The Dol Loves Holiday Sparkle

That's my tree. My twelve-foot tree. It is blanketed in hundreds of lights and ornaments. 

I am one of those people. You know. I put up my tree the day after Thanksgiving. We have lighted, animated decorations in the yard, poinsettias by the front door, and a plethora of tchotchkes all around the house.

Santa figurines, sugar plum fairies, reindeer, snow globes, carousels: you name it, I probably have one.

Maybe three.

I adore the holiday season. I love the festive feel, the lights, the shopping, wrapping presents. If I didn't live in San Diego, I would wish for a white Christmas.

I love the traditions--old ones from my family and my childhood, and new ones from my husband's family, and from my stepmother and sisters. It's a time for family and friends, and it makes me practically giddy with joy to have everyone all together. 

There is something magical and mystical about the season. It's no wonder, really, considering how many holidays are actually piled up, historically, on that monthlong period from December into early January.

Now, here's the thing, people: I'm not a Christian.

Not anymore, anyhow. 

I was raised Catholic, but I'm a Unitarian Universalist and a humanist now. I even have some Buddhist leanings.

I realize that sounds pretentious, but please know that it's ok with me if you laugh. I think it's hilarious that I am a proselytizing atheist Unitarian who meditates.

It's funny, you can laugh.

I'm in a giving mood, what with the holidays and all.

So I look at the holiday season and it doesn't bother me that Christmas was plugged into December in order to jump on the already busy holiday bandwagon. Yule, the solstice, it's all very pagan and that's where we got most of our Christmas traditions. You probably already know this, but the Christmas tree doesn't have anything to do with baby Jesus, people. 

I'm ok with that.

If you're Jewish and you secretly want a Christmas tree, just call it a Hanukah bush. There is no judgement over here, my friends. Just don't tell Bill O'Reilly and the other War on Christmas nuts. 

But I digress.

We're talking about the holidays, and how much I love them. 

In addition to my entire shed full of Christmas paraphernalia, I am also a huge fan of holiday music. Here are a few of my favorites. I tried to figure out a way to link to each song on iTunes, but I am apparently not that smart, or it is not possible. In any case, if you would like to have a nice holiday playlist, I think this is a good start.

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by the Barenaked Ladies

"The Christmas Song" by The Dave Matthews Band

"Jingle Bells"  by the Brian Setzer Orchestra

"It's in Every One of Us" by Dayna Manning

"The Winter Song" by Eisley

"Christmas Day" by Dido

"Song for a Winter's Night" by Sarah McLachlan

"Skating on the River" by Lily Frost

"Donde esta Santa Claus?" by Guster

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" by John Denver and the Muppets (I adore the entire album)

"Auld Lang Syne" by Straight No Chaser

"I Saw Three Ships" by Nat King Cole

If you just want to get a couple of great albums, here are three that are fabulous:

Maybe This Christmas, Too?

A Christmas Together: John Denver & The Muppets (No laughing, this is a sweet and funny X-mas album)

Holiday Spirits: Straight No Chaser

So what are your holiday traditions? What are your favorite songs of the season? Share your holiday sparkle with me.

It's an easy gift and it doesn't require any wrapping. And it will make me so happy.

Comments

[Polly]

We have two trees and every year we all get a new ornament in our stocking. We also make sugar cookies, mostly for the joy of using the cookie cutters. We make a gingerbrad house, too. Usually just after Halloween. And I take Secret Lulu for a drive almost every night from Thanksgiving to New Year to look at lights.

My favorite song is Please Come Home for Christmas. Followed closely by Blue Christmas and The Christmas Song (chestnuts).

[The Dol]

I love doing sugar cookies. We haven't done them yet, but we will.

[Sistah]

Most years, we get all bundled up, grab a saw and head to the tree farm near where my husband grew up. He was a country kid and it is a beautiful place to visit. We cheated this year and bought a pre-cut one at that farm, but it is just as big and awkward and beautiful as last year's tree.

I remember you setting that gorgeous tree up a few Turkey Days ago and thought, "That is my kind of girl." :)

[Diosa]

I am a big fan of Straight No Chaser and I love God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Barenaked Ladies.

I'm all about gingerbread cookies and just plain gingerbread.

Christmas and I have issues. I try to focus on not overdoing it and keeping it fun for the kids while not stressing myself to the breaking point. I am just this side of Scrooge, half the time feeling it's just not worth it. The commercialism makes me queezy, but it seems inescapable with kids.

I put lights outside for the first time ever this year, just on the fence, lit garland and bows. I always do the wreaths and candles in the windows, but this is the first time in my life there are lights outside. It was more of pain than I was hoping for, but the kids were pretty happy. I had to go out and replace a defective strand tonight.

My Christmas theme song is the 12 Pains of Christmas.

[Pandora]

Just the other night, on my date, I mentioned to my boy that it doesn't feel like Christmastime- at least for me. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but I was born and raised in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Christmas to me means snow. It doesn't have to happen on Christmas, but just around that time. Though I love being down here in The Dol's 'hood, something about Christmas isn't right down here.

Up north, my 3000 population town shuts down the main street (yes, the one street) and has what we call "Open House." There are carolers, a parade, and all the stores are adorn with Christmas lights. There's something homey about seeing your junior English teacher roasting chestnuts or your neighbors as the grand marshals in the parade.

Like The Dol, our tree goes up after Thanksgiving. My sister and I always decorate gingerbread men cookies. Mine are always the ones with detailed sprinkled sweaters and her's always have piled on candy. My family has a 50+ year old tradition of spending two days in San Francisco a few days before Christmas. Our hotel is located a block from Union Square. I spend my Daddy's money on Market St. and my aunt and I pick out the See's candy for the dinner. We always get dinner in China Town and always sip virgin strawberry daiquiris on top of the Bank of America building at midnight.

My top Christmas songs are:

Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)- John Lennon
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Death Cab for Cutie
The Christmas Song- The Raveonettes
Christmas In Hollis- Run DMC
Santa Baby- Eartha Kitt
Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy- Bing Crosby and David Bowie
Do You Hear What I Hear?- Kristin Chenoweth
All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey
O Holy Night- Perry Como

[Pandora]

Diosa, you need to meet Papa Gangsta Pete. He is the Grinchiest Grinch there ever was. We make him spend a 100 dollars on lights every year and always have him risk his life to put them on our house. Countless times he has told me he wish he was Jewish as to avoid putting up our tree.

[Pandora]

Okay I get that I'm spamming you, but I forgot another song that I absolutely adore year round.

River- Joni Mitchell.

[Alice]

Multiple trees has always been a tradition for us - the fake, lifeless looking Charlie Brown trees to be exact. One gets colorful lights and kid ornaments and one gets white lights and "old" ornaments form my childhood.

I'm not really into Christmas music but I loooove Christmas (holiday) movies and host a Christmas movie marathon each year -
How the Grinch stole Christmas as a drinking game usually starts the marathon off - drink every time the word WHO is heard. Followed by A Charlie Brown xmas, Ruldolph, A Christmas Story, The Ref (a favorite) and Home for the Holidays.

And finally, the best part is christmas Eve with my extended family (and inevitably friends or homeless or someone extra) where we eat, drink and have a white elephant gift exchange that is soooo much fun.

[Sistah]

Ooooh...forgot my holiday music. I love George Winston's "December".

[The Dol]

@Sistah, I really want two small *real* trees to put in the windows by my fireplace this year. I love that you guys go out and cut down a real tree. Ah, lovely.

@Diosa, it is a lot of work, and the commercialism is obnoxious. Love your Xmas theme song.

@Pandora, I *love* River by Joni Mitchell. Your other songs are also excellent choices. Not that you need the likes of me complimenting your music or anything. ;-)

@Alice, I seriously love the Grinch drinking game. What a great idea and a great excuse to drink! Thanks for the idea. And we do the white elephant exchange, and it's one of the most fun things we do. Everyone always loves to see what the Skipper will bring for the exchange. Last year it was a godawful sandwich marionette. So awful it was wonderful.

[Matty]

Thank you for the holiday music list. Every year I buy a new holiday c.d. and every year it's one guy on a mandolin. Or what is suppose to be a holiday classics disk with original artists but turns out to be a guy recording his version of the classics in his mom's basement on a cassio keyboard.

By the way, your tree annihilates my step-mom's tree...and I thought she was world renowned. She does have something like 18 Thomas Kincade paintings though so I guess she still has that going for her.

[The Dol]

Glad you liked the music list, Matty! I hear you--Xmas music can be hit or miss. I highly recommend the Straight No Chaser album this season. It is fabulous.

Thanks on the tree, too. I love to hear that I'm winning the contest, if there is one. I'm highly competitive. Unless it doesn't look like I might win, in which case I just want us all to get along, and I wasn't really trying in the first place, got it?

Ah, Thomas Kincade... that is a whole other level of commitment than where I'm at. Where is Ramblin' Jack? He has all sorts of opinions about Thomas Kincade.

[Polly Poppins]

Ramblin' Jack is secretly Thomas Kincade. There. The truth is out.

[The Model]

The holidays are a funny one for me.

I was raised Hare Krishna, but we still sort of celebrated Christmas growing up. Then I married a Jewish guy who didn't want me to celebrate any non-Jewish holidays and we moved away from family, and I wasn't all that attached to Christmas anyway, so we didn't really ever celebrate it.

This is the first holiday season since my independence from him, and he's taken our spawn a few thousand miles away to celebrate Hannukah with his family this year. They won't be back until the new year.

Rex and I haven't put a tree up, but I told him I would like to get a little one at some point. I guess it's getting a little late, though, so we should probably get on that. We do have lots of Christmas lights in every room of our house, but that's a year-round thing. I'm still not sure exactly what we're doing for Christmas, but I think it will be something small and cozy with the tribe here.

I have my iPhone hooked up to some speakers right now and all my music on random, and while I was typing this it just reminded me of one of my favorite holiday songs: "Just For Now" by Imogen Heap.

[Kit]

No love yet for Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown soundtrack? I actually have an LP of the entire Charlie Brown xmas special I listen to once a year - with an accompanying illustrated booklet!

Pandora, I second your emotion on the Bing/Bowie - that song rules.

Other holiday tunes I like:
Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)
Tom Waits - Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Bob Dylan's new polka Must Be Santa
Pogues - Fairytale of New York

Saddest Christmas song: Merle Haggard - If We Make It Through December - I just want to gouge my eyes out after listening to this.

[The Dol]

Model, I hope you and Rex have a wonderful Christmas together. And I love that you have Christmas lights up all year. Happy.

Kit, the Charlie Brown CD is also a good one. We bought the DVD set last year and it came with the music CD. Classic.

I'm enjoying everyone else's song suggestions. I'm adding to my Christmas iTunes library.

[Bookgirl]

Okay, sorry I've been behind on my commenting. This whole working full time and having a social life and preparing for Christmas things is kicking my ass. If we could get Blackberry access in the F-train tunnels, I'd be golden. But for now, it's all about stolen moments.

That said, I heart this topic.

I LOVE Christmas. Everything about it. The music, the decorations, buying gifts. LOVE it. One of my friends calls me Chrissy Christmas at this time of year. (Now you know my real name. Use that power for good, not for evil...)

I have a New York City apartment with an 8-foot tree that I carried home myself. On foot. I have Winnie the Pooh Christmas lights in my office. I listen to exclusively Christmas music from Thanksgiving to New Years. Hardly any exception.

On Christmas Eve, I sleep at the godbaby mama's house so I can be there for Christmas morning with her 6 kids. I fill the stockings and play Santa. The kids started making sure in October that I was definitely sleeping over again this year. It's the one night of the year I allow the godbaby to sleep in a bed with me. The rest of the year, if you ask her why I won't sleep with her, she'll look at you very seriously and say, "Because I kick."

Some of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, off the top of my head, are:
Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant (gives me chills)
Mary, Did You Know? sung by just about anyone (but ideally Kathy Mattea or The Skaggs Family)
Christmas, Baby Please Come Home by U2
River, as sung by Robert Downey Jr.
Baby It's Cold Outside
The Christmas Waltz by The Carpenters
Miss You Most at Christmastime by Mariah Carey
The Bowie/Bing Little Drummer Boy

Go ahead, mock. I can take it.

[The Dol]

There is no mocking here, Bookgirl. I like my Christmas *just* this side of tacky, but just barely. So there is not much you can say that would make me mock you when it comes to the holidays. I, too, am a Christmas music listener from Thanksgiving through Christmas. There is so much good Christmas music out there, it would be a shame to miss out on enjoying all of it for that one month or so, right?

[Bookgirl]

And White Christmas is my all-time favorite movie. Not my favorite Christmas movie. My favorite movie of any kind.

[Pandora]

I forgot to mention that we always read The Polar Express on Christmas Eve and eat dinner on our Christmas plates. I always watched A Christmas Story when it aires 24 hours on Christmas Eve. I also adore the movies Love Actually and A Muppets Chirstmas Carol.

[The Dol]

I looooove The Polar Express. It is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

[Diosa]

Five Pound Box of Money - Pearl Bailey. One of my favorites.

[Sistah]

My favorite Christmas carol is "Joy to the World"--so much so that it was our wedding recessional (had to pull some strings for that one for a June wedding).

I also love "Oh Holy Night" as sung by Celine Dion. It gives me chills.