This is my 63rd Christmas. The holiday is the most commercial time here in the United States. The discussion of the people in media tends to focus on anything but the holiday's meaning spiritually. Looking for benchmarks that provide Christmas meaning is difficult but necessary.
Not unusually, my moments of Christmas connection are tied to music. The best memories of this holiday revolve around making music or hearing Christmas music live. There are many classic types of music that are inspired by Jesus of Nazareth's birthday. For me, there are many forms of music that fit Christmas. My favorite hymn was done perfectly on The Beach Boys Christmas Album from 1964. We Three Kings of Orient Are is some of most beautiful singing ever committed to vinyl. The Beach Boys also did a beautiful arrangement of The Lords Prayer on the flip of their Little Saint Nick single. Getting to sing Handel's Messiah was a beautiful experience.
Last Christmas Day I spent several hours compiling a diverse collection of various Christmas music. The collection can be heard on my YouTube page. I listened to them earlier today, and still felt the joy of this most complicated of holidays. Things we think of as related to Christmas have insinuated themselves into our holiday traditions. May all of you have a wonderful holiday season, regardless of whether you observe Christmas or not.
I am happy to have a loving, caring wife and four children and three stepdaughters. I am also blessed to have been adopted when I was a baby, having been an orphan. Thanks to my second cousin, I was placed with a loving and generous family. There is so much to be grateful for. I wish I could hug them one more time.
If you love music, you will find it is, as Brian Wilson says, it will touch your heart...that part of you that touches the Eternal.
Not unusually, my moments of Christmas connection are tied to music. The best memories of this holiday revolve around making music or hearing Christmas music live. There are many classic types of music that are inspired by Jesus of Nazareth's birthday. For me, there are many forms of music that fit Christmas. My favorite hymn was done perfectly on The Beach Boys Christmas Album from 1964. We Three Kings of Orient Are is some of most beautiful singing ever committed to vinyl. The Beach Boys also did a beautiful arrangement of The Lords Prayer on the flip of their Little Saint Nick single. Getting to sing Handel's Messiah was a beautiful experience.
Last Christmas Day I spent several hours compiling a diverse collection of various Christmas music. The collection can be heard on my YouTube page. I listened to them earlier today, and still felt the joy of this most complicated of holidays. Things we think of as related to Christmas have insinuated themselves into our holiday traditions. May all of you have a wonderful holiday season, regardless of whether you observe Christmas or not.
I am happy to have a loving, caring wife and four children and three stepdaughters. I am also blessed to have been adopted when I was a baby, having been an orphan. Thanks to my second cousin, I was placed with a loving and generous family. There is so much to be grateful for. I wish I could hug them one more time.
If you love music, you will find it is, as Brian Wilson says, it will touch your heart...that part of you that touches the Eternal.
