cameo's.
So, without further ado ...
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
I know I posted about A Christmas Carol last year, but this show was a favorite memory.
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Bypass-OMO
frequent visitor
|
Posted - Dec 21 2017 : 18:20:22
|
that was my first introduction to a Christmas carol also and the year it came out I was busy being born lol.
|
 |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 728 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 22 2017 : 07:08:21
|
As I was listening to the radio on the way home from work, I heard a piece on a drink called coquito. It's nicknamed the eggnog of Puerto Rico (though as I've been researching this, I've seen lots of comments that real coquito contains no eggs ... if it has eggs in it, it's ponche).
Since I work with a couple of folks from Puerto Rico, I asked one about it. Her eyes lit up and of course she had plenty advice on making it - most importantly, use a good white rum.
We're hosting Christmas dinner this year and I may have to give making this a try.
This recipe uses ground spices and is made in the blender without any cooking. I've seen other recipes where the mixture is cooked, to thicken it, and whole spices are used to make a tea versus using ground spices.
Feliz Navidad!
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 23 2017 : 03:37:10
|
David Sedaris first read his essay SantaLand Diaries on NPR on December 23, 1992. It provided him with his first big break. A few years later, he added addition bits to it and it was also adapted for the stage.
SantaLand Diaries recounts Sedaris' time working as one of Santa's helpers at Macy's. It has become a holiday tradition and it has been played on NPR ever since - now into its 25th year.
And so, on the 25th anniversary of its first reading - SantaLand Diaries in its entirety (the full length 1996 version).
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 24 2017 : 02:43:41
|
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. Luke 2:4-18 (NIV)
Joy to the World
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Aged
That's MISTER Lag Monkey to you.
|
Posted - Dec 25 2017 : 03:20:26
|
Epilogue...
It’s been 15 years since I last talked with Santa, and of course, the circumstances today are quite different from then. I didn’t have anything to put together this time, instead I’d gone to bed early, without the frantic angst that had accompanied that Christmas 15 years earlier from trying to make things magical for the following morning and then still get some sleep. This time, nature had come calling (I have gotten a good bit older) and, out of curiosity, I crept downstairs to see how things looked, just to check if there might be some “magic” there that I’d missed from earlier.
To my surprise, there he was. He remembered me and our earlier chance meeting, of course. You could definitely say Santa’s a people person – he keeps track of things like that. He asked if I’d like to share a beer with him like I had before, but this time I suggested bourbon. I explained to him that I’m trying to lose weight and whiskey’s a better fit for my diet than beer – though I had some beer if he would like it. He just noted the change in my physique with a wink and said bourbon would be fine, so I grabbed a couple of glasses and poured us each a drink.
I didn’t know what to say to Santa because I’ve got so many things I could ask him and didn't know where to start. I sat pondering for a few moments and he broke the silence. He asked if I’d had any concerns about him being able to find my children over the years and I smiled, shook my head and said no. I thanked him for always finding them and making things special. I was about to mention my grandchildren, but he beat me to it. He told me he had special things picked out for them and would be delivering them later in his run when he made it to Las Vegas.
I told him that ever since my youngest daughter told me, “Dad, I know you’re Santa.” the pressure had been relieved somewhat, but it took some of the “magic” with it. On balance, that seemed like a good thing – especially since I have grandchildren to spoil. He said he knew all parents go through that transition, but he still tries to make the tree shine just a little bit brighter in case anyone notices. I nodded and told him I’d always wondered if he did something like that because Christmas mornings always seem to have some additional sparkle to them, even now that I’m an adult.
We finished the last sips of bourbon and he said good bye and was on his way. It amazes me that someone so busy and on such a tight schedule could still find the time to visit for a bit. I can’t imagine having that sort of patience, but, hey he’s Santa, right?
Perhaps, I’ll run into him again someday. I certainly hope so.
As I think back on all that has happened since that last encounter, I realize that I’ve enjoyed unimaginable blessings.
Merry Christmas.
|
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2974 |
|
|
|
Arcane
Administrator
|
Posted - Dec 25 2017 : 18:41:50
|
Thank you Aged. Once again you have proven what it means to have Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas my friend
|
Novus Ordo Seclorum
Knowledge is power... has been since time eternal. Arcane knowledge is thereby ultimate power and can
therefore lead to ultimate corruption. Wisdom (and the experience that comes with age) is a serum for corruption.
Perhaps that is why there are so many Old Men with Arcane knowledge and so few young ones...
Arcane OMO - Circa 2001
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 2984 |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Advent calendar 2017
