Und eine ganz neue Aufnahme auf Deutsch, speziell für Tobi und Elli :)
If you know the English version by heart, you will be able to understand the German version fairly well! The translation is excellent, there are lots of cognates, and the pictures help of course :)
(I made a couple of small mistakes, sorry, but overall I think I did rather well for a one-take recording!)
Marian Keyes is my favorite living author, a recovering addict, a survivor of serious depression and anxiety, a mental health advocate, and an all-around delightful person! She has made a 14-minute video all about taking care of yourself, and being kind to yourself, at Christmastime. It’s important!
Much of this advice is stuff I figured out on my own, long ago, and I think it is one reason why I love Christmas. I try hard not to stress about anything. Not everyone gets a homemade present, or even a present at all. I cook and bake as much as I like, and no more. No Christmas cards. My tree gets smaller every year as my energy wanes — but it’s still beautiful! I hide in my room when things get loud or overwhelming.
Marian’s advice about getting through a hard day is useful in any situation. On days with difficult, stressful medical stuff, I tell myself, ok, in twelve hours (or whatever) this will all be over. I can get through twelve hours.
Merry Christmas! Take care of yourself! If you, like Marian and me, suffer from anxiety and/or depression, keep a help line handy in your phone or follow @SarahMillican75 on twitter — she does a #JoinIn event on Christmas if you’re feeling lonely (or too crowded) and need to have a chat with some friendly internet people :)
Here’s another Christmas audiobook for you! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson. It’s funny and heartwarming and very Christmassy :) Those Herdmans are the worst kids ever!
This is your yearly reminder that I made a recording of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” for librivox a few years ago. I just listened to it while I had a nap. It’s a very good recording, if I do say so myself :)
I love Christmas music, all sorts. From traditional to novelty to pop, and (almost) everything along the spectrum, the tacky and the glorious, the beautiful and the silly. (Though I’m not a fan of angelic children’s choirs or goopy harp-filled schmaltz. I’m more an up-tempo girl, I guess.) Right at this moment I’m listening to the Robert Shaw Chorale, “Christmas Hymns and Carols”, which is an absolutely perfect traditional, unaccompanied, non-ornate, SATB choir recording. Here’s a YouTube playlist of the whole recording:
I’ve mentioned Mixmas here quite a few times, and I’m not going to stop mentioning it. Ever. http://djriko.com/mixmases.htm
A gem from Mixmas 2019 is “Every Single Christmas” by JD McPherson. Here’s a live recording:
From tracking down that song, I discovered that JD has a whole Christmas album of original Christmas songs, “Socks”. The official YouTube videos have charming, simple animation and lyrics, which Em really enjoys!
Another favorite this year is “Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia. This all-star, lip-synced video is so charming! (Wait past the slow B&W intro. It gets good.)
A couple of favorites from last year are a cover of “Rise Up Shepherd” by Twin Bandit and a cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” by Small Town Titans:
I’ll stop for now, and assault you with more of my favorite Christmas music next time! :)
While reading the chapter about electric Christmas lights and bulbs, I added a little note about our old antique Santa bulb! Here it is. I don’t know whether it was originally from the Shallenberg side or the Jacobs side, but it’s really old for sure! Behind Santa you can see a reproduction of one of the old German ornaments made of cotton batting and crinkled wire in the shape of a bird’s nest.
Also, the text mentions the custom of making a little village, farm, or nativity scene under or near the tree. That’s totally a tradition in my family, too, maybe from my German heritage (on both sides). What traditions or special old ornaments do you treasure?
Dram – Litmas JD McPherson – Every Single Christmas Margo Guyen – I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You Josh Rouse – Sleigh Brother Bill Sufjan Stevens – Put the Lights on the Tree Bailen – Christmas is All Around Hoodoo Gurus – Tojo The Magnetic Fields – Everything is One Big Christmas Tree Sia – Santa’s Coming for Us New Order – Rocking Carol The Regrettes – Marshmallow World James Brown – Santa Claus go Straight to the Ghetto Justine Skye – Eyes for You Satan’s Pilgrims – Feliz Navidad Livingmore – Show me Light and Love Jagged Jaw – Pink Xmas Tree Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick (Alternate Version) Tralala – Holiday Hearts Cocteau Twins – Winter Wonderland Redtenbacher’s Funkestra – Deck the Halls The Duke Spirit – Melt by the Morning The Grip Weeds – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen The Silhouettes – Under the Mistletoe The Oh Hellos – Every Bell on Earth Will Ring
I haven’t finished the whole thing yet (Henry and I are listening together when we have time) but the second bit — “JD McPherson – Every Single Christmas” — is so good that I went looking for the song to add to my Christmas music collection, and discovered that JD McPherson has a whole album of original Christmas music called “Socks” and it’s great!! (Be sure to watch some of his live performances on youtube!) You can buy “Socks” on iTunes and other places. The whole youtube playlist is here:
I have plans, eventually, to write up a review of every single Mixmas and point you to my favorite parts ’cause there’s always something that just rocks my socks that I never would have heard otherwise… Right now I’m listening to 2014, which is such a good one! Liz Phair’s Ho Ho Ho “Doing shots of room-temperature peppermint schnapps while the yule log on tv crackles and pops…” (I always skip the Crash Test Dummies bit, though. That’s ok – every Mixmas has a clunker or two, the aural equivalent of the Ugly Christmas Sweater :)
The less said about that hospital visit the better.
Upshot: They can’t fix my ASD. So that’s that — the last possibility for extending/improving my life. I also realized that, even if the implantable Remodulin pump is ever approved by the FDA, I won’t be able to tolerate the operation to install it — so that’s that too.
My throat, which got seriously messed up during the TEE, is starting to feel better and I can swallow real food again.
My body still hurts all over but I can move without actual agony so that’s nice I guess.
The adhesive-itch is still terrible and I’m trying hard not to claw my skin off.
Let’s think about Christmas instead! I’ve been listening to DJ Riko’s Mixmases :)
Horrible horrible day. Up at 4:30am to get to UCSF hospital by 6:30am. They wanted to do a TEE (trans esophageal echo), then a heart cath, a balloon occlusion test, and potentially fix my ASD.
So I had general anesthesia while they did all kinds of stuff to me.
Woke up at 11:30 with the world’s worst sore throat from tubes being shoved down it.
Turned out that they couldn’t fix my ASD after all, so it was all in vain.
Lay around in bright busy noisy recovery room for hours in pain, weeping.
Finally got real room around 6pm. Had giant fight to get them to remove all adhesives including IV and monitors. Haven’t eaten or drunk anything but 2 cranberry juice boxes in 26 hours. Still waiting for soup to arrive. Throat hurts too much for real food.
