Doggs & Doggettes ~
Christmas 2011 ended here in Phoenix, Arizona, a little over an hour ago. For a number of reasons – which I could explain in excruciating detail, but which I’m sure you’re not the least bit interested in – Bobby Darin’s song ‘Christmas Auld Lang Syne’ makes me think of my dear departed Ma, who returned to her Creator in the Summer of 2005.
Darin recorded this song on August 18, 1960, exactly one year and ten days after my birth, and it did not do very well on the Billboard music charts. Nevertheless, it has become my custom to close every Christmas Day by listening to it.
For a number of years, it has also been a tradition of mine to remove all of my outdoor Christmas decorations on December 26th (my Brother’s birthday), to send the message that what I have been celebrating is not Happy Holidays or Winter Solstice or Winter Wonder or Season’s Greetings or Frosty’s Fruitopia or any other euphemism for “The Birth Of Jesus Christ”.
My lights and decorations were meant as a symbol of Christ’s birth. And after December 25th, the Birthday Party has come and gone, and my celebration has ended.
But, I fear I have gotten a bit sidetracked, as I often do.
What I really meant to say here is that Bobby Darin’s song, ‘Christmas Auld Lang Syne’, is a window into my soul. Not that anyone will or should care to know.
Every Christmas ends with me honoring my Mother by playing Darin’s Christmas song and acknowledging that, indeed, "there’s a sadness in the heart of things".
Bobby Darin - Christmas Auld Lang Syne
(lyrics and slideshow + good quality)
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfXYSb-KsSQ
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Your mother sounds like a wonderful person buddy, there's no shame in missing her over the festive period, none at all. Hoping you and your loved ones had a great Christmas regardless!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas a tad late. I too celebrate the birth of the Savior on this day and feel a twinge of sadness and longing for times and loved ones past.
ReplyDeleteMATTHEW ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stopping by and commenting, Brother. And I wish a Happy New Year to you. Rock that thang!
FARAWAYEYES ~
Late works too! No problem.
There’s a certain quality in Bobby Darin’s voice – that “saudade” – when he sings a ballad. And that is what really touches me and makes a song like this so poignant. I can name only two other singers whose voices were naturally imbued with that saudade: Astrud Gilberto and Karen Carpenter.
Thanks for the good wishes, and right back atcha!
~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
Merry Christmas (belatedly), Stephen. This post brought a tear to my eye. I was thinking just before reading this that this life is not the end of the story and that we have so much more to look forward to. Thank goodness! It's so nice that you honor your sweet mother this way.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you.
Lisa
LISA! ~
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! Where the heck have you been?
You must have been reading my mind (what there is of it) because I thought about you a couple of times over the last week or two.
You back to blogging again? I'll pop over there and reintroduce myself!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Poop! No blog. Not even your old one.
ReplyDeleteLISA, why did you completely delete your old blog? I remember you walking away from it a long time ago, and that's why I stopped "Following" (there wasn't anything new to follow anymore).
But I didn't know you had completely deleted all the old posts. That's too bad - I was going to comment there.
Anyway... how are you doing? What's new? Planning to start up a new blog? (I'll "Follow" if you do.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Now that's what Christmas music should sound like. I thought I was done listening to it for another year, but ol' Bobby's smooth-as-silk voice held me captive.
ReplyDeleteGod bless and Happy New Year, Mr. Stephen!
WALK2WRITE ~
ReplyDeleteI thank you, and may those same wishes return to you as well.
Bobby Darin is one of only two persons from "The Crooners School Of Singing" that I really enjoy listening to (the other being Johnny Mathis).
I'm with you though, in that I'm now done with Christmas songs for the next 11 months.
In keeping with my long-established tradition, from now through New Year's Day, I will primarily listen to a nearby "muzak" radio station - 102.1 KAHM broadcasting out of Prescott, Arizona (think: an instrumental version, with strings, of "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" - which I heard driving home from work tonight).
And after that, it's back to mostly Jazz and Blues (with a little Country and Dylan thrown in, just to irritate the neighbors).
Thanks for stopping by, my spiritual friend!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Hi Stephen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking of me, but really! it took you this long to realize I'd shut down my blog?! LOL!!
I'm not planning on starting another. I've taken to Twitter. It's much faster and simpler and you can only use 140 characters each time. Woohoo!
Doing well here, just plugging right along. :)
I pray you are, too.
Lisa
LISA ~
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah, I stopped "Following" your blog because it was clear you had stopped blogging, but I didn't know until now that you had DELETED all the old posts.
Why'd you do that? There was some good "stuffs" there, and just 'cause you weren't going to add any more didn't mean you had to erase what was already there!
I'd join you at Twitter only 'real men' DON'T "TWEET"! (And neither do I.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I seemed to have lost my way to the reincarnation posts - then again, maybe I didn't. I've never heard this version of the song by anyone. Bobby Darin was played by my parents but I didn't know he recorded this... and what a loveliness about it. Maybe they knew it.
ReplyDeleteI always play Mannheim Steamroller's, "Silent Night," because my Mom loved it so. I have a post this year featuring the song - it was the same night a child was missing - but found later asleep on his school bus. I was the dispatcher coordinating the search. My Mom called that night to tell me to turn on the office radio and listen and that was the song. I still cry when I hear it. The combo of the child being found and my Mom loving it... I don't know... it always holds a spot in my heart.
Sorry for the long comment with rambling - what's new(?) - Darin's song will definitely be added to "the good stuffs" here. Thank you.
http://stephentmccarthysstuffs.blogspot.com/2010/07/reincarnation-holy-bible-part-3-of-4.html
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think I remember hearing about that missing child found sleeping on the school bus.
Where and when did that happen?
Were you working for the school system, or law enforcement, or what?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Thank you so much for the link - I've been back and forth a half dozen times! It seems to answer some things I question.
ReplyDeleteThis is the link to my post - if you have time to read it... no problem either way(smile).
http://dcrelief.blogspot.com/2014/12/long-ago-silent-night.html
Takes place in Charlotte, NC in 1984. I was hired by the Char-Mecklenburg School System with certification in firearms through the Deputy Sheriffs Dept. (It was as stressful as it was fun.) My primary was dispatching, so certification was not required. My Director, a former FBI agent, asked me to... so I did. He hoped I would aspire to Deputy Sheriff status. (Long story - had an accident - status forever declined)
Ironically I was waiting acceptance into the Police Academy. One more interview and I was in. It was looking good too. (My Dad, a 30 year vet, hated it. Did not want me to be a cop. To him it was a job. To me - something else? I worked a long time with forgiving God. Sounds funny, I know, but I was right where I wanted to be. Today - it's all different and I'm glad.)
Enough stuff - got to read the link, and then get a ham in the oven. Thanks again for responding with the link! I'll try to keep up(smile) but computers and web sites are not my forte'. (Ha ha, yeah)
D.P.
DIXIE POLKA ~
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely a different but similar case then, because the one I have in mind occurred recently, like within the last couple years.
I'm not sure if it happened locally or I just heard about a story like this which occurred in another state. But the missing child found asleep on the bus sounds very familiar and pretty recent. Definitely not from way back in 1984 though.
Well, I'm glad you didn't become a cop because then you'd be my sworn enemy, and that's no good.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'