ROSEMARY HARRIS: A little bird told me that later on this week the JRs will be talking about holiday music. For it or against it? I'm going to show my hand just a little bit today. No, not the full-blown Holly Jolly or Feliz Navidad, but a song from Mame - We Need a Little Christmas.I haven't seen the movie in years (must Netflix) but something terrible had just happened - stock market crash? - and Auntie Mame's reaction was to "haul out the holly" because she needed a little Christmas. Whether it was December or July.
I've needed a little Christmas in the past few weeks, as have so many others, particularly in my area of the country. Those still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Those of us still reeling from the horrific attack in Sandy Hook. And those for whom the holiday season may not be a joyous one, whether it's because of financial difficulties, personal loss or the feelings of sadness and depression that seem so common at this time of year. We ALL need a little Christmas (or Hanukah...or Kwanzaa, you get the picture) and the feelings of warmth, compassion and optimism it brings.
I'm haulin' out the holly. In the last two days I've forced myself to shop. And bake. Watch dvds instead of the news. And not cry every time I see a school bus. Or a child in the supermarket.
For most of us life will go on and things will get back to normal. Like they do after every tragic event. And even Christmas will come.
Good. We need it.
Here's Jessica Fletcher..I mean Angela Lansbury, haulin' out the holly.
http://youtu.be/0i14Yb1QMXY
Sunday, December 16, 2012
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We’re definitely in need of a little Christmas . . . perhaps a lot of Christmas . . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful clip of Angela Lansbury . . . . She will always be “Jessica Fletcher,” but she had already won four Tony Awards as lead actress in a musical before she undertook the lead in “Murder, She Wrote.”
Ro, I'm with you.
ReplyDeleteToday I have promised myself NO TEARS!
Let's go haul out the holly.
A local morning variety show host used to sing that song every day throughout the Christmas season. Every time I hear the tune, or see even the name of the song, I can hear Ruth Lyons singing it.
ReplyDeleteHere is some information about Ruth, who was a legend, and is credited for inventing the sort of talk show that Oprah took to a much higher level. Ruth also started the Ruth Lyon's Children's Christmas Fund, which seems especially appropriate right now:
http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/ruth-lyons-christmas-music-of.html
Hi, everyone, I'm with you too! I don't know when I've ever seen or heard so many people come around in a solid circle of togetherness - as since Friday morning. The combination of the horror, the senselessness, the festive and holy time of year, and the precious tiny little faces and smiles --- oh, those smiles we saw on TV... we are all holding together trying not to let our own hearts break... Yes, we'll get through it... but let's hope and pray THIS time those folks in Washington will deal with the issues, not just the guns, but the deeper illness of what makes monsters out of what had also once been a little child with a smile... Thelma in Manhattan
ReplyDeleteSandy hit us hard in my town, and I am still running into people who lost almost everything at the very LEAST. (My job has me in contact with people who are trying to rebuild or to find out where they can go for information, so I probably have spoken with more people affected by the hurricane than the average person has.) It has been quite sad at times. Many were still rebuilding from Irene. I felt the need to count my own blessings, and so about a week and a half ago I pulled out all my Christmas CDs and I play them constantly when I am home. Then this horrible thing happened not twenty five miles away. It's been hard not to cry whenever I turn on the news. This morning on the radio I heard the mom of one of the youngsters who was unharmed being interviewed. Turns out she is someone I used to work with a long time ago. Last time I saw her she was a newly wed. The tragedy seemed even closer to home; I am so glad for her that her child is okay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see youngsters around here, I want to hug them. Yesterday at the library there was a mom and little girl browsing near me. The mom was looking at the new fiction. The little girl was so excited about one of the books that she had borrowed from the childrens section that she was reading it out loud to her mom; she didn't want to wait until she got home. (Another little kid that I wanted to hug.)I was there to look for something light and entertaining to read to get my mind off the news. I feel the need to celebrate in every little way that I can. I agree that we need a little Christmas, and brightness and joy wherever we can find it. I decided to take a vacation day this week to bake goodies to give away to coworkers and relatives, really just to celebrate life.
In past years, we've kind of let the whole holiday decorating thing go, avoiding commercialism and keeping to ourselves and family.
ReplyDeleteThis year, though...yeah. We need a little Christmas. So we bought a tiny tree, real pine to scent up the house, and we upped our Christmas song selections, and we're remembering tradition. Sometimes it's what gets you through.
It's hard this year, but we are trying. Candles on the table. Wreath on the door. Cards. Cards are a very nice way to connect. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I'm catching up on my cozy reading, and singing Christmas carols. I simply couldn't serious crime right now,and I still feel the tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching News years ago when I realized they have no soul or integrity - so doing things which remind me of a time when my children were small, or listening to the voices of my grandchildren or reading some Christmas stories, I will remember that Christmas means a love of all mankind. And Christmas should remind me of joy. Listening to Handel's Messiah brings joy.
ReplyDeleteThank you. We all need community, and I am grateful for this one.
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ReplyDeleteRo,
So well put! I'm going to take your advice and use Xmas as an antidote.
Of to haul out the holly
I just realized that there's still an autumn centerpiece on my dining table. It's pretty but I will put together a bright Christmassy one to replace it. JRW people will be on my mind as I do it. Thanks, Rosemary for the encouragement. I've been lighting holiday scented candles,too.
ReplyDeleteI made a CD of Christmas music for my aqua-aerobics class . . . during this season we work out to "need a little Christmas" and songs from Perry Como and Polar Express -- we need joy to make it through the troubles.
ReplyDeleteif one listens carefully, one hears the sound of hearts breaking....
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