Monday's Music Moves Me: Christmas Week Edition

 I'm back with another Monday's Music Moves Me. It is the Holidays, and the theme is Christmas Songs, and I am going with a Christmas Week version.

What am I getting for Christmas?

Stan Freberg "Nuttin' for Christmas"

Gene Autry "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Bing Crosby " Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

Chuck Berry "Run Rudolph Run"

Celtic Woman "Silent Night"

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas: A Couple of Tunes

Merry Christmas! I hope yours is magical, wonderful, full of blessings and joy. This year Christmas is low key for me. However, I thought I would share a couple of Holiday songs that I have been listening to of late.

                                                Joni's "River"

"Jingle Bells in Minor Keys" AKA "Sad Jingle Bells"

Season's Greetings!

Monday's Music Moves Me: Christmas, New Years, Winter

December's 4M Theme was Christmas for the whole month. It fits since it is still the 12 Days of Christmas.



                                              Straight No Chaser "12 Days of Christmas"

Eric Clapton "Christmas in my Home Town"

                                           
                                          But maybe we should give "Winter" a nod..

Sometimes it about longing to get back to someone. "Six Feet of Snow" Little Feat

U2's "New Year's Day"

Happy Winter, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year's!

Monday's Music Moves Me: Christmas Eve Edition

Kind of fitting my Music Moves Me post is coming out a little later in the day. It is Christmas Eve!  The theme for the month for Monday's Music Moves Me is Christmas.

I am going to have Bob Dylan tells about tonight..."Twas The Night Before Christmas"

Trans-Siberian Orchestra "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" 

 

Celine Dion's "Christmas Eve"

I will leave you with "Silent Night"

It is a new version from Eric Clapton...

Thank you and have a Merry Christmas!

Monday's Music Moves Me: Merry Rock and Roll Christmas

Monday's Music Moves Me theme for December is Christmas and Holiday music all month long. I've been playing along and adding my own twists. My first one was about getting ready "Christmas Lights," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "First Noel." Next I went with Annoying, Band and Controversial. Now I am back with Rock and Roll. Turn it up and enjoy!

Chuck Berry "Run Rudolph Run" 

                                         
                                               Elvis Presley  "Blue Christmas"

38 Special "Wild-Eyed Christmas Eve"

                     George Thorogood and The Destroyers "Rock-n-Roll Christmas"

John Lennon "Happy Xmas (The War is Over)

Queen "Thank Good It's Christmas"

Thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoyed the songs!

Happy Holidays and I will see you soon!

Battle of the Bands: Angels We Have Heard on High

Today I was supposed to be playing "Angels We Have Heard on High" at a recital. Well today I am supposed to work. The latter of the things I'm supposed to do won out! Well since it is the 15th I can play the song here for my Battle of the Bands tune. I promise they will sound better than I would. The song is a well known carol/hymn so I won't go with an original just the contenders.

Contender One: Chris Tomlin

Contender Two: Michael W. Smith

You know the deal vote for the one you like best in the comments. I will count them up and post a winner before Christmas. Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Holiday Read: Skipping Christmas

Spending most of the afternoon catching up with a couple of bloghops. Some of my responses were a tad late. About to end the year with a huge a roadtrip to see relatives and my daughter had a big production that ended last weekend.

I did finish the Christmas book I was reading, "Skipping Christmas" written by the popular author John Grisham.


I have seen many of his novels turned into movies but I have never read any of his works before. This book also has been turned into a movie "Christmas with the Kranks" which I have not seen. I enjoyed the book it was easy to get into. It had a huge plot twist two-thirds into the novel which gave it  an interesting end.

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays. I have 11 months or so to figure out what my next Christmas read will be.

Monday's Music Moves Me: A Week Before Christmas

It is Monday and time for the Monday's Music Moves Me blog post. This month is Christmas/Holiday music. Last week I used a selection of songs I have used on my Battle of Bands Post and you can revisit that post here. My current Battle features a couple of interesting versions of Silent Night and there is still time to check it out and vote here.


Earlier this month we actually had snow, which is a rarity where I live..

Wasn't quite enough to make a snowman, so no "Frosty"

Probably my favorite Christmas song of all time.."Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"

Soon Santa will come to visit..."Here Comes Santa Claus"

Well I hope you enjoyed the songs! They go well with a cup of Hot Cocoa, Coffee or Eggnog.

Thanks for the visit and come back soon!

Battles of the Band: The late, Christmas, Silent Night edition

Yes my Battle of the Bands post is running late due to the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season. Today or yesterday was a good day actually, except for the money running away from my accounts. More importantly I was able to help both my kids. 21 and 10 they both have different needs and I was able to come through for both of them and spend some quality time with them.

Well enough about how my day was. My Battle of the Bands post needs to be posted. The 15th has past on just about all time zones I think.




It is a Christmas version of the Battle of the Bands this go around. I am going to use "Silent Night." It is probably my favorite Christmas carol. It can be a very moving carol. I especially enjoy it in a candlelight service.

Contender One: The Temptations

Talking about music I enjoy. I love the sounds of Motown. Their version of "Silent Night" blends a few things into the song.

Contender Two: Pentatonix

Happy Holidays! I am going to share the results of this Battle on Christmas Eve 12.24.17. Vote for the version you like best in the comments. I wish everyone Happy Holidays. If you don't celebrate the Holidays or if this a difficult time of the year I wish you peace.

Hopefully, I will be back with a few more posts soon! 

Monday's Music Moves Me: Christmas and the Battle of the Bands

Well I am back on the Monday's Music Moves Me Christmas train this week...



I participate in another blog hop called Battle of the Bands on the 15th of the month, so with that coming up around the corner I thought it would be neat to post the songs that I have used for my Holiday battles here. If nothing else it will show me what songs I have already used.

Last year..

Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas"

In 2015 I used "Christmas Cookies" by George Strait

At that time we were doing Battles Twice a month so.."You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

In 2014 I used "Happy Xmas The War is Over" by John Lennon

I invite you to visit my blog on the 15th and see what song I use in my Battle of the Bands Christmas edition! Also a reminder I have a giveaway going on for a Christmas book through my Facebook page details are available here. I hope you are enjoying the Holiday Season!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Bob Dylan recently was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Certainly he is qualified to recite a poem perhaps written by  Clement Clarke Moore. It is perfect for the Christmas Eve.

"The Night Before Christmas"

recited by Bob Dylan...

Merry Christmas! Thanks for visiting and enjoy!

Battle of the Bands: The Fall of U2

The results of my Christmas battle of the Band are in a few days before Christmas like an early Christmas gift. In reality this one was decided early and often. Marry Burris was the only one to vote for U2. The next nine went to Vertical Horizon.

Some truly liked Vertical Horizons and some just did not like U2.

Here is another Christmas song from Vertical Horizon "The Man Who Would be Santa"

                                              "Everything You Want"

I figured I wouldn't go all Christmas on this post as the above video shows.

Now how do I make U2 better...maybe add Robert Plant and have them do Led Zeppelin songs?

Oh well, I am sure I will post something in here before the New Year's and I will be back on New Year's Day for a New Battle of the Bands. Hope you have wonderful Holidays!

Battle of the Bands Number Ten: Chuck Berry's Run Rudolph Run

Welcome to my Battle of the Bands number 10! This month I will be trying to keep it with a Holiday theme for the entire month.

Listen to the song clips in the blog post. In the comment section vote for the one you like the best. Feel free to explain why you voted the way you did. The battles take place on the first and 15th and winners will be announced on the 7th and 21st. I will normally post the winner in the comments. Of course have fun and enjoy!

If you are still looking for more musical fun after you vote, you can check out these sites for more battles:

Far Away Series

Your Daily Dose

DiscConnected

Tossing It Out

STMcC Presents "Battle of the Bands"

A Writer's Life in Progress

Curious as a Cathy

The Creative Outlet of StratPlayer

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Chuck Berry- Original Artist Not in Battle

Yes, I went to a pioneering artist to pull a song for this competition. Back to the early days of rock and roll. The song written by 

First Challenger Keith Richards

Well Keith Richards wasn't to far behind Chuck Berry and here is his take on the Holiday Rock Classic...

Second Challenger Lynyrd Skynyrd

Keeping it in the classic rock, guitar genre here is Lynyrd Skynyrd's take..

Enjoy the battle. This time I have two studio versions against each other. Vote in the comments and enjoy! Hope it helps to get you in the Holiday spirit. Not into the Holidays well I hope you enjoy the retro-rocking old school sounds!

Edit: Found out from Curious as a Cathy there is a music bloghop on Mondays and I am game!

Here are the details from Cathy's site:

Okay, on behalf of the lovely Dancing Queen, Marie @XmasDolly, and her Solid Gold dancers ~ Callie @JAmericanSpice, Stacy @Stacy Uncorked, Becca @Everyday Life, & myself thank you for joining us for another week of Monday’s Music Moves Me.

Now, it’s time for you to ask us to step out on the dance floor with you. By linking your musical post (all non-music link ups are labeled or removed) URL (not your main blog address) below you are inviting the 4M crew to boogie down to your tunes.

Enjoy! 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates Christmas. We had a busy one but a very nice one. The children were well taken care of and that is important. My daughter performed in her first Christmas Pageant. She was really excited about it and to a 4.5 year old it was a big deal. I think she has been influenced a bit from me taking her to the theater this year.

She did really well. She gave up seeing Santa Cow at Chick-fil-la to go to rehearsal. The Chick is her favorite place so for her. So, i was really  impressed she was willing to sacrifice that to perform.

If you don't celebrate Christmas I hope you are enjoying the Holiday you choose. If you choose not to celebrate I hope you get to spend some time with family and friends. I wish everyone Happiness, Peace and Joy.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I was blessed enough to have a fantastic Christmas with my family. This whole Holiday Season has been special driving with my daughter and watching the Christmas Lights. Christmas Eve I spent doing some last minute shopping. Our family went to a late night church service which was beautiful. It was special to be back at the church we were married at, to see old friends, to see a beautiful service. Christmas Day was filled with wonderful gifts. No big ticket items. However, everyone was happy.

We didn't let the roast or turkey thaw. So, we really didn't have anything special plan. A friend came over with dinner cooked and we shared a bottle of wine. Really, they made our Christmas better. We spent the day listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas Movies. Simply, having a wonderful Christmas Time.

Seasons Greetings to you and yours!

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. I hope you were able to spend it with friends, family and love ones. If you have plenty, I hope you thought about the ones who don't. I hope the thoughts of the homeless, the hungry passed through your mind. I also hope you remember the fire fighters, the police, and the military who might not have been home due to duty. I hope you remembered their families. If your Christian I hope you reflected on the true meaning of Christmas. If your religion is something different I wish you the best for your winter holiday, your love ones and I hope you were able to think about the ones mentioned above. Blessings to all..

The Death of Saint Nick's Wife

More people that I knew died in 2008 than any other year. On Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve Dolores Weibel passed away. Her husband Dick, had passed away earlier in the year. He was the reason the church had cancelled their Saint Nicholas Day Festival. The obvious reason was Dick, volunteered to play Saint Nick and he naturally looked like him.

In a perfect after life, or after world I hope they were brought together again for Christmas. Perhaps, there is a Santa. As the Holiday's fade away, I hope they find another boat to sail calm waters which remind them of their beloved Florida Keys.

God bless and sail on sailors!

A Real Christmas Act

Christmas is a time of giving. In Christian theology it marks the birth of Jesus Christ and as the story plays out God gave his only son for mankind. The wise men also brought gifts for the baby Jesus. Other Holiday's around this time also are characterized by gift giving. Late December is also a time when some people give to charities before the end of the year so they can get the tax deduction.

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat gave a house to a lady who was going through a rough time according to the AP. Here is a link to the story on Fox Sports. I appreciate a story like this since I am a sports fan. I'm tired of hearing about players griping about money, getting arrested, or shooting themselves in the leg (which doesn't help an athletes career). Many athletes do give a lot back to the community and charities.

However, the unselfish act Dwyane Wade is a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Dwyane heard about a "woman whose nephew accidentally burned down her home — and ruined all the family's possessions ." "Wade presented Dawn Smith with the ultimate Christmas gift on Wednesday — the keys to a new home, along with some furnishings, clothing and gifts to make sure her family has a joyous holiday."

Yes Dwyane is blessed to have the money to do such an act. Others are blessed to have the money but don't take actions like Mr. Wade. Dwyane Wade is blessed in his attitude. Wade summed it up "It's not about what you're going to receive — it's what you can give to others from what you've received." There is a Christmas thought. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday.

The Night Before Christmas...

The night before Christmas is here. Winter has let go the bitter grip it had been holding the past two days. Besides some harmless sleet, the ice predicted last night pretty much avoided me. Perhaps the trees kind of blocked some of it. My parents are visiting. The tree is up. My daughter enjoyed playing with the tinsel and Christmas balls on the tree.

My workday is half over. Hopefully, I'll be able to leave on time. I'm off tomorrow and will come in on Friday to work some overtime. No big plans, just hoping to enjoy the Holiday with family and friends. My co-worker is tracking Santa and hopefully I will be home before he arrives. ..