Tag: Christmas music

A Little Yule Cheer, Day 22: Small Pleasures, the Second Half of Advent 2021

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There are only two more sleeps ’til Christmas! Before things start to get really crazy around here with all the merrymaking and celebrating, I want to take a moment to reflect on the the little things that have enhanced my holly jolly feelings the past two weeks. Life hasn’t been easy the last few weeks, but my heart is full of joy and gratitude for all the blessings I’ve been enjoying this December.

Small Pleasures: The Second Half of Advent

  • Watching Illumination’s Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch with Jay. This version of the Dr. Seuss classic is visually stunning, laugh out funny, and heartwarming. I love everything about it and I think Dr. Seuss would, too.
  • Cookies. Baking them. Eating. Sharing them. It’s all good.
  • The first annual community Luminary Night. The luminarias turned our neighborhood into a magical wonderland.
  • Finding jeans that fit, on the first try. Does this need an explanation?
  • Christmas-themed puzzles. I’m enjoying this so much, I wrote a whole post about it here.
  • Christmas shopping with my 22.5 year old, married son, Mark. I don’t get to spend as much time with Mark as I’d like so when he asked me to go Christmas shopping with him, I was tickled pink. We hit Target, Ulta, and Barnes and Noble and indulged in some Starbuck’s specialties. I had a blast!
  • Hanging out with friends. It’s such a pleasure to catch up with friends while eating good food.
  • This Jingle Bells video by Matt Maher. I dare you not to smile while listening to it.

A Little Yule Cheer, Day 22: Christmas Day with Chris Tomlin and We the Kingdom

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I’m just keeping The Main Thing the main thing today. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the preparations and tangential activities this time of year. We can lose track of why there is a Christmas holiday. This song is a wonderful reminder.

A Little Yule Cheer, Day 10: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Nora Jones

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My favorite secular Christmas is song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. And, one of my all-time favorite musicians is Nora Jones. I wish I had the laid back ease at the piano that she does. And her voice! – what I wouldn’t give to be able sing like her. Last Christmas, Nora posted a casual video singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and it is, in my humble opinion, a perfect interpretation of the song.

Nora has a new Christmas album out this year and it’s drenched in her signature jazzy/bluesy/folksy style. To promote the album, she did a live mini concert on Youtube from the top of the Empire State Building yesterday evening. If you have a few spare minutes, take the time to watch it. (The concert starts around 4:25). Nora is a pleasure to watch and her music will fill you with holiday cheer.