Christmas Songs 2019

I was thinking about The Twelve Days of Christmas. Not the song, although that's what brought it to mind, but the tradition in colonial times of visiting friends or family for the twelve days of Christmas (Dec. 25-Jan.6). One of the reasons for the extended visit was that traveling was so arduous that when people went somewhere, they were in no hurry to travel back. Imagine what it would be like to have a house full of people for twelve days or more--beds, linens, three meals times twelve, not to mention keeping them entertained. Remember there was no tv. I'm pretty sure I would've hunted down We Three Kings of Orient Are and begged them, offered them any amount of money, to take me back with them. Now. I have my social side, but I have my private side too, and if both aren't tended to, I become more and more unbalanced, literally. O Christmas Tree, I love you, you're beautiful, although the chore of taking you down can make me think twice about putting you up in the first place. Once, during a very difficult time in our lives, we got a small tree and I bought all the decorations at a dollar store. When the festivities were over, we threw a super-large trash bag over it and carried to the curb. There's something to be said for that method. But I'd like to discuss Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. We've put the tree in several different places in our house over the years, but it's always near a wall or in a corner. (Note to the extra-busy: you have to do less decorating if it's in a corner.) Where in the world do you find a tree with enough room to dance around? Even in Rockefeller Center (NYC) the tree at the skating rink is over to the side. A public park maybe? It's just hard to imagine enough hardy souls wanting to dance outside in typical winter weather. Maybe the song writer was from the south and didn't think about that. Maybe that's why there's no "g" in Rockin'. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and I always used to dream it would be a Silent Night. The past few years we've come close. It took a while to organize activities and food prep and whatever else would pop up, but when I did, it was Joy to the World. Time to reflect on the importance of the season and build up my strength for the rush to come. But it's not that night yet and I still need to Deck the Halls. And the windows and front door. This year I'm happy to do it all because the whole family will be together and That's Christmas To Me.