...from St. Nicholas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
--Clement Clarke Moore, 1822
Monday, December 22, 2008
A Visit...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
O Christmas Tree
Yesterday, after we cleared fourteen inches of snow from our driveway, we weren't inclined to do much more than sit before the fire, with our feet up and relax. We'd had enough of The Great Outdoors. Enough exercise to last a week. Enough frozen moments that vegetating for the rest of the afternoon seemed like an excellent idea.
We drank hot chocolate, ate Christmas cookies and watched holiday movies. The deal we made was that we'd alternate choosing movies. I graciously allowed hubby to make the first choice and he was predictable, as I'd expected he'd be. He chose A Christmas Carol, one of his all-time favorite films.
When my turn came I chose Surviving Christmas. Yes, we've already watched that one this season but after all those chain-rattling, graveyard-walking moments with Scrooge I needed something fun. Besides, watching James Gandolfini wear a Santa cap and sing O Christmas Tree just cracks me up every time.
By the time Surviving Christmas was over we knew we needed more than sugar cookies, so I pulled a fast pizza together and, with gourmet brownies that were a gift from a favorite aunt as dessert, we were ready to continue the movie marathon.
Hubby chose Christmas with the Kranks. I loved the John Grisham novel, Skipping Christmas, so this movie was, in my humble opinion, a great choice.
When Frosty was on the Kranks' roof and the credits had rolled, it was nearly ten pm. Yes, we'd watched movies, eaten less-than-healthy food and lazed about all day. We don't do that often here, so I make no apologies. Hubby wanted to head upstairs, his eyes bloodshot from so many hours staring at the screen but it was my turn to pick and I had decided hours before what my choice was going to be.
You guessed it. My favorite Christmas fellow, his green self so close to my heart that just the sound of the opening music makes me smile.
Hubby fell asleep on the sofa but I spent the last hours of the last Saturday night before Christmas with the Grinch. Oh, how I love that Grinch!
How did you spend your day? I hope you had as much fun as we did! Today we're supposed to get another pantload of snow so we'll probably be shoveling out again tomorrow.
Hmm...think I can get Hubby to watch the Grinch one more time? Maybe I can, if I bake a batch of his favorite fig cookies for him, and ply him with hot buttered rum. Yeah...that sounds like an idea worth investigating...
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright,
There's only splendor for the sight.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be,
And trust in God unchangingly.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
N utcracker
Last night we watched one of my favorite holiday stories, The Nutcracker Ballet. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, either live onstage or on the screen, I am captivated. The music, costumes and of course the story all enchant me.
The Nutcracker Ballet is based on a story written by E.T.A. Hoffman called The Nutcracker and the King of Mice. It is the tale of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads.
In 1891 choreographer Marius Petipa commissioned Tchaikovsky to write the music for the Nutcracker Ballet. The first performance of the Nutcracker took place at the Mariinsky Theatre of Russia in 1892. Thankfully it was a hit, and eventually made its way across Europe and to the United States.
The Nutcracker is one of our annual holiday traditions.
What about you? Is there one special performance that touches your heart?
Friday, December 19, 2008
S now, Again
...and again and again.
Remember last Friday's ice storm? The one that left us completely cut off from the rest of civilization for a number of days? The one I'll be cursing come spring when I've got to haul away all of the branches it brought down from our trees? You know, the storm that we're just now getting back to normal after?
Right, that Friday ice storm.
It looks like this Friday storm thing might be catching on. No, no ice today. Snow. Lots and lots of it...about twelve inches worth, if the prediction is accurate.
Bah! Humbug!
Now, don't get me wrong. I love snow. I love watching it fall, clearing it away. Mostly I love snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing on the stuff. Building snowpeople, I like that, too.
But the hint that so much snow falling in a very short period of time may leave us cut off again gives me the shivers. I'm just getting used to not hearing the generator's hum; thinking that we'll be using it again so soon--ugh. Just ugh.
I'm going to be optimistic about today's event, and hope the snow comes without any havoc to newly restored services. But if I disappear for a day or two you'll know what happened.
Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to spend another day in the kitchen baking cookies. Today it'll be pignoli cookies, strawberry filled cookies and good, old chocolate chip cookies. That ought to hold us through any kind of snowstorm, don't you think?
What have you got planned for this Friday before Christmas? Anything you'd care to share?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
G ood Enough to Eat
Guess what I'm doing today? Gotta have something for the Big Man to munch on when he visits, don't I?
R eindeer Travels
I've missed talking with you every morning. Fortunately it looks like life in the aftermath of our monster ice storm is slowly returning to normal. You know what that means, don't you? Yeah, that's right...soon I'll be caught up with everything and back to chatting with you first thing every morning.
Still on the rush to catch up, so I'm just going to share a quick, but true story with you. I hope it'll make you smile the way it did me.
The names have been omitted to protect the innocent.
Picture this...one of those morning Breakfast with Santa deals. Lots of happy children, fabulous Santa, French toast sticks to die for. All good, right?
After breakfast has officially ended, one little girl goes to restroom to use facilities. Still, all good. When smiling child emerges from bathroom, who does she see? Why, Santa, of course! Only now, Santa is in street clothes and heading for parking lot, where he gets into a pick-up truck and drives off. Now, not so good.
How to explain this to wonderful child?
Simple. Everyone knows that sometimes the reindeer fly ahead and meet Santa at his next stop, don't they?
All I can say is I'm glad Santa didn't shave in the men's room. Now that would've been really hard to explain!
Monday, December 15, 2008
E astern Sparkle
Right now, we've got power, cable and phone. It was a pleasant surprise to wake up and find that was so. But I've finally been able to watch the news and this return to civilization isn't predicted to last long. The reason? We've got high winds which are knocking restored lines down again. So I'm not going to get used to being connected.
I just wanted to say hi, let you know we're all right here. We've got a generator we've been using sparingly and enough wood to keep us warm for months. We've played chess, wrapped holiday packages and read by candlelight. We have cooked soup on the woodstove and even danced by firelight. All in all, we are faring well.
I see I've got lots of emails to answer but I hope you'll excuse me if I don't answer them until I'm sure the power will stay on. My first order of business? A hot shower and a hot meal!
Hope you're all well!
Friday, December 12, 2008
I ce
We are in the middle of a monster storm. Yesterday we had ice and sleet fall all day and through the night.
The roads in the county are all closed to anything but emergency vehicles but of course there's always an idiot...um, committed soul who decides he "has" to go to work. I just saw one slide sideways past the house.
It's ugly out there but also beautiful. Everything is coated in ice and sparkles. If it wasn't so treacherous underfoot I'd go out and shoot some photos but I'm staying inside, and on my feet.
I'd best go and get some work done before the power fails. We are supposed to get a foot of snow on top of the ice and that's going to make everything very interesting.
Hope you're warm wherever you are!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
N aughty List?
Ever felt like you should be on Santa’s Naughty List? Not in the sense that you’ve done something big and bad, but more like you’re not doing all that you should be doing? Like maybe your To-Do List is getting out of hand? And if it is, in fact, growing as large as the Abominable Snowman’s belly, who’s to blame? The person who wrote the list, of course! And in this case, that would be me.
Yes, I’m having a bit of pre-holiday angst here. Thankfully I generally shake angst of any kind pretty quickly so I’m not worried this will linger. But…it’s there. Lurking beneath the surface, like a fat toad waiting to snap its tongue at an unsuspecting mosquito.
My To-Do List? Totally out of control. I’ve been chipping at it for hours and I’ve gotten enough done that it’s shrinking but I can’t help but wonder how it grew so fat and long without my realizing it.
Has that ever happened to you? One moment you’ve got four or five things on the list—then, the next time you look down, there are a dozen? Or more?
It seems the holidays, even though they are wonderful, heartwarming and joyful, come with a built-in list. Believe me, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying.
So, before I forget, some things from my list that I’d like to share with you…
Yesterday was my day to take part in Cindy K. Green’s White Christmas Jubilee. I had a blast visiting with Cindy—she always throws a great party! If you haven’t had a chance to peek in at the Jubilee, the link is here. Today’s blog guests are Kara Lynn Russell & Anna Kathryn Lanier, two very talented authors. I hope you'll head over there and say "Hi!" to all the particpating authors.
A few days ago I realized a few days ago that Proclamations, one of my short stories at The Wild Rose Press, is on sale. It’s right on the homepage, if you’d care to check it out. The direct link is here.
I went over there last week and picked up some great stories to give as holiday gifts. I’m attaching them to e-cards I’m sending to some cyber-friends. Ebooks make economical, earth-friendly gifts; who wouldn’t be pleasantly surprised to find one in their mailbox?
On the fourteenth I’m blogging at Paranormal Romance Writers . It’s my first time blogging there so I’m pretty psyched! I hope you’ll stop in and say hello. The link is on my profile page.
Something else I’m excited about—next week I’ll be the Tuesday interview over at The Long and The Short of It! Isn’t that great?
All right, now that I’ve shared some stuff I don’t feel half as stressed. Isn’t it great how that happens? You share what’s on your mind with friends, and voila! Instant stress reduction. Thanks for listening.
Before I forget, I want to let you know I'm going to have Author Chats a couple of times each week at From the Pages. Lots of talented authors have signed on to be interviewed. Look for breaking news of upcoming releases as well as titles that are already available, the inside scoop on some of your favorite authors, as well as wonderful giveaways. I think it's going to be fun for everyone. Who knows? We all may find some fabulous new-to-us authors whose work will find space on our "keeper" shelves.
If you're an author interested in appearing on From the Pages, just drop me an email. I'd love to have you visit!
So, what about you? Are you feeling a little swamped this December morning? What's on your plate today? Anything you'd care to share?
