A different take on the 12 days of Christmas (today is day 11!!!)
So Happy Christmas. I love you baby.
Wed, 2010-12-15 18:13
#52
Refuge
Wed, 2010-12-15 18:27
#53
Catchfire
Boom Boom, I'm a bit obsessed with It's a Wonderful Life, so don't get me started!
Wed, 2010-12-15 18:49
#54
Boom Boom
Okay, then A Christmas Carol it is. 
Thu, 2010-12-16 00:10
#55
I actually had the privilige of seeing Kirsty and Shane do a rendtition of this song at the London Fleadh 93 in Finsbury Park, brilliant. Sadly Kirlsty was run over when she was diving by an idjit from the mexican oligarcy a few years later.
Thu, 2010-12-16 02:09
#56
A different take on the 12 days of Christmas (today is day 11!!!)
Actually the 12 days of christmas start on christmas. Unless you meant something else in which case please carry on
Thu, 2010-12-16 09:19
#57
Refuge
Ohhh, I did not know that! I always assumed it was a count down!
Thu, 2010-12-16 09:23
#58
Dec 25 until Jan 6, thus the play Twelfth Night.
Thu, 2010-12-16 09:23
#59
Boom Boom
I'm having an email exchange with a friend who is complaining about the govt or retailers not allowing employees to say "Merry Christmas" but instead "happy holidays" or some such. Anyone aware of this, or is this another myth?
Thu, 2010-12-16 09:34
#60
Refuge
As far as I know a myth. My ex worked in retail at several different places through the years (at the height of the start of politically incorrectness as well) and was never banned from saying it.
Thu, 2010-12-16 10:02
#61
Boom Boom
I think this is the season when the bigots come out and whine.
Fri, 2010-12-17 10:18
#62
Thanks for posting (and reviving?) that, Catchfire. And here is my next favourite Christmas song:
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjaPXihbORk][color=red]The Kinks - Father Christmas[/color][/url]
(I'll be more sentimental next week - probably post David Bowie and Bing Crosbie singing Little Drummer Boy. Maybe some Nana Mouskouri ... Old Toy Trains anyone? It's just me, then? ok.)
Fri, 2010-12-17 11:12
#63
Wow. I had almost forgotten what an amazing song "Fairytale of New York" is. Just beautiful.
And I'll be spending Christmas in New York this year! Although, in our family, it's known as "Chinese food and movie day"...
Fri, 2010-12-17 12:33
#64
Catchfire
Brilliant, Ripple! I hadn't seen that. Consider it added to my short playlist of acceptable Christmas carols.
May all your chinese food be delicious, and your movies without Tim Allen, Dodger.
Fri, 2010-12-17 16:46
#65
bagkitty
[...]
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse I pray god it´s our last.
Yeah, warms the cockles of my heart too.
Fri, 2010-12-17 19:50
#66
[...]
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse I pray god it´s our last.Yeah, warms the cockles of my heart too.
It's an Irish immigrant thing. The lyrics weren't actually aimed at gay people at all. It's what a couple says when they're in a massive argument and they throw the verbal kitchen sink at each other.
Fri, 2010-12-17 20:09
#67
bagkitty
Yep got that Ken, it is culturally relative, much like the UK usage of the word "cunt" that talked about in here several months ago. I also edited out the references of the male voice in this ditty to his partner as as "old slut on junk". I guess I am just not particularly sentimental about the negative aspects of the immigrant experience - even though I had grandparents who were just off the boat from Ireland.
Of course I am much more sentimental about my personal Christmas favourite (Bernard and the Genie) even though the question remains open about the Genie's dietary habits (was it caecotrophy or coprophagy?).
Seasoned greetings.
Fri, 2010-12-24 01:20
#68
Yep got that Ken, it is culturally relative, much like the UK usage of the word "cunt" that talked about in here several months ago. I also edited out the references of the male voice in this ditty to his partner as as "old slut on junk". I guess I am just not particularly sentimental about the negative aspects of the immigrant experience - even though I had grandparents who were just off the boat from Ireland.
Of course I am much more sentimental about my personal Christmas favourite (Bernard and the Genie) even though the question remains open about the Genie's dietary habits (was it caecotrophy or coprophagy?).
Seasoned greetings.
It really has nothing to do with the immigrant experience. The song is in narrative form in which the characters, two people with extreme substance use issues get into a screaming match. Does one expect the exchange to be free of terms of abuse? It is a desparate misreading to suggest the song for that reason is sexist or homophobic. Is it reasonable to judge a story by the behaviours of it's characters?
Fri, 2010-12-24 01:57
#69
I tried finding Jerry Colonna singing "He's Too Fat for the Chimney" on the web. Here's the closest I got, but you have to endure seven tunes before Colonna sings.
The flip side of this 78 is "Sleighbells in the Sky" (quick Google - It's Brunswick 05212, from 1953). I have the record some damn place, and have it recorded on a cassette, but I can't find the dat burned things.
Fri, 2010-12-24 02:59
#70
bagkitty
Rule #17: Never get into arguments about interpreting lyrics with fan boys.
Fri, 2010-12-24 10:03
#71
Rule #17: Never get into arguments about interpreting lyrics with fan boys.
is
Rule #18: Be casually dismissive if your point lacks merit?
Fri, 2010-12-24 10:17
#72
It's a Wonderful Life is a personal favourite. The better half and I watch it at least once a year and try to make it out to a showing on the big screen, though this year we weren't able to. As you can see, I was quite vocal about my love of the movie in the previous thread. There is a charm to it that draws me back year after year despite it's over-the-top American dream ideology.
I've got to say, I give a little fist pump every time George delivers his speech in defence of the "rabble!"
"Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about ... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be!"
Fri, 2010-12-24 10:38
#73
Boom Boom
Barack Obama's 'Twas the 24 Hour-Period Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a Congress-person was stirring, not even John McCain's crab louse.
The Legislation was hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
Congress was nestled all snug in their lobbyist-funded beds,
While visions of the political progress danced in their heads.
And Michelle in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
When out on the Washington Mall there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter (the Secret Service was on it too).
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast (by this I mean the surface, get the head out of the gutter) of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick (not to be confused with Joe Biden),
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles with American Flags tied to their talons, his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Lincoln! now, Roosevelt! now, Washington and Adams!
On, Jefferson! On, Monroe! on, on Pierce and Kennedy!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry Democrats that before the wild McConnell fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to Capitol Hill 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 American exceptionalism and soot.
A bundle of legislation he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler (and John Boehner wanted him arrested because he looked like a vagrant), 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 he paid a high tax for that tobacco),
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath (yes - he was smoking in a Federal Building).
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly
(That did not please Michelle - Santa: an Obese Hero)!
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 (But of course, I was glad we weren't in AZ, because we know he would be deported).
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!"
Fri, 2010-12-24 10:48
#74
Boom Boom
oops... formatting problem - see next post
Fri, 2010-12-24 11:23
#75
For all you babblers who have accused me of immaturity and childishness, I have my reaons.
Saskatoon a Christmas sweet spot for kids
Saskatoon is the best city in Canada to be a kid at Christmas, according to a study at the University of Toronto.
Nyah nyah.
Fri, 2010-12-24 11:51
#76
I dunno, 8th street isn't far.
Fri, 2010-12-24 11:55
#77
@ Al-Q
The only Christmas disadvantage I have noticed is that you have to drive further to find a good Christmas tree than you do from Winnipeg.
Though we have a distinct advantage in the sledding hill department.
And ho ho ho:
Fri, 2010-12-24 11:58
#78
I dunno, 8th street isn't far.
Neither is Byoona Vista Park, but that's cheating in my books.
Fri, 2010-12-24 12:24
#79
laine lowe
So what's up with sexually inspired xmas songs? Supposedly Ella Fitzgerald self-censored her recording of "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" and it was re-released after her death. I've also heard discussions about whether "Baby It's Cold Outside" is more or less describing date rape.
I like both songs and never really thought much about the lyrics other than being clever.
Anyway, on a more traditional note, best wishes for a merry xmas. Here are the Skydiggers doing their beautiful rendition of "Good King Wenseslas:
Fri, 2010-12-24 12:26
#80
Maysie
To Catchfire.
Hugs,
Maysie
Twas the Night before Christmas (Postmodern Version)
by Bryan Stone, Boston University School of Theology 12/10/2010
Twas a Postmodern Christmas, when all through the regime
Not a concept was stirring, not even a meme.
Essentialist dogmas were nurtured with care,
And imperialist ambitions still hung in the airThe children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While grand narratives of progress danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just performed gender before taking a 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 in a craze,
And incarnated an internalized masculine gaze.The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Hegemonically othered the objects below.
When, what to my binaried eyes should appear,
But a sleigh simulacrum, and virtual reindeer.With a little old driver who had friends in Havana,
I knew right away it was postmodern Santa.
More rapid than eagles discourses they came,
As he named and destabilized each language game!"Now Heidegger, Nietzsche! Now, Levinas and Lyotard!
On Derrida, Foucault! On Butler and Baudrillard!
To each modern foundation, to each stucturalist wall!
Now deconstruct! Deconstruct! Deconstruct all!"His aesthetic was queer, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes juxtaposed with ashes and soot.
A bundle of kitsch he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pastiche of red, white, and black.What some crassly call fat, he called "differently weighted,"
The politics of hate in one stroke out-narrated
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Intertextual clues I had nothing to dread.He spoke less in words than ambiguous gestures,
And filled all the stockings with empty conjectures.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
with critical distance, up the chimney he rose!He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew heterotopically spatial
But I heard him exclaim, as I stood there half-dreaming,
"Liberation to all, and an excess of meaning!"
Fri, 2010-12-24 12:35
#81
Catchfire
For crying out loud, Maysie, it's Christmas Eve. Can't I have one day of peace?
Fri, 2010-12-24 12:41
#82
Maysie
No.
Fri, 2010-12-24 13:03
#83
Catchfire
Some vacation. Merry Christmas, Maysie.
And to one and all as well!
Fri, 2010-12-24 16:32
#84
"Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities. We must share in other peoples' suffering; even if you cannot help with money, to show concern, to give moral support and express sympathy are themselves valuable. This is what should be the basis of activities; whether one calls it religion or not does not matter."
-- The Dalai Lama
Sat, 2010-12-25 11:08
#85
Boom Boom
Didn't know if I should post this in the "pro" or "anti" Christmas thread:
Santa’s secret cables leaked from the North Pole
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/12/20/101220ta_talk_greenman
excerpt:
· The song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” has more basis in truth than was previously thought; elves worried for years about Santa’s philandering, which began to decrease only recently, after Mrs. Claus discovered an illicit text message from an Arizona school-board member.
(formatting seems to be turned off)
Sat, 2010-12-25 15:43
#86
M. Spector
To all our Muslim friends, happy Eid al-Santa!
Sat, 2010-12-25 16:03
#87
Sat, 2010-12-25 16:34
#88
I hope all who celebrate are enjoying their day!
Sat, 2010-12-25 16:48
#89
this could melt the coldest heart
for the more intellectual types
if christmas retains any real human value in to the future, I wish it to be that.
Sat, 2010-12-25 17:32
#90
Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!
Sat, 2010-12-25 18:01
#91
Refuge
To all our Muslim friends, happy Eid al-Santa!
Hate to break it to you it should be belated Eid, Eid was quite a few months ago now.
Sat, 2010-12-25 20:15
#92
M. Spector
Which Eid are you referring to?
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Eid Mubarak, Eid al-Ghadeer, Eid E Shuja, for example?
Sat, 2010-12-25 21:51
#93
Refuge
Which Eid are you referring to?
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Eid Mubarak, Eid al-Ghadeer, Eid E Shuja, for example?
Eid al-Fitr was September, Eid al-Adha was November, Eid Mubarak is not a date but a greeting, Eid al-Ghadeer was in November, Eid E Suja I haven't heard of.
I was specifically thinking of Eid al-Fitr since my muslim friends have told me this is the most comparable to Christmas since it is more about the children and family receiving gifts than any other of their holidays. However I haven't heard of any other Eid celebrations for December either.
Mon, 2010-12-27 14:44
#94
So what's up with sexually inspired xmas songs? Supposedly Ella Fitzgerald self-censored her recording of "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" and it was re-released after her death. I've also heard discussions about whether "Baby It's Cold Outside" is more or less describing date rape.
I played Ella's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" on the show last night. You have to really strain to hear sexual innuendo in that tune. That said, I threw in Julia Lee and her Boyfriends' "Christmas Spirit" ("I could go for your long...whiskers") and Cliff Edwards'
"I'm Going to Give it to Mary With Love" to fulfill my CRTC Christmas Sexual Innuendo content requirements.
Mon, 2011-12-05 09:08
#95
Boom Boom
Bah, humbug. 
Tue, 2011-12-06 16:03
#96
Catchfire
No tricks, Boom Boom. I saw what you posted before, you ol' softie.
Tue, 2011-12-06 16:16
#97
Boom Boom
Wed, 2011-12-07 08:20
#98
You can never leave the Mob, Boom Boom.
Wed, 2011-12-07 08:26
#99
Boom Boom
They have long tenacles. 
Wed, 2011-12-07 08:28
#100
I hear they even have a local branch in Kegaska.
Wed, 2011-12-07 08:44
#101
Boom Boom
Drones flying overhead, too.