Post your videos, pictures and stories here. It’s time for holiday cheer and hope.
Prayer Requests
Support The Treehouse
Follow the Last Refuge Blog
Recent Comments
pbunyan on No_Limit_Nutter ….. The… doodahdaze on Friday Open Thread – May… doodahdaze on Mark O’Mara Files Anothe… nomorebsplease on Mark O’Mara Files Anothe… nomorebsplease on Mark O’Mara Files Anothe… mommakk51 on No_Limit_Nutter ….. The… doodahdaze on Trayvon Text Messages –… stella on Friday Open Thread – May… WeeWeed on Bumper Sticker Of The Day… WeeWeed on Friday Open Thread – May… WeeWeed on Friday Open Thread – May… ctdar on Friday Open Thread – May… janc1955 on Mark O’Mara Files Anothe… janc1955 on Mark O’Mara Files Anothe… canadacan on U.K Terror Attack Highlights C… The Real George Zimmerman
The Bard of Murdock
Silent Monks sing Halleluia. Sssshhh!
lol’z That was kool. haa ha haaa.
My favorite flash mob:
George Frideric Handel dun good. He just did SO good.
Oh, to have been there!
Yay! Thanks for these neat posts!!
One of my fave Christmas songs.
I went to a TSO performance. I can’t take stobe lighting. It messes with me. If you can take it (like most people can) they put on an excellent and fun performance. I highly recommend that you go should the opportunity arise.
This one ain’t too shabby either.
Got to have Bono doing that one!
Doos ya mean this one?
Not quite!
I couldn’t find a good one over there. Just tryin’ to do my best. Remember, I use all the tools in my toolbox. It’s just not a very big toolbox!
This one?
Then there’s this one too.
Ms. Love has been doing this for 26 years.
Here’s her first appearance on Letterman in 1986.
That’s it! My favorite.
I greatly appreciate the EARLY music of U2. They were very spiritual.
Mr. Hewson has gotten too left-leaning political. Too bad.
Scarlet (play it loud):
A two-fer!
Beautiful!
Great Redintion of Angels We Have Heard on High
I’m a bit Bias Cause I’m Sort of Related to The Bearded Guy Singing…
Pentatonix on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ~ Angels We Have Heard On High
He does the best version of this ever!
Absolutely agree.
Der Bingle & Bowie. 1977
Among my favorites. I thought it was an odd pairing between my radical youth and tradition. They worked magically together. Merry Christmas!
We shall now have our Julia Child cooking post for the uninitiated. First, arrange your bacon thusly on a cookie sheet or pizza pan – it shall go into the fire, shortly.
Then. Place it into the oven at 425*, or broil fast if yer starving.
Sing “O, Bacon Tree, O Bacon Tree” if yer so inclined and drink a beer.
I tried not to, but I teared up. Just a wee bit.
I am gonna go Crabbin. To catch Blue Crab. Then cook em Maryland style on my Rocket Tech stove for the folks. You have to get some Chicken necks and tie them on a string. Throw them out in the Bay and wait for a Crab to get it. Then you pull it in reals slow so he hangs on and scoop him up in a net. Other than that just hang out and relax for fun and visit with the family…Ahhhh..
I remember that!! Crabbin’ – some of the little sumb!ches’ll go after ya’s, too! Good times, good times…..
Howie, that’s the way we all used to do it. Then they invented traps. When I first moved to Safety Harbor in 1977, I could fill up 3 washtubs in a few hours at night by setting out traps on the pier and by the bridge at Alligator Lake.
Do you remember when crabs were huge? I mean huge. When I used to camp and fish in the Everglades, we would get some really huge blue crabs but I have not seen any like that around Tampa Bay in many years.
Where do you go crabbing?
Out by the Bridge at Gandy. There are some nice un’s there. You can also get em wading on the flats at night with a light at low tide.
Sometimes music trumps politics.
And one of the best. IMHO. The original. The real deal.
Absolutely!
**Sigh**
I love this!
Me too.
Clever.
Just cuz.
This is definitely Top 5.
Love Nat King Cole! (my mother’s favorite) Also love Mel Torme.
Can’t have Christmas without a little Francis Albert.
Keepin’ it real with a little country Christmas.
Now we’re TALKIN’!
LOL!!! Who knew?? Walter’s been around awhile!
That’s at least 21 years old. I saw him in 96 at a conference. I think the price of poker has gone up a bit since then.
Better (longer) Version of Silent Night
my favorite Christmas DVD from the Dutchman Andre Rieu.
I just purcahsed his new Blu-Ray, but it isn’t as good as Christmas Around the World.
Jingle Bell Rock: Literal Video Versions (two of e’m)
Cartoons trump!
Thanks for posting this, jordan.
The first time I got this in an email, I laughed myself into hysterics. The whole family came to see what was so funny. When I played it for them, we were ALL in hysterics.
hope you enjoy, randy jackson in this also
@rumpole–gotta update man..Daryl is off the gel!.
Can we have a few angels singin?
Yea I know… but the “LITERAL” version is a parody of the original Hall and Oats Vid.
The old “gel look” is part of the fun
They probably get a laugh out of the old look themselves
I remember when my youngest son was 11 he ask for a very expensive gift so I explained to him if he got the gift he wonted he would only get a few more items that he needed to go with it , of course he said o.k. . So Christmas morning arrived and he ran around waking everyone so he could open his presents. He started off opening the little ones and smiled politely for the new clothes , next came the big gift he had been waiting for a playstation 3 with a couple of games. When it was all over he said mom I sure do love my games but how about next year you buy me lots of cheap presents.
My favorite Christmas recording. Mahalia Jackson – O Holy Night – Christmas with Mahalia
Here’s my contribution. No snow in the pines this year I fear, , we may get ice in a few days.
Ice in the pines is bad news. Each pine needle forms a LONG icicle as the rain freezes, weighing down the limbs quickly, Pine is brittle. You can stand outside and hear the trees breaking out in the woods…sounds like rifle shots.
But Lord does it get beautiful! I’ve got some pics….may post a few.
I remember the Christmas I was fifteen years old. I thought I had opened all of my presents and my Dad told me there was one more. I looked and didn’t see any more presents. He told me to look harder. As I gazed at the Christmas tree I saw it, carefully hidden in the middle of the Christmas tree. It was my first rod and reel to call my own. I always used my Dad’s. I was so excited and happy to receive that special gift, one that most girls would not like, but I loved it.
Great story
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Canon
Turn up the volume. I have a version of this on my home sound system, and have listened to it a dozen times since yesterday — it has lifted my spirits after the Newtown massacre. We have lost so many children -remember to make room for this one:
Thank you, ZM. Such beautiful music.
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=7ara3-hDH6I
Merry Christmas from The Lone Star State! Have a Blessed Christmas, everyone.
Photography by Wyman Meinzer. Music by Doug Smith.
http://vimeo.com/55915235
ooops. The video is titled “We Three Kings” Christmas in The Lone Star State.
Last years video but my grandkids still laugh from their toes at this one. (Me too)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x9i8HgeJbZg
Judy Garland – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Christmas Star
I haz a story:
My parents divorced when I was young, and in time they both remarried other people. My father and stepmother couldn’t have kids of their own, so they became foster parents and at some point adopted a few kids. To my knowledge, the kids do not know of this (they are young’uns) so to them, my father and stepmother are their parents.
Well, a couple of years ago, I went over to my fathers house around this time, the kids, happy too see me, ran to hug me, and as I hugged them, I asked one of them (Name changed to preserve identities), “Aliasis, who am I?”
“You’re Aliashubbatch, my big brother!” she replied.
I paused for a moment. Here was a child who I would have otherwise been a stranger to, saying something that fulfilled a Christmas wish I had long since wanted and forgotten over the years…a little sister…upon hearing those words, tears began to well up, I smiled and said, “That’s right, I am.” and I hugged them tighter.
Wow. Love does amazing things, doesn’t it. You have place in that little girl’s heart and will never, ever be taken by anyone else.
Those little ones can melt your heart.
We didn’t even think much about it at the time–wasn’t a big deal–but neither DH or I grew up in homes where Santa Claus was considered anything more than a fun story. We enjoyed it, but had never thought Santa Claus was a real person. In our world, that would have just been silly. 4 year olds in our farm country experience never thought cows could talk, so why would they believe in Santa? It really was just that simple.
By the time our sons were about 5-6 (in California) it was obvious we were surrounded by children who did think Santa Claus was real, so we (and yes, kindly, not rudely!) taught them from the early years that Santa Claus was just a fun story, like Rudolph. Well, when THEY had children, we discovered our older son was INTENSE about being sure that his 6 children (2 adopted, 1 foster, 1 legal/foster, 2 biological–whazzat?……details? you wantz that, too??? …not now
) anyway….being SURE that his 6 children (stairstep spread over 7 years) would NOT believe in Santa Claus. He sort of had tough job on his hands. They DID believe in Santa Claus, and he kept persisting, until I was sort of like, “It’s all right, Older Son. They will grow out of it. Really, it’s no insult to God or anything that they think Santa’s real–” But he kept trying, but felt he was fighting an uphill battle.
Well, the year the youngest one was about 4 years old, the entire family was at our house for Christmas Eve at our country house in MN. The table was loaded, the candles were flickering, we had sung a carol and were finishing our dinner. The brightly light tree with some presents for each child under it, and small presents for the adults (money was tight) was waiting in the living room for the reading of the Christmas Story, and then we would open our gifts.
We weren’t quite finished with our dinner…when suddenly–up on our deck there arose such a clatter! We sprang to our feet to see what was the matte! Pushed chairs all aside and opened the drapes and what should we see but —SANTA AND HIS ELF!!!! Right there on the deck!
They were completely in costume and in character, big fat Santa with big booming voice; cute little elf that just danced about happily and didn’t say much. They came in the house with bags of toys for each of the children–1 girl and 5 boys! (it’s hard not to write this in rhyme!!)
Each of the children got a bag of toys, including crayons books and toys….after about 12-15 minutes Santa and elf left. While they were there, I could barely keep from completely busting up, kept glancing over at Older Son to see how he was coping. He just had this dazed look on his face. After Santa and Elf left, I had to leave the room, just had to get out of there. He followed me into the kitchen and said (with good cheer), “I give up.”
Oh–add: we didn’t know who they were. DH and I lived in the community for 18 years and never, ever got a single hint as to who that might have been.
You ‘spose????………………naw. Couldn’t be………….could it? …………..
Just posted this over on Sharon’s MBOB thread. Thought I’d share it here.
Once again you prompted childhood memories, Sharon.
Our church choir always charoled at nursing homes during Christmas. This little innocent, ingrained prude will *never* forget the year an old man (surely in his nineties) ran out of his room, nekkid as the day he was born (but nowhere near as…ahem…attractive) and streaked right through the middle of us.
Choir leader was *not* amused when all of us little girls collapsed in a heap of laughter and twitters.
The caroling was *over* for that nursing home, immediately!
Thinking back, I don’t recall us ever caroling at that facilty again,
My 4 y/o grandson loves to dance to this…at least a dozen times a day!
Santa’s Stuck up in the Chimney
When I was about 7 years old or so (when “naughty” kids start to tell others that Santa isn’t real) I decided I needed to provide irrefutable evidence of the Jolly Old Elf’s existence. I’d show those naysayers!
On Christmas Eve, I placed my portable tape deck under the tree with a note asking Santa to record his signature “Ho Ho Ho” into the mic. I even left instructions on how to operate the recorder, just in case.
After Santa had come, I replayed the tape and lo and behold…he had done just as I asked! He had recorded several “ho ho hos” – no question about it. I saved the tape until Christmas break was over and immediately brought it to school. My teacher let me play it for the whole class! ha!
Well, Santa sounded an awful lot like my dad…but that was just a coincidence, eh?
Love this one – the unforgettable Eartha Kitt:
“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gayla Peevey (10 years old)
A fave Christmas song…….
Jingle Cats ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’