Sunday Singalong: Holidays, Foods, Songs

 Another week has passed and I have discovered that holiday music has been playing on public address and "muzak" players all over! It seems all have gotten into the holiday season with full immersion. I'm actually ready for it this year (that is, the music, not necessarily all the Christmas and related events . . . and I may not fully embrace it all before the first of January, so I am enjoying the lights and feel of the season - TV movies, foods, blog posts, etc. - vicariously . . . less cleanup? Sorry, my cynical side slipped out).

Well, I mentioned food. There was a time when I did baking and prepared holiday potluck dishes, etc. But as I have gotten older, I've learned a few things (about the actual food prep and my own behaviors):

1)    I tire rapidly when baking or doing any extensive cooking . . . so I don't any more.

2)    I will sample as I prepare and consume the product of my efforts afterwards . . . this is evident in short order once I pack the holiday implements away and attempt to wear clothing that had fit just fine prior to December (most of my holiday attire has been purchased a size or 2 higher than I might normally wear, to accommodate the holiday fare).

3)    If I don't bake, but still answer the door to visitors, goodies come into my home with little to no effort (see #2 for the drawback).

4)    I can actually enjoy the season without seasoning (e.g., sugar, salt, cinnamon, anise, cloves, etc.) . . . but do I really want to?

5)    Cleanup is a breeze when I am not the chef or baker!

6)    Amazing, pre-prepared foods of all types are readily available, and many stores deliver! Some items even involve a little, optional, personal touch (e.g., a quick warm-up in my oven, the addition of some powdered sugar, etc.), allowing me to look like the woman with the white thumb (especially if I put the items on my own good serving dishes).

So, here is the Sunday Singalong challenge:

So many holiday songs involve the mention of food or drink or actually are ABOUT consumables. Whether the song comes from the Christmas holiday, Kwanzaa celebration, Jewish tradition, New Year welcoming, or any others that might connect with your culture(s) or life, share the title, lyrics, link to a YouTube video, etc. Share the reason the song is remembered by or important to you. Here is my offering:

"The Candy Cane Tree" - written & sung by my friend, Tom Paxton. I'm not sure why this is one of my favorites on his Christmas CD (A Child's Christmas, 1992). Maybe because it is a non-controversial song (unless one has some issues with candy-cane-eating elves). It's also a song that screams, "everyone join in!" When I sing it at a music gathering, the chorus is picked up quickly and soon everyone is singing "The candy, the candy cane tree, I'll pick some for you if you pick some for me, For Christmas is coming, come hurry with me to the candy, the candy cane tree." (Now, I'm not sure why I can't pick my own and, instead, ask you to pick some for me, for which I'll reciprocate . . . maybe it is possible for me to look a little less greedy if the candy that overflows my basket is picked for someone else instead of for me . . . well, there goes my issue with the post-Christmas poundage.)

Want to hear it? check out "The Candy Cane Tree" by Tom Paxton on YouTube          

Want to get the CD? Yup, it's still available, 30 years later. Used copies are available online, but I usually end up with my "Fail Safe" resource: Amazon.com, A Child's Christmas (when I checked it out it shows I've ordered it twice in the last 4 years, probably as gifts . . . it's a great choice!).

And now, what foods are sung about during these months, extolling the wonders and benefits (or maybe cautions) of the edible treats in your life?

Sunday Singalong with Circlemending - Animals

We tend to think of children when we think of songs about animals (my post last week was a song about a dog that was more for adults than kids, but I sure enjoyed the song when I was young). We just spent part of the weekend with a bunch of Alaskan Klee Kais, singing (well, the dogs weren't exactly singing) and enjoying the company of people and their pets, which partly inspires this week's Singalong.

Last weekend my daughter and her family came to visit and we played "Encore," a game that pits two teams against each other to try to out-sing the opponents, using a set of subject and category cards to keep the competition moving. In our game, it ended up a draw (we were all too tired to keep going!) but we sang and laughed for almost 3 hours before we agreed to end in a tie. The ages of the participants ranged from 11 to almost 60 . . . the types of songs ran the gamut (one player was from Germany, but she knew all the American songs). Listening to my granddaughters sing in harmony was a special experience. Many songs dealt with animals (among other things) and I thought that would be an interesting topic for this week.

Do you have a song about animals? (Remember, you can give the entire set of lyrics, post just a verse or two, provide a link to an MP3 files or YouTube video, or just post the title.) Here's my offering for the week:

Tom Paxton's "My Dog's Bigger than Your Dog." Do you remember when that was used as a Ken-L-Ration commercial? Did you know that it was originally a legitimate kid's song? (Click on the links for, respectively, the lyrics and the commercial on YouTube.)

What's your favorite animal song?

Sunday Singalong with Circlemending - Friends

Yesterday was a unique experience and a really enjoyable time, in spite of 100+ degree temps. Butch & I, along with a select group of musicians & singers, shared the stage in a variety show for the United Methodist Church in Yucca Valley, Calif. entitled "Charlene & Friends" (the organizer was Charlene Ryan-Moore, organist for the church and amazing talent on piano, organ, accordion, and voice). What a talented group! I was honored to be in their presence. We sang & played instruments from about 2 to 4 pm, with a range of genres that is not likely to be found in one location very often. From Bach to Country music, from polkas on the accordion to old ballads on the saw, from originals to traditional pieces . . . this was truly an event that had something for everyone!

I thought it would be fun to keep the idea of a musical variety show going by pulling a common theme from the program: Friends. Charlene impressed upon the audience that, though some of the performers she had known for less than a couple of hours, they were friends on the basis of being friends of friends (of friends . . .).

Friends were a large part of my family's life, not only in recent years, but back in earlier times. When I sorted through family photos, many included the neighbors, fellow parishioners, coworkers, classmates, etc. And sometimes they got together, as friends, to share songs and good times. So, using Charlene's theme, how about songs about friends or songs sung with friends (by you or your relatives)? (If you choose the latter, be sure to explain how the song connects to the theme.) As a reminder, Sunday Singalong can be a full list of the lyrics, the posting of a verse and/or chorus, or just the title of the song. Or provide a link to the lyrics on line, an MP3, or a YouTube video.

One of my mother's favorite songs was "Ramblin' Boy," about two friends who stuck through everything together, even if it meant that one person's potential for a good job was jeopardized. My friend, Tom Paxton, wrote the song back in the early 1960s. My mother died in 1994, but up until just before her death, virtually every time we gathered as a family to share music, Mom would ask for "Ramblin' Boy." Maybe she was reminded of her own childhood best friends, or maybe she enjoyed the theme of being so close that the two were willing to sacrifice everything for the companion. Whatever it was, Mom's love of that song will always be part of my memories of family gatherings.

To hear & see Tom sing this song in fairly recent times, click on the YouTube concert at the 2008 Philadelphia Folk Festival; but to go back in time to 1965, click on the YouTube interview of Tom with Pete Seeger on Pete's Rainbow Quest television program where the two of them sang it together. (Note the difference: The second to last verse originally was "late one night in a railroad camp"; in more recent years, Tom changed that to ". . . a hobo camp." Whichever way, I don't think I can ever hear - or sing - that song without thinking about how much my mother loved it.) Thanks, Tom, for giving us a great song about friendship . . . and thanks for being a great friend!

So invite your friends and let's singalong about friends!