holiday music - 'zat you, santa claus? - louis armstrong and the commanders

Today's favorite holiday song discovery is Louis Armstrong's "Zat you, Santa Claus?" from 1953.

There is a remix version available, too:

But I like the original best, it has a real, live, nightclub performance feel to it.

holiday music - "santa claus is comin' to town" - joe moss and his society dance orchestra 1935

Another fun holiday song I haven't heard before, from 1935, Joe Moss and His Society Dance Orchestra, with vocals by Dick Robertson:

favorite movie #96 - holiday edition: how the grinch stole christmas!

Picking up with my favorite movies list, just in time for the holidays ... Let's see if I can come up with 25 ... I'm giving myself a little leeway here, as I'm allowing TV specials as well as feature-length films. It's my list, my rules, so there.

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #96 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) - This is the only Grinch as far as I'm concerned. The narration by Boris Karloff, the animation by Chuck Jones (inspired by its Dr. Seuss source), the vocals by Thurl Ravenscroft and songs by Albert Hague — all perfection.

You're a mean one, Mr Grinch
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel
Mr. Grinch!
You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch!
Your heart's an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders
You've got garlic in your soul
Mr. Grinch!
I wouldn't touch you
With a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch!
You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile
Mr. Grinch!
Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch!
You're a nasty, wasty skunk!
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Grinch!
The three words that best describe you
Are as follows, and I quote
"Stink, stank, stunk!"

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch!
You're the king of sinful sots!
Your heart's a dead tomato
Splotched with moldy, purple spots
Mr. Grinch!
Your soul is an apalling dump-heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable
Mangled-up in tangled-up knots!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch!
With a nauseous super naus!
You're a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked hoss
Mr. Grinch!
You're a three-decker sauerkraut
And toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce!

Lyrics by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, Music by Albert Hague

Link to Christmas: What's more Christmassy than the Grinch?

you're a mean one, mr. grinch

Maybe we never really get past our eight year-old selves, as my all-time favorite holiday song still has to be ...

It's the perfect combination of fabulous vocals and clever lyrics. "the tree words that describe you are, and I quote, 'Stink, stank, STUNK!'" Great song, great cartoon.

Merry Christmas!

god rest ye merry gentlemen

I love the relaxed vibe The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan take with this clever combo of two of my favorite traditional carols, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "We Three Kings of Orient Are."

white christmas

I love the film White Christmas and Bing Crosby still has the definitive version of the song, but The Drifters' rendition is my favorite.

when bowie met der bingle

Another of my favorite holiday songs is "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. I remember watching this Christmas special, "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas," on TV when it first aired in 1977. I can still see myself, sitting with my dad in the living room, our worlds colliding, as this odd couple sang this duet. It's sad and strange that the holiday season is the only time we get to hear these two guys on the radio these days ...

favorite xmas songs

It's that time of year again, with holiday lights and music piped in everywhere you go. It can be really annoying, but, I have to admit, that they are are more than a few holiday songs that I look forward to hearing every year. I'll be posting them on my blog all month, up until Xmas. To start things off, here is one of my favorites, a bluesy take on the holiday by The Eagles. Anyone else hear echoes of another favorite song of mine, The Bee Gees rendition of "Oh, Darling" by the Beatles?

all good things must come to an end ...

... and unfortunately our winter break is one of them. Today is our last full day off and tomorrow it's back to school and "real life." Although this time together has felt more real than the other stuff. But we have had a great time while it lasted ...

We saw a bunch of shows at the Kravis Center - Cinderella, So You Think You Can Dance, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Guys and Dolls

Great (early) Xmas with Grandma

Beautiful light displays

We even got to paint a little

Lion Country Safari is always fun

Angel was even to into the spirit of things

merry christmas!

Last night, Christmas Eve, not a creature was stirring ...

This morning, the aftermath ...

The best and most creative gift I received ... a little Lego gift box full of treasures ...

Happy Holidays to all!

i believe in father christmas - redux

Here's a throwback post from 2011, which still has meaning for me, especially today ...

My almost eight year-old has been asking me all month long about Santa. She was bugged that some of the kids at school were trying to convince her that he doesn't exist. A lot of her friends still believe, but she has asked me if I do, too. I answered unhesitatingly in the affirmative. And I'm not lying. That doesn't mean that I believe that a jolly man in a red suit will be coming down our non-existent chimney tonight. But I do believe that Santa, something magical, does exist in the world, most definitely in my daughter's world. When kids grow up and become parents they become Santa. They make magic for their kids. They pass the baton, so that their children can share in that same feeling that they remember from their childhood — a mixture of hope, anticipation, faith and disbelief — could it really be? And then the presents are there in the morning — magic!

I don't blame the playground kids. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs or disbeliefs. I first covered this topic two Xmas eves ago and still feel exactly the same way:

The whole world is magical to kids. They want to believe in Santa, Rudolph, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. Kids don't live in a bubble. At five my daughter and her friends are already deeply discussing whether Santa, etc. exists. Some are trying to convince her otherwise, like kids tried back in 1897 to Virginia O'Hanlon. I'm in the "He's real" camp until she shows signs of not wanting to believe anymore. Kids can be cruel and just plain silly, but the "There is no Santa" schoolyard discussions seem to me less an attempt to blow a hole in the magic bubble, but an attempt to appear smarter, more knowledgeable of the oh-so-attractive grown-up world. Kids, if you only had the merest glimpse of the mundanity of many aspects of what it is to be "grown-up," you'd relax and settle back and bask in fantasies like Santa as long as possible.

I also think it is worth reprinting some words of Santa wisdom from one of my favorite authors, Alexander McCall Smith (originally printed in Parade):

Myths help us to get by. The day they all die and we tell our children exactly how things are, the world will be a poorer, less enchanted place. So don’t be ashamed to clap your hands at Peter Pan or act as if Santa exists. He stands for kindness and generosity, and those things are alive and will continue to be alive—as long as we believe in them.

I have some cookies to decorate for Santa — Merry Christmas!

xmas tree hats ...

... were apparently once a thing.

we're on ho-ho-holiday

School's out for two plus weeks for the holidays ... what trouble can we get into ...

throwback (holiday) thursday: christmas lights

From 2012

From 2011

From 2010

favorite song friday: a dean martin holiday

Dean Martin does Christmas music like no one else.
Is he serious?
Does it matter?
He's just fun, fun, fun.


As adorable as he is singing "A Marshmallow World," his rendition of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" is my favorite:

throwback (holiday) thursday - seeing santa

At the Flagler Museum holiday celebration, 2010.

palm beach santa

We are trying t hit all the fun holiday outdoor events these days and went to the tree lighting on Worth venue in Palm Beach last week. Santa, as might be expected, arrived in style, in a Lambourghini, no less. Trading reindeer for horsepower, I guess.

There was Lambourghini police escort, too.

more tree lighting fun

The kid and I went to see Sandi, the sand tree last week and it was a fun, light-filled event.

600 tons of sand

Fun at the mini-golf course

Phones out to record the light show

We hd a light show of our own

favorite song friday: the grinch

It's back ... the season of holiday music, in all its glory and horror. It only comes but once a year, and I have to admit that there are a few tines that I actually look forward to hearing again.

My all-time favorite Christmas special is without any doubt How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and it always makes me happy to hear the main song, "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," sung by the wonderful Thurl Ravenscroft, pop up in the middle of all the "Santa Babys" and "Carol of the Bells."

Sing it, Thurl!

If you'd like to sing along ...

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel,
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
"Stink, stank, stunk"!

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!

throwback (holiday) thursday

We picked up a live tree the day before Thanksgiving, but have been taking our sweet time decorating it, so no pix yet. But I couldn't help but think back to another holiday and another black kitty, who I still miss, who loved getting in the middle of the decorations and even the tree. Miss you, Harry.