THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS - PART FIVE - A CHRISTMAS COTTAGE TOUR - 2019

Have you ever tried 

to find a designated Christmas carol 

for a kitchen? 

 Sure,

 there are a lot that mention food and 

I did find a cute ditty that said 

mama was fed up with getting no respect

 for her work in the kitchen, 

but none of that made sense to me

 until I found a poem

 written by 

Paul Stookey, in 1973.

The kitchen is known as 

the heart of the home and 

since I've got a lot to show you and 

this is quite long, 

I will just show pictures of

 our Christmas kitchen and 

let the words of this beautiful piece

 speak for themselves. 

 To me 

this signifies what

 the heart of Christmas 

is all about.

"Christmas Dinner"

Paul Stookey, 1973

"And it came to pass on a Christmas evening

While all the doors were 

shuttered tight

Outside standing,

 lonely boy-child

Cold and shivering 

in the night

On the street, 

every window

Save but one, 

was gleaming bright

And to this window 

walked the boy-child

Peeking in 

saw candle light

Through other windows 

he had looked at

 turkeys, duck and geese, 

cherry pies

But through this window 

saw a grey-haired lady

Table bare and 

tears in her eyes

Into his coat 

reached the boy-child

Knowing well 

there was little there

He took from his pocket 

his own Christmas dinner

A bit of cheese, 

some bread to share

His outstretched hands

Held the food and 

they trembled

As the door, 

it opened wide

Said he,

 would you share with me 

Christmas dinner

Gently said she,

 come inside

The grey-haired lady

 brought forth to the table

Glasses two and 

her last drop of wine

Said She,

 Here's a toast to

 everyone's Christmas

And especially,

 yours and mine

And it came to pass 

on that Christmas evening

While all the doors were 

shuttered tight

That in that town, 

the happiest Christmas

Was shared 

by candle light".

Thank you for joining me and 

I hope you enjoyed 

our Christmas Cottage kitchen.

  Watch for Part Six, 

the master bedroom and bath 

coming up very soon.

...Judy...

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THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS - PART FOUR - A CHRISTMAS COTTAGE TOUR - 2019

I have loved the idea of flags
 on the Christmas tree 
ever since I saw a picture 
in a Victorian magazine many years ago.
  Since then
 I have been displaying 
the red, white and blue 
on at least one of our trees every year.
  When we painted 
the dining room red a few years ago
 it took a turn towards 
country prim and seemed the logical home
 for this continuing tradition...

...now, 
you might understand better 
why I kept painting 
Santa with flags.

I was thrilled to find 
this sweet performance 
by an elementary school class 
that goes along with 
my obsession...

"Merry Christmas To You From The Red, White And Blue"

from the Music K8.com marketplace, home of music teaching ideas.

Merry Christmas to you

From the red, white and blue

Merry Christmas to you, dear friends

Bitty Morsel, Gertie and Olde Scrooge
 are spreading Christmas cheer 
by the wagon loads.

Merry Christmas to you

May your wishes come true

For freedom and joy 
that never ends

We've got a kind of miracle

A country that is free!

A place to live and celebrate 

Our own democracy

Merry Christmas to you
From the red, white and blue

Merry Christmas to you dear friends

Merry Christmas to you
May your wishes come true
For freedom and joy that never ends!

If you would like to see
 this performance 
by the second grade class, 
google the song title.

 It is so sweet 
to watch the faces of the children 
as they sing. 
 It really took me back 
to when my kids were 
that age...

...this is the time of year
 when long ago memories surface 
seemingly to have just happened yesterday 
and the awe and wonder of it all 
is evident everywhere.

Thank you 
for coming along with me and 
please come back later this week 
for the Christmas kitchen.


...Judy...

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Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

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THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS - PART THREE - A CHRISTMAS COTTAGE TOUR - 2019

Today will take us on a sleigh ride. 

 No, 

there isn't any snow where I am but

 the mind is a powerful thing and,

 if you believe,

 it can be so.

As in years before,

 Santa is taking center stage 

in the sitting room. 

 There are so many Christmas songs 

that tell us about 

the jolly old gentleman,

 but I wanted to take it

 a little further and,

 in this age of technology, 

focus on Santa's 

favorite mode of transportation.

"Just hear those sleigh bells jingling

Ring-ting-tingling too

Come on, it's lovely weather

For a sleigh ride together with you"

"Sleigh Ride"

Although 

not originally written for Christmas, 

Leroy Anderson, the composer, 

had the idea for the piece 

during a heatwave in July, 1946, and

 finished the work in February, 1948.

  He composed it as an instrumental

 but the lyrics 

in which someone asks another

 to ride in a sleigh 

were written by 

Mitchell Parish in 1950.

Now, right here, 

is living proof 

that Santa can drive a car but

 he much prefers the sleigh. 

 There is plenty of room 

for his bag of toys and

 the reindeer like the fact

 that they can

 fly through the sky...

...or 

even through a bouquet of flowers.

  Remember 

anything is possible 

if you believe.

"Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields they go

Laughing all the way.  Ho,ho,ho

Sometimes Santa

 hitches up his faithful steed,

 especially when 

the little lady is around. 

 She feels he is much safer 

with his Santa boots on the ground.

  Mrs. Claus 

insisted she join hubby 

on his rounds this year,

 bringing along a few gingerbread men.

 It is her belief 

that a hard working man

 is always in need of 

a sweet pick-me-up.

Santa and Mrs. Claus 

are the creations of 

April 

of Cold Creek Primitives, 

her Etsy shop,

 and I absolutely love

 her imagination.

"Sleigh Bells ring

 are you listening

In the lane 

snow is glistening

A beautiful sight,

 we're happy tonight

Walkin' in a winter wonderland"

"Winter Wonderland"

This song was 

originally recorded in 1934. 

 Due to its seasonal theme 

it is often regarded as 

a Christmas song in the Northern hemisphere.

  Smith, a native of Honesdale, PA 

was inspired by seeing 

Honesdale Central Park covered in snow.

  He wrote the lyrics 

while being treated 

for tuberculosis.

One day 

as I was in the parking lot of Michael's,

 I spied this branch 

laying on the ground.  

I knew exactly 

what I would do with it.

  The Captain 

was waiting in the car for me and 

when I came back with my treasure

 he just rolled his eyes and asked

 why I was dragging more trash home.  

But even he has to admit,

 it is the perfect prop for 

the makings of a 

winter wonderland.

I never did find 

the star for the top of

 the vintage ceramic tree

 so I substituted 

the blue moon to the top and 

added Tweetie Bird 

swinging from a branch. 

 Both are a symbol of 

sweet memories of 

Jake as a baby.

I aspire to greatness and 

I have added a few more 

of those cheap, but cheery, pillows

 to help get me there.

A gathering of tree angels 

who just received their wings, 

surround Santa 

as he makes out his list for

 good little boys, girls,

 and doggies.

The little shelves

 of the chimney cupboard 

are just the right size to display 

a collection of the "Sarah, Plain and Tall"

  houses and some bottle brush trees. 

 They are replicas of

 the houses pictured on the

 Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1994.

Even though, 

my go-to Christmas colors of

 pinks in the guest room and 

blues in the parlor,

 I am definitely 

a tried and true 

red and green Christmas fan. 

 Many years ago, 

I decided that I was going to go

 all glam and 

used all golds and greens.  

That was the most 

miserable Christmas of my life 

as far as decorating went. 

 It was a big mistake for me and

 I couldn't wait for Christmas

 to be over so I could take it all down. 

 I really love and admire 

other's abilities to go "rogue" 

but it isn't for me.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh"

"Jingle Bells"

Written by James Lord Pierpont in 1850.

  Inspired by the 

one-horse open sleigh races

 run on Salem and Pleasant streets 

in Medford, MA.

  He wrote it 

in a boardinghouse that had 

the only piano in town.

I hope you enjoyed 

your sleigh ride today and 

will want to come back again 

for Part Four, 

the dining room 

at Christmas time.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles