Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Seven Songs For Christmas

1. Silver Bells - Bing Crosby version Relient K version
This was always my favorite Christmas song when I was a kid. I don't know, it just makes me think of New York City in the winter, and giant Christmas trees, and passing people carrying Christmas packages home, and all that.

2. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Placido Domingo version
I just really like this song.

3. Coventry Carol - Loreena McKennitt version
The subject matter of this song is actually pretty dark - it's about King Herod killing babies - but it's such a slow, sad carol, it's really quite lovely.

4. Oh Holy Night - Celtic Woman version
My absolute favorite religious Christmas carol, although there are very few versions of it I actually like.

5. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Bing Crosby version Elvis Presley version
Most of the Christmas songs I like are depressing, oddly enough. This one always makes me think of all of my favorite characters, at the point in their stories where they are all alone.

6. The Christians and the Pagans - Dar Williams
For everyone whose family holidays are like mine. Or worse.

7. The Atheist Christmas Carol - Vienna Teng
This song is basically exactly how I feel about the holiday season. And since it's Vienna Teng, it is beautiful.

Merry Christmas everyone (who celebrates Christmas)! Happy other holidays, those of you who don't!

Christmas Is For Family

 So, after we finished eating ourselves stupid on tamales (OM NOM NOM SO GOOD), we - meaning me, my dad, my aunt, my uncle, my uncle's wife, and their sprog - piled into my aunt's pick-up truck to drive around the city and see the luminarias. Less than a minute after we left the house, this happened:

UNCLE (in the passenger seat): You know, just because you have a V8 engine for once, doesn't mean you have to use it.
DAD (driving): Ha, yes, I totally do.
UNCLE: I'm serious, there's a three-year-old in the car. If you're going to drive like that (note: that being two miles under the speed limit), just take us home right now.
DAD: Screw you, I'm driving fine. If you're going to be like that, you don't have to come.
DAD: *attempts to turn the car around to drive back to the house*
DAD: *makes the wrong turn into a dead-end street*
ME: *cracks up in the backseat*

Oh, my family. Sometimes I wonder how we've lasted this long without anyone killing anyone else.