Tuesday 4 - A Merry Little Christmas

This week the Tuesday 4 questions are all about celebrating Christmas.

1. Do you have a favorite Christmas carol and if so is there a particular version you especially like? Hmm, it's difficult to choose just one! I love both Silent Night and O Holy Night but if I have to choose, then it is O Holy Night. But then if I'm singing one with a descant it will have to be Hark the Herald Angels Sing as that has the best descant ever! If I'm playing then I'd have to choose See Amid the Winter Snow as I love the harmonies in my part. 

As for whether there's a particular version ... the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge singing any of these carols will get my vote.

2.Do you have a special dinner for the holidays? What foods are included? I have the traditional roast turkey dinner with all the usual vegetables and gravy - this year it's roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots, cauliflower, sprouts, runner beans and something else, but I can't think what it is! I don't bother with bread sauce or cranberries when I'm cooking just for myself, but will have sage and onion stuffing and pigs in blankets. Now I'm on my own I don't bother with Christmas pudding. I always find it too rich and filling after the main course so prefer to go without. 

3.Holiday movies ... which do you like to watch? The 'must watch' ones for me are It's A Wonderful Life, Scrooge - A Christmas Carol (the B/W Alasdair Sim version) and A Muppet's Christmas Carol. 

4. What traditions do you continue to keep year after year for the holidays? I only celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas. Decorating is for Christmas Eve, not before - in previous years my great nieces and nephews have spent the afternoon decorating the tree for me but that's not possible this time. I will also continue with a fairly new to me Christmas Eve tradition, which is my own version of the Icelandic tradition of Jolobokaflod - I buy myself a new book and spend the evening reading. I have one gift to open on each of the twelve days - three each of something I want, something I need, something to wear and something to read - I obviously know what I bought for this but I don't know which gift will be opened on any particular day.

I listen to the Nation's Favourite Carol on Christmas Day while I cook and eat my meal. This year there are plans for Zoom meetups as well to replace the face to face meets. 

One tradition that will definitely happen is our most important celebration. Christmas Day also happens to be my great niece, Little Miss C,'s birthday and there are plans to meet in the local park, socially distanced in individual family groups, to sing Happy Birthday to her. 

Many thanks to Annie for organising this.

Comments

  1. We have "done" Jolobokaflod for 3 years now - I love it. I wrap each book in plain brown paper with a cream parcel tag saying "happy jolobokaflod" on it. It makes for a peaceful Christmas Eve afternoon.

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    1. I don't wrap my book but do make sure it's one that I've been wanting to read, rather than a spur of the moment purchase. Happy reading!

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  2. It's really weird but I have never taken to O Holy Night. I'm not sure why.
    All the others you mention I love, although Silent Night, in particular, can be sung very badly, especially that jump of a third on 'peace'. Kings, mind you, or a choir like Libera . . . that's a different kettle of fish entirely!

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    1. How can you not love O Holy Night? It's my Christmas solo, or it was when I sang solos!

      I agree with Silent Night. I remember the year I did it with one of my school orchestras, before the brass players were able to play quietly (!). The audience was hit by a wall of sound that was so loud the candle sconces in the church were vibrating 😂😂

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  3. I enjoyed reading your responses. O Holy Night is one of my favorites, too. :)

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    1. It usually win the Nation's Favourite Carol vote every year. I love it!

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  4. O Holy Night is one of my favorites. How nice that you will get to see your great niece! Interesting fact on celebrating for 12 days!

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    1. It's a surprise - she doesn't know about it so will think it's just a Christmas morning walk and won't be expecting to see all her family.

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  5. You have some wonderful Christmas plans. I'm going to say that Come All Ye Faithful is my favourite carol & I also vote the King's College Choir, Cambridge. I have two of their CDs.

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    1. I'll watch Carols with Kings on Christmas Eve - that's a must see part of my celebrations as well. O Come All Ye Faithful is a beautiful carol .... and has a lovely descant.

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  6. I too love Silent Night, when it is done really, really quietly and soulfully, a cappella or with a simple accompaniment. I hate the loud, jazzed-up pop versions; criminal! O Holy Night, done beautifully, is a winner but it feels a bit over-done and I rarely hear a truly moving performance: again, less is more. I also love Little Donkey and, for good measure, Bethlehem by Gounod. I don't like The Twelve Days of Christmas! (Is that a carol..?) On that matter, we too celebrate the 12 days up to Epiphany. :o) Dad always resisted decorating the house till the last minute which as kids we found excruciating but now I follow in that stead, and everything comes down on Twelfth Night. I don't get people who have everything up by 1 December and then rip it all down on Boxing Day. Delp: "Advent is the time of promise; it is not yet the time of fulfillment." Christmas is Christmas. It keeps it special.

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    1. When I was young it was much more common for people to wait until Christmas Eve before they decorated their homes, and we used to make our own decorations as well!

      I don't like any of the pop versions of the traditional carols. Twelve days of Christmas is great fun to play in a brass band but I do find it a bit boring to sing.

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  7. I love hearing about traditions that other people do at Christmas. 12 Days of Christmas sounds like so much fun. Have a very Merry Christmas!

    https://lorisbusylife.blogspot.com/

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    1. It is interesting to read how others choose to celebrate isn't it. It was a great set of questions this time.

      Merry Christmas to you too.

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  8. So many different traditions that I love hearing about! Jolobokaflod sounds so exciting and I love reading!!! Merry Christmas! 🎄

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    1. If you love reading, Jolobokaflod will be perfect for you.

      Merry Christmas to you too x

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  9. Hello Eileen,
    Today to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year better than this year.
    Hugs,
    Ailime

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    1. Thanks Ailime. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let's hope 2021 is better for everyone.

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  10. I've only just heard of Jolobokaflod this year. I think it sounds like a wonderful thing and told hubby we should do it.

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    1. I love doing it. It's a rather special tradition which also provides time for calm before the (normal) Christmas Day celebrations begin.

      I hope you have a lovely time xx

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  11. Love the questions and answers!

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  12. My favorite Christmas song is "Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3DyxaCYlfg
    and I don't care who knows it lol

    I love the traditional turkey/dressing meal. I enjoy a lot of Christmas movies, but the Muppet Christmas Carol is wonderful. We observe the 12 Days of Christmas, too, but we decorate early (at Advent). We've done Days of Christmas gifts in the past (mostly seasonal candy treats) but not this year.

    Happy Christmas Eve Eve :)

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    1. Haha, never heard that one before ... an unusual choice for favourite song! 😂

      The Muppet Christmas Carol is wonderful. Most of my friends have it on their must watch list every year. I sometimes do my gifts to myself as part of the Advent calendar (so 24 gifts 😁) but this year opted for 12 gifts instead.

      Hope you have a great time xx

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