It’s Wednesday afternoon, Christmas Eve. By the time this posts on Friday morning, it’ll be the day AFTER Christmas and two days before our big family gathering. As far as I can tell, everything is in order for that, including, hopefully, the weather.
It’s been a lovely week. Last Sunday Colt and his girlfriend, Elie, came over and cooked us a marvelous anniversary dinner. We’ll be having the leftovers from that as our Christmas Day dinner tomorrow.
Over the past several days we’ve been watching various Christmas movies on TCM and listening to our collection of Christmas music.
TV finally made it over the Mule Mountains to Bisbee when Carl Morris, the owner of the local radio station, created one of the first cable TV networks. Next thing you know, I Love Lucy started coming on the air every Monday night. With nine people in the family, Evie’s old davenport just wasn’t going to cut it, so she went to Whitehead’s Furniture and came home with a massive mauve sectional. That worked for I Love Lucy and any number of other programs as well.
Our family watched a lot of variety shows back then, and I especially enjoyed the Christmas specials which often featured people like Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Andy Williams. So the music in Bill’s and my Christmas collection features the music we both grew up with. Bing is going to have a white Christmas, Perry will be home for Christmas. Berle Ives is having a Jolly Jolly Holiday for Christmas. Teresa Brewer is busy catching Mommy kissing Santa Claus, and the Lennon Sisters are letting us know that Santa Claus is coming to town. Whenever a version of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer comes on, Bill and I are able to recall that the guy who wrote those memorable lyrics was one of Bill’s dad’s acquaintances when they both worked at Montgomery Ward in Chicago.
One of my favorite carols of all time is The Little Drummer Boy. When I was a librarian on the reservation, someone published a lovely picture book featuring that song. When it came time for my December of classroom storytelling, I would often sing that song while turning the pages of the book so the kids could see the pictures. If a school librarian did that these days, I’m pretty sure that, in some places, they’d be run out of town on a rail.
A little while ago Oh, Come All Ye Faithful came on with a choir singing the lyrics in Latin. Thanks to participating in Bisbee High School’s annual Christmas Vespers program, I was able to sing right along. I’ll bet a lot of my readers know those words by heart, too, but here’s a little cheat sheet.
Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite, in Bethlehem.
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum;
Venite adoremus,venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus
Dominum!
So Christmas time is a time for Bill and me to use music to sort through our many memories. With any kind of luck, we’ll spend tomorrow listening Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and doing that will make all my Christmas wishes come true.
In the meantime, my fondest wish for all my readers is that this is a most wonderful time of the year for you as well.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
As usual your memories evoked memories of my own of the same songs and times. I was an altar boy and also went to Catholic school for eight years, so even the Latin song verses were memories.
Thanks you again for another trip down memory lane.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
As is often the case, I wish there was a “like” button for blogs.
I learned the Latin version of Come All Ye Faithful in high school Latin class & still love to sing it that way, all 68 or 69 years later! I so enjoy you blog and – of course, your books! Keep on going , girl!
My Mother in law worked for Montgomery Ward also. In the 1940’s and 50’s she was one of the very few women for MW (and later. Sears) executives.
I still her copy of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It is a bit worse for wear because my husband and his brother had it read to them often when they were little boys.
For those of us growning up in Phoenix, the Little Drummer Boy was best performed every year by Ladmo on the Wallace and Ladmo tv show.
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too from Sunny and warm Tucson.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, and thank you for your many blogs.
I remember watching the shows you mentioned. My most poignant Christmas memory is from attending a Bob Hope USO Show at Danang AB, RVN, in 1965. Several thousand troops sang Silent Night along with Anita Bryant.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Military City USA.
Since Polish was the language of my childhood, and my first school was the local Polish elementary school, I didn’t learn English until I went to an English speaking school. However, I did listen to the radio in Polish, of course, and one of the segments was a list of the recently deceased members of the Polish community. It always concluded with Perry Como singing Ave Maria in Latin. So Latin became my second language. I even studied it in high school. Before Vatican II, Masses were always in Latin, too, and the Christmas hymns were in Latin, thus I learned Adeste Fidelis, which when I hear the opening notes of O Come All Ye Faithful, my mind hears Adeste Fidelis and I sing along in Latin. Convoluted but that is my history – Polish, Latin, then English. Thanks for so many memories.
Your Christmas sounded wonderful…mine was quiet and reflective since it was the first one without Ted. The out-of-town kids began arriving last night and I am looking forward to having them here for Ted’s memorial on December 30th.
Wishing you and your family a joyous and healthy New Year!
One P.S. – I ordered lefse from Wisconsin…it is definitely an acquired taste unless I’m not preparing it correctly.
Apply butter and dip in egg yolk. Or else, apply butter, add brown sugar, and then roll up, top to bottom.
Your memory of reading and singing The Little Drummer Boy reminded me of my third grade teacher, Miss Udseth, playing a record (yes, vinyl) of Loretta Young reading The Littlest Angel. She was one of my favorite teachers.
I remember that one, too.
That’s one I remember, too.
My mother-in-law was one of the first women executives at Montgomery Ward (and later Sears) in the 1940’s and 50’s. I have her copy of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It is a bit worse for wear because Jerry (my husband) and his brother Jim had it read to them many many times over the years.
Wishing and yours a very happy holiday and a healthy (and productive!) 2026.
My favorite character is Sheriff Brady in Bisbee. Thank you for writing.
Your weekly blogs are one of the best presents I receive. Thank you.
My Christmas favorite is Christmas Shoes
Sounds like a wonderful gathering with family. I hope your feast on Christmas Day was delicious.
I tried to learn the Latin version of “Adeste Fidelis” but gave up after the first verse.
I loved the choral version of “The Little Drummer Boy”.
My wife and I have had a quiet week. My granddaughter was with her mother’s family this week but will be back with her father on Sunday. We will have our “second Christmas” then.
I hope you and Bill have a peaceful 2026.
In the Episcopalian Church, one of the favorite services is Lessons and carols. IT is always festive, four or five carols, some familiar, some new with the church all decked out in beautiful pots of poinsettias.
I sorted through our CD’s and picked out five all Christmas with a range from country to rock to classic.
Music brings back so many memories.
I can certainly relate to all of this. Thanks for the memories!
Kathy
Your mention of the Drummer Boy song brought back memories of one of my German Shepherds who was born a few days before Christmas and “Drummer Boy” was in his registered name. What a wonderful dog and companion he was! Enjoy your family celebration! May you and Bill be blessed with much joy and good health in the new year!
When I was in choir in 5th grade, we memorized all three verses of Oh Come All Ye Faithful in Latin. I still remember the first verse, but the others have fallen away over the past 60+ years.
My brother was an alter boy, so that certainly brought back memories!
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Enjoy your gathering and all the music and memories
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Loren and Sherbie Tollefson!!
Sharing your childhood memories brought back a lot of memories for me. Thank you. Enjoy your Christmas celebration with your family on Sunday.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Bill.
As I scrolled down the screen, I was singing Adeste Fideles in Latin along with your blog reminder, and it reminded me of singing it with the other sisters in the convent.
The Little Drummer Boy is one of my favourite carols as well. In fact, I had a dozen of “my kids” (music students) play and sing it in a Christmas concert a couple of years ago. A very handsome little 10-year-old played the beat on his snare drum. Memories…light the corners of my mind…
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, Judy and Bill!
Carol Murren
i do the same thing as you at Christmas, I like to listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas shows that I grew up watching
I was tickled when I read the part about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and its origins through Montgomery Wards. My mother worked at Montgomery Wards for many years in our small town in Pennsylvania. We didn’t have large department stores, we had small catalog stores, She began working there in the early 1960’s, retiring in the early 1990’s. Everything I owned came from there up until I graduated from high school, and I owned at least one stuffed Rudolph toy and many of the Rudolph books produced at Christmas.
Reading this made me look up the full background story on Rudolph, it’s very interesting.
Thank you for helping me relive these memories! They are precious!
A happy, healthy, prosperous year to you and yours.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ?
Picturing that giant mauve couch in my head made me smile.
Merry Christmas to you, Bill, and your family (furry kids included).
Merry Christmas to you & yours from one of your faithful & grateful readers.
Merry Christmas to you & yours from one of your faithful & grateful readers.
Missed your Christmas blog as I was traveling again. Just returned home today and have to say hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a Happy, Healthy New Year for you and yours.
As always, Blessing to you and Bill.
Lovely blog on Christmas. I’m right along with listening to music and wonderful classic Christmas movies. I have too many to mention that I always watch. Old & New. I added Love Actually, The Family Stone & One Special Night to my classical list. Happy Holidays and Thanks to you & Bill.