Category Archives: Christmas

FIVE GOLD RINGS!

Posted on December 30, 2012 by

It’s now the fifth day of Christmas, or at least the fifth night, so I guess the narrator of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is going to be receiving the only gift in the bunch that isn’t alive. Or is … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

Deck Them Halls and All That Stuff

Posted on December 21, 2012 by

You know what’s kind of fascinating about Christmas music? The holidays are the one time of year you’re likely to hear novelty songs in department stores. It’s also when you’re likely to hear overtly religious songs in the same places. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Music | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The War on Definitions

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

‘Tis the season for Bill O’Reilly to get his nativity-themed knickers in a knot over his invented War on Christmas. I thought maybe he’d cover a war on some other holiday this year, like possibly New Year’s. Christmas is less … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Christmas, Fox News, Gender, Holidays, Politics, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Do You Hear What Herod Hears?

Posted on December 25, 2011 by

When you think of Christmas villains, who comes to mind? The Grinch? The Krampus? Burgermeister Meisterburger? The Awgwas? Well, how about Herod the Great, the King of Judea who tried to have Jesus killed? Well, at least that’s what the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Christmas, History, Holidays, Judaism, Middle East, Religion, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keeping You in Yuletide

Posted on December 25, 2011 by

Well, it’s now Christmas Day, so I might as well say a bit about it. As Rose said in a recent post, it’s a little odd how the “Keep Christ in Christmas” crowd doesn’t seem to care about the birth … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Where’s the Befana?

Posted on December 25, 2011 by

Tonight, we’ll take a look at an Italian Christmas tradition. No, not Dominick the Donkey. It’s the Befana, a witch on a broomstick who gives presents to children. Like Santa Claus, she enters a house through a chimney, and leaves … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Mythology, Roman | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Santa Faces His Daemons

Posted on December 22, 2011 by

A Kidnapped Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Alex Robinson – I’m sure I’ve already written about the original story, which isn’t really too developed in terms of plot (especially since we pretty much already know the Daemon … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christmas, Comics, Holidays, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

So Tender and Mild

Posted on December 18, 2011 by

“Silent Night” is a Christmas song that everybody knows, but I can’t recall hearing it on the radio much. Maybe I just haven’t noticed it, though. Anyway, when I was a kid, I was amused by the line “holy infant … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Coming Down the Chimney

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

So, you know that Andy Williams song where he starts out singing “Happy Holiday,” but then goes into some lyrics about hanging up your sock? I’m sure you do, because it gets played constantly at this time of year, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who Could Ask for Anything More?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

I managed to get my hands on four more 2011 releases, so here they are: Stephin Merrit, Obscurities – A collection of B-sides and unreleased songs from Stephin Merritt’s various musical projects, including the Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Christmas, Holidays, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment