Tag Archives: Holidays

Chapter 44: Christmas With the Grannies | My Southern Gothic Life

Another new post is up on my other blog.  I’m rather prolific this week…

All the Christmas Drama and mayhem at our house was off set by the simplicity of Christmas at Granny’s.

By this I mean, my Mother’s Mother, not my Father’s Mother, who was safely packed away to the State Hospital for the Insane in Staunton and, later, Petersburg.

But we did have to go visit my Father’s Mother, Granny Susie, AKA Susan Catherine Rush Michaels,  sometime around Christmas.  This was always an ordeal.

This was before there was an Interstate Highway to Staunton, so we had to travel along winding mountain roads to get there.  With not many restaurants or gas stations to stop.

A few times, my Great Aunts wanted to go along.  Aunt Lily and Little Mary were her sisters and her brother Joe’s wife, Big Mary, usually went along, too.  The one trip I remember was when we still had the station wagon- before Daddy flipped it coming home in an ice storm from Earl’s Bar and Grill.  They were all lined up in the back seat in their black wool coats, hats and white gloves.  Aunt Lily would always pack her lunch and refuse to share it.  When I was about 5 or 6, I asked once and she told me I should have planned better.

Link to full Post:   Chapter 44: Christmas With the Grannies | My Southern Gothic Life.

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Filed under Danville, Holidays, My Journey, Social Commentary, Style, The South, Virginia

My Southern Gothic Life | Trying to Stay Sane in a Crazy Southern World…

New post up on my other blog:

 

When I was growing up in Danville, Virginia, decorating for Christmas was always a very big deal.

My Mother’s goal in life, for several years, was to win the Temple Terrace Women’s Club Home Decorating Contest.   Even though she was President of the Club, for several years, she still never won.  And she was not above “putting in the fix” if she could have figured out how to do so.

I was never quite sure what the Temple Terrace Woman’s Club did.  All I know is my Mother was inordinately proud of the fact that they once voted on something by placing their ballots in one of her bronze trash cans and everyone commented on how clean it was.  Thanks to the maid, I might add.

They also had a dish towel sale one year.  I don’t know what it was supposed to benefit, but we had several cases of dish towels in our basement for several years.  Some are still there even after 45 years…

Anyway, the whole production always began with her moving the previously mentioned cardboard fireplace into it’s place of honor in the basement.  After she meaningfully told my Father that she hoped one day she would have a real fireplace, she would make him haul out all the other stuff.

MORE:   My Southern Gothic Life | Trying to Stay Sane in a Crazy Southern World….

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Filed under Danville, Gay, Holidays, My Journey, Religion, Social Commentary, Style

My Favorite Things: Christmas Music

My partner Steve and I love Christmas Music.

I’m almost embarrassed to say we have several hundred Christmas CD’s.  Almost….

Our tastes are also rather eclectic.  From classical to cabaret to new age to famous vocalists…

Most of these are on Amazon.com or the website I will list the website with the entry…

Here are some of the favorites:

  1. Spencer Lewis:  “Calling in the Winter“- available at his website:  http://www.spencerlewismusic.com.  This is really part a Christmas album and part a Winter Album.  You can listen to it online.  I play it almost all year.
  2. Sting:  “On a Winter’s Night”– I blogged about this earlier and posted a link.  Again, more of a Winter Album that you can listen to all winter…
  3. Nancy LaMott:  “Just in Time for Christmas”– the late, great modern cabaret singer made many great albums.  This is one of the best….
  4. “A Cabaret Christmas“- a collection by some of the best cabaret and Broadway singers
  5. “Cabaret Noel”– from Broadway Cares/Equity fights Aids-  This has a lot of really fun holiday songs on it done by some of the best performers in the New York theater and Cabaret worlds.
  6. John Trones:  “Holiday”– Another great cabaret Christmas Album.
  7. The Carpenters:  “Christmas Portrait”– beautifully arranged by Richard and beautifully sung by Karen.  This one is one of my all time favorites.
  8. Linda Eder:  “Christmas Stays the Same”– a great album by a real Broadway Diva. Great for upbeat background music at Christmas parties.
  9. Gary Morris:  “Every Christmas”– out of print and hard to find, but just wonderful.  If you try eBay or his website you might find a copy…
  10. Sarah MacLachlan:  “Wintersong”– on sale cheap at Amazon now.  One we play over and over…
  11. Liz Story:  “The Gift“- another one we can’t get enough of and play all through the Holidays.  Great piano versions of Holiday classics
  12. Doris Day:  “The Doris Day Christmas Album”– A true classic.
  13. Johnny Mathis:  “Merry Christmas“- Another Classic
  14. Andy Williams:  “The Andy Williams Christmas Album”– a childhood favorite….

I’ll stop there…for now.

Here are a few other very special single recordings that are priceless.

Original songs by the original performers…

These  stars truly own these songs…

 

Judy Garland:  “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

 

Eartha Kitt:  “Santa Baby”

 

Bing Crosby:  “White Christmas”

 

Nat King Cole: “The Christmas Song”

 

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Happy Summer Solstice- How to Celebrate the Day

Today is Summer Solstice!  This is now regarded as the first day of summer, but has been celebrated in many ways since Pagan times.

This date also has the longest day and shortest night of the year.

Summer Solstice has also been known as Midsummer (as in Night’s Dream), St John’s Day and Litha.

Enjoy the day however you feel best to celebrate it.

All I can say at this point is, the longest day of the year would have to be a Monday!

Here is a good instructional video on how to appropriately celebrate the day.

And here is some video of today’s celebration at Stonehenge in the UK:

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