Livin' and Learnin'

Christmas is certainly my favorite time of year. Sure, I love fall leaves and warm spring days, but Christmas is such a special time. It’s a time of year to love and appreciate one another, and remember the birth of Jesus. I’ve been taking conversion classes at our church since September, and I have learned so much more than I ever have about who Jesus was and what he did for all of humanity. It’s an amazing story of love, hope, and peace. Christmas is a time to remember this and we should keep this story in our hearts throughout the year.

I’ve been listening to Christmas music all week, and my iPod is bursting full of them! 🙂

My favorite song has always been “O, Holy Night” and I have 3 versions of it (the Mariah Carey version is my favorite). I also have the Alabama Christmas album. My mother played this every year when I was still at home, and every time I hear it, I think of her. Of course, there’s Ella Fitzgerald’s “Frosty the Snowman”, and Burl Ives’ “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer”! I bought the Weezer Christmas album and was surprised at how good it is! It gives the classics a nice, pop-like beat. Sometimes they are a little off-key, but I still enjoy it.

Our tree is up, the village is up, and the outside bushes are full of lights. The shopping is finished, gifts wrapped and under the tree, and cards mailed. Now that the hard work is done, I can sit back, relax, and sing the carols!

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Today I did some iTunes shopping for Christmas music to fill my iPod with songs of the season. I love to listen to Christmas music while wrapping gifts, and decorating. It can certainly could put anyone in the spirit!

I came across a song that I haven’t heard in a long time, O Tannenbaum. After hearing just a few notes of the song, my eyes filled with tears. It’s funny how music can bring back a memory so fast.

When I was in Kindergarden, I learned a song: O Tannenbaum. I was so proud that I learned this German song, even though I never really remembered all the words. I couldn’t wait to make the trip to Ohio to sing it for my Grandpa, I knew he would be so proud of me. And of course, when I started to sing it for him, he joined along. He had the biggest smile on his face as he sang a song that was very familiar to him.

I still don’t know all the words to that song…but today with the power of Google, I looked them up! And I listened to the whole song with fond memories of my Grandpa playing his accordion and singing with all his might. Of course, I bought that song from iTunes, and from now on, I will listen to it every Christmas. My hope is that everyone has a Grandpa like mine. He was pretty amazing.