Month: December 2015

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Music for Xmas, In Your Head

I’ve never really been satisfied with Gustav Holst’s CRANHAM as a tune for the following poem, probably because the words seem too quietly, gently powerful for the tune, but perhaps you’ll hear it differently in your mind’s ear as you read the words.

In the Bleak Midwinter
By Christina Rossetti

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

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“Xmas Month”

I’ve sort of set aside the traditional Advent calendar/observations for a more general “Xmas Month” wherein I ponder the miracle of the Incarnation, plan family events/gift exchanges and catch up on Fall/Winter household tasks, as time presents itself (a hugely increased amount of time, what with no distractions from couch potato entertainment, cos “Christmas” TV shows are almost universally crap).

OK, so Xmas shopping: finished. Xmas dinner: in the freezer and pantry, ready for assembly. Xmas decorations: not yet up, but easy-peasy. Xmas playlist(s): playlists from last several years ready to cue up and play on MCPC. I’d say that December ought to be a piece of cake, assuming I don’t have some weird techie problem handed to me, and even then all that’d be is fun.

Of course, the sky could fall (as it seemed to almost nine years ago with a huge freezing rain that brought power lines and trees down all over the county leaving most of the county w/o power for a month or so) or some other unforeseen event occur, but. . . pantry/freezers, camp stove, oil lamps, etc. Other things could happen to throw the month off kilter, but that’s just life.

Other life events, speed bumps will naturally occur (indeed, a minor car problem for my Wonder Woman as she headed out to one of her libraries this A.M.), but, again: just life.

Looking forward to the rest of December: Xmas Month.