Because I work at home and am no longer forced to listen to Christmas music from about mid-November on, I find myself enjoying it a lot more. We even almost went into the carol service at the United Church this year but decided at the last minute that we couldn't cope with the extended sermon. This particular minister tends to take advantage of a full house to go on at length to people he usually doesn't get to pontificate to. If I want to be pontificated to, I'll watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

But I digress.

Of all the Christmas music I own, these are my three favorite CD's, the ones I'd take to a desert island -- given a player and somewhere to plug in.  These are all CD's I'll just put on and let run, at no point leaping for the controls to skip past that one song that shouldn't have been included -- usually involving Santa, mistletoe, and Grandma's unexpected passing under the hooves of a reindeer.  Every song on these CD's is a part of my personal holiday celebrations.


Heather Dale: This Endris Night

Twelve Medieval and Renaissance Christmas songs, all pre 1700, including songs in French, Latin, and my absolute favourite version of The Huron Carol ever in Huron, French, and English.

The beloved and I heard Heather sing The Huron Carol in a little coffee house/bookstore in Camden East, Ontario, and I can still recall that moment with absolute clarity. Since I can't recall yesterday with absolute clarity, that's saying something. I always have an extra copy of this CD around at Christmas time because it's the perfect gift for those last minute "omg we're exchanging gifts?" situations. You can't go wrong giving beauty.

heatherdale.com
CDBaby


The Steve Carlson Band: An Auld School Christmas

I love Steve Carlson's music just generally, whether it's just him and a guitar or with his whole band.  He's been described as jazzy, bluezy, funky, soulish-rock sort of... okay, mostly that's me describing him.   iTunes can't seem to make up their digital mind and CD baby has an 'if you like funk rock" sidebar. 

There's eight songs on the CD and right now, at this moment, my favourite is Steve's version of Auld Lang Syne woven together with Stand by Me.  Favourites are subject to change without notice.  Steve's got a smokey whiskey voice that I, personally, find very sexy and he's a kick ass guitarist.  Also, the band has great brass.

CD Baby
iTunes

Quartette: It's Christmas

The Quartette in specific is made up of Cindy Church, Colleen Peterson, Sylvia Tyson, and Caitlin Hanford

This is theroetically a country CD but don't let that scare you away.  I love country and in my opinion there's only two songs out of the twelve that might give a non-country lover trouble and, even if you were scarred as a child by your uncle doing a terrible rendition of A Boy Named Sue their versions of O Come, O Come Emmanuel and What Child is This are worth the price of the CD. These four women not only have beautiful voices on their own but sing amazing harmonies.

iTunes


So what rocks your musical Christmas boat?

Tags: music
Current Music: Run Run Rudolph, The Steve Carlson Band

Some thoughts about that depression meme that's going around. Since it does ask for age and gender, I wonder if it takes into account that interrupted sleep, weight gain, memory loss, inability to concentrate, and mood swings are also symptoms of menopause and changes the scores accordingly. It's rather surprising how many health professionals don't get that out of the way first. If a woman's over forty-five, it's the first thing I'd consider -- as your body adjusts to lower estrogen levels, life can become a physical and mental roller coaster.

Dear lord, the lack of sleep alone can account for the weight gain and the mood swings and the inability to concentrate. Primary source research; I don't remember the last time I slept through the night. If I had to work outside the house, I'd be on HRT so fast it'd make your head spin.

When the beloved used to work in group homes, there was a woman under their care who'd suddenly starting having health problems right out of the blue. She wasn't sleeping, she'd wakeup three or four times a night soaked in sweat, she was forgetting how to do things she'd known how to do for years, and was violently moody. They couldn't figure out what was wrong. So I asked how old she was. (I did volunteer work with the client at the therapeutic riding stable) She'd just turned fifty. I said, "You think she might be in menopause?" Hadn't occurred to any of them. And some of them were in their fifties. Some of them were having the exact same symptoms. ("I am NOT in menopause!" "Honey, if you're sweating like a duck, odds are good you're a duck." "I am NOT a duck!" "It's a meta... never mind.") And guess what? She was. Once they knew what the problem was, they could start dealing with it. (To the extent that their drastically reduced budget allowed but that's another story.)

There's a 100% guarantee that 51% of the population will be going through an estrogen adjustment with varying symptoms to varying degrees. And apparently the other 49% is doomed to endure an enlarged prostrate and erectile dysfunction. No wonder everyone's depressed...

Tags: thinky things