How is it possible that Christmas is only a few days away? Weren’t we just sweltering away in the dog days of summer?
Tonight, I’m bringing a handful of my favorite songs of the season. There’s something old, something new, and somthing in between, too.
First, I can’t resist my absolute favorite by Mariah Carey. All I Want for Christmas is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and its first time at #1. And this year, Mariah has rolled out this brand-new video in honor of this momentous occasion.
I can’t resist Pentatonix, especially during the holidays, and their version of Mary, Did You Know? is a capella magic. It brings a tear to my eyes every time I hear it.
The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York gets a dusting-off by Ed Sheeran (you know I can’t resist Ed) and Anne-Marie with a notable lyric change. You know the one I mean. And the song is better for it.
Christmas Valentine by Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz is one of those songs destined to be a holiday classic, and this video is adorable, too.
And finally, just to be perverse, I have to leave you with The Season’s Upon Us by Dropkick Murphys. May this family NOT be your family.
From our new digs, Mr. R and I wish you the merriest of Christmases surrounded by the ones you love. Be sure to give them a hug and tell them how much they mean to you.
I love Christmas music! It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole holiday season.
This classic by Andy Williams has been swirling around in my head for days. Waaaay back in the day, we sang Happy Holiday in the varsity choir. It’s just so fun, and it brings with it such pleasant memories.
I couldn’t resist a second song tonight, though. I can never get enough Pentatonix at Christmas. This is a newer version of another holday classic.
I hope you enjoy both of them tonight. As you get ready for the holidays, be sure to hug those you love.
Where has the time gone? Seems like it was just summer, and here we are just days away from Thanksgiving. 2019 has been a wild year for us. We’ve battled a serious financial downturn, spent sleepless nights worrying, struggled to hang on to our house, realized we had to let it go before it pulled us under, faced the uncertainty of ‘now what‘…
Even so, I can honestly say that I’m thankful. I believe that everything happens for a reason–nothing is random or willy-nilly. There’s always something to learn, an opportunity to grow.
I’m thankful we were able to sell the house and walk away with a little money in our pockets. I’m thankful for the cute little apartment we found in a really cool neighborhood. I’m thankful for the possibilities ahead of us.
I suppose most of all, I’m thankful for us. Throughout this entire ordeal, the best thing we had going for us was each other. Turns out, we make a great team, even through thin.
So Thursday, when we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner (with my son who’s coming in from Omaha! 🙂 ), we have a ton of reasons to give thanks.
For tonight’s serenade, I had to go with Kelly Clarkson’s Thankful. I hope you enjoy it, and that your Thanksgiving is special. Be sure to hug those you love.
I’m the mom of two incredible young men. Life hasn’t always been what it should be, and we’ve been through some hard times, not the least of which was living with a controlling narcissist, and dealing with the aftermath of divorce.
Each of us emerged damaged in our own ways. and we’ve worked to move forward. But it’s been a struggle, and my older son has had a hard time of it. Following high school, he drifted, finally ending up in the Air Force for a time. Full of anger and bitterness, he stayed away, refusing to keep in contact. In fact, I haven’t seen him in eight years.
Until three days ago.
Out of the blue, he responded to a Facebook message I sent him a month ago. He and his girlfriend were visiting her aunt in Tampa and it wasn’t going well. Naturally, I invited them to come here.
When I hugged him (maybe I squeezed him just a little too hard), he was shaking. I think he was afraid of how he’d be received. He’d convinced himself that I hated him.
A mom always loves her kids, no matter what. And we’ve had the nicest three days I’m had in a long time. Who says you can’t go home?
They’re leaving tonight for the 24-hour drive back to western Missouri. But we have plans to get together again soon. And I have his phone number. Like I said, I’m a happy girl
Be sure to hug those you love. Let them know you love them.
Here at Chez R, we’re done with all the hustle and bustle. We’ve decorated all we’re going to. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, packed up, and shipped off. We expect to spend a quiet holiday here at home, with a short drive across town to visit family Christmas afternoon.
So tonight I’m in a mellow mood, with a little mix of old and new. The first song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, is from John Legend’s new Christmas album.
I can never resist The Christmas Waltz, this version by the legendary Bing Crosby. I was an adult the first time I can remember hearing this song. I had just moved to Florida, and Publix was running a heart-felt holiday ad featuring it in the background. (Publix has a knack for making commercials that leave you needing tissues, I’m just saying…)
And finally, as promised, more Pentatonix. I love this version of Mary, Did You Know? I think it hits me as the mom of two baby boys. Yes, they’re both pushing 30, but still. They’ll always be my baby boys.
I’ll leave you with warm wishes from Mr. R and me for a wonderful Merry Christmas. Be sure to hug those you love.
Only two more weekends until Christmas! Have you finished all your shopping? Here at Chez R, we have not. Finances being what they are, we’re scraping up what we can to put together what will be a lean Christmas for our loved ones. Everyone should manage to get a little something, but it won’t be like it has been in years past.
Mr. R and I are last on the list, but that’s okay. We have what’s important anyway, the kind of thing that can’t be wrapped and put under a tree. And I’m perfectly content with that, as long as we get something out to the family.
I’m looking forward to Christmas Day itself. It should be calm and bright, no hustle or bustle. In fact, it will be the first day I can plan on sleeping late for the foreseeable future.
As content as I am, I’m still in the mood for a little Christmas blues, so I’m starting out with the incomparable B.B. King. There are many versions of Merry Christmas Baby, but his is the best.
The second helping (the B-side, LOL) is Jon Bon Jovi with Please Come Home for Christmas.
I hope you’re snuggled warm and safe with those you love. Be sure to give them a hug. Happy Saturday night!
Happy October! I know I’ve mentioned it before, but between our anniversary, my birthday, and Halloween, I LOVE October!
For the first October song, I’m choosing Superstition by the amazing Stevie Wonder. That funky bass line just draws you in every time.
And it’s perfect for the countdown to Halloween. I mean, check out the lyrics. And may I be the first to admit that I’ve been singing it wrong for all these years.
Very superstitious, writings on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your pastWhen you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the wayVery superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ strong,
You don’t wanna save me, sad is my song
When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way, yeh, yeh
Very superstitious, nothin’ more to say,
Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass,
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past
When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer, Superstition ain’t the way, no, no, no
It made me wonder…
Are you superstitious? I don’t consider myself to be.
Once I visited San Antonio with my mother and we went to this glorious Mexican restaurant down by El Mercado. We were seated outside at a table covered in tile mosaic. There was a hole in the center of the table where an umbrella might go. My mother salted her dinner and when she set down the salt shaker, she accidentally dropped it through the hole. The glass shaker shattered once it hit the ground and salt spilled everywhere.
A Hispanic lady at the next table saw what happened and brought us her salt shaker, miming tossing salt over her shoulder. When my mother reached for the salt, the woman shook her head vigorously then set it on the table rather than passing it directly. To appease the woman, my mother went ahead and tossed some salt over her shoulder and life went on. But I’ve always thought that was a strange experience.
Are there any things you do for good luck?
I just want to be grateful for the good things in my life.
I hope you’re enjoying this fall evening. Be sure to hug those you love.
Happy Saturday night!
P.S. I couldn’t resist this version by another Stevie, the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Here we are waving September goodbye. Which is fine with me, if I’m honest. September always seems so long to me. I’m ready for October–I love all the fun and decorations of Halloween, plus, owing to my birthday, I’m Queen for a Month in October, LOL! Let the gifts begin. 🙂
As I thought about the end of September, this song popped in my head and wouldn’t go away. Wake Me Up When September Ends is from Green Day’s stellar 2004 opus American Idiot.
I love Green Day. Matter of fact, their Revolution Radio tour is the best concert I’ve ever attended, EVER. If you have the chance…
The origin of the song is personal to Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong. According to Songfacts,
Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this song about his father, who died of cancer on September 1, 1982. At his father’s funeral, Billie cried, ran home and locked himself in his room. When his mother got home and knocked on the door to Billie’s room, Billie simply said, “Wake me up when September ends,” hence the title.
It’s a bit melancholy, I suppose, but maybe fitting as we move forward into fall. Nature slows down for the cooler weather, and we find ourselves inside more and outside less. But we begin to look forward to holidays and special times with family and friends.
I hope you’re enjoying this last September weekend, doing what you love with who you love. Be sure to give them a hug.
Obviously my mom, who raised me, taught me right from wrong, and continues to love me to this day.
And I’m the mom of two tall, red-haired men, one who recently fulfilled his commitment to the U.S. Air Force, and the other, happily married and working for a software company.
I think of my friend Jan, the single mom of three, including a teenager with profound autism. I call her the most bad-ass mom I know, and she is. I don’t know how she does it.
Then there’s Lynn, whose son died on her sofa from a drug overdose a year ago to the day. I can’t imagine her pain as she continues to mourn. I don’t think you ever recover from that.
I believe our friend Eric qualifies. His wife died after a courageous battle with breast cancer when their daughter was three. Eric stepped into shoes too big for anyone to fill. He deserves Mother’s Day AND Father’s Day.
Our good friends Susan and Lori just adopted a beautiful baby boy. We had lunch with them recently, and they recounted the story of how Freddie became theirs. They’d adjusted their expectations, looking forward to adopting an older child, when fate intervened, bringing them this gorgeous blondie with huge blue eyes. It will be a happy Mother’s Day at their house.
And my niece Lauren just had a beautiful baby girl, Riley. Which is crazy, I remember Lauren was born. Now she’s planning a wedding for herself and her fiance in the next year.
Families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I think the defining factor is love. Which we need more of in this world. So it’s good to celebrate mothers.
Tonight’s serenade is Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion. It’s meant to be a romantic love song, really. But I’ve heard it in the context of Mother’s Day, and I think it fits. I’ve included the lyrics below, and full disclosure, I changed a couple of babys to Mamas. So sue me. Not really, I’m poor. All you’ll get is a mountain of debt and a floppy-eared German shepherd.
I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. Be sure to hug those you love, especially all the mothers.
Happy Mother’s Day!
“Because You Loved Me”
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful Mama,
You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through through it allYou were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’cause you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved meOoh, Mama
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I’m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don’t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’cause you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You’ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’cause you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
(My voice.)
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’cause you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
For the last week and a half, we’ve been mourning the loss of 17 in south Florida. And we’ve been reminded of those we lost in Columbine, and Sandy Hook, and Las Vegas, and Texas, and Orlando, and countless other places. Senseless losses that should capture our attention and strengthen our determination to solve the problems that led us there, to keep it from happening again.
But in the ‘short attention span theatre’ that is the 21st century news cycle, the cause just before Parkland was #MeToo and #TimesUp, the social movement that is calling out sexism and misogyny. It’s been posited that every woman you know, along with many men, has her own Me Too story. I know I do. Maybe one day I’ll write about it.
It’s astounding, really, that for so long we’ve all excused sexual predation as ‘locker room talk’ and ‘boys being boys’. Clue: It’s NOT okay. It NEVER was.
I’m hopeful that now that the dialogue has begun, it will continue, that we’ll move forward more enlightened, treating EVERYONE with respect and compassion. EVERYONE. Now that we’re woke, let’s stay woke, amen?
I heard this song, Female by Keith Urban, the other day, and it touched my heart. I’m including the official lyric version, too, because words are important.
I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. Be sure to honor the women in your life, and hug the people you love. Happy Saturday night!
Adventures in Date Night 
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