riesen2b's blog-o-rama: 12/9/07

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Beyond Christmas

The original title was Beyond Tomorrow. An obscure, unheralded Christmas movie that is actually one of my favorites.

Melton, Chadwick and O'Brien, rich but lonely heads of an engineering firm, invite two young strangers to dinner on Christmas Eve. The two, James and Jean, fall in love and become friends with their three benefactors...until the latter are killed in a plane crash and come back to their old home as ghosts. In the coming months, true love encounters some rough spots; can ghostly O'Brien help the young folks?

Bing Crosby and David Bowie In A Classic Christmas Duet

David Bowie and Bing Crosby Christmas Duet

Mr. Bean's Christmas Disaster

This video is guaranteed to have you rolling on the floor!

Mr Beans Christmas Disaster - More amazing video clips are a click away

Christmas Do's And Don'ts

Christmas Do's and Don'ts

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Santa Reading "The Night Before Christmas"

Jordin Sparks should have studied this video before she read this book to all of those people.

Friday, December 14, 2007

How The Grinch Stole The Show (CBS News)

Mr. Grinch, Max the Dog and Cindy Loo join Harry Smith on the plaza to sing a number from the Broadway musical, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Our Family E-Video Christmas Card.

Have Yourself A Merry Christmas. Hope you all get a good laugh out of this!

Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

The Chipmunk Song

The Alvin Show originally aired on CBS in 1961. This classic features the hit song that made the Chipmunks number 1!

Oh Holy Night- Carrie Underwood

Had to post another one of Carrie Underwood. Great performance from 2005

Kat McPhee - Disney Medley [Walt Disney Christmas Parade]

Katharine McPhee - Disney Medley [Walt Disney Christmas Parade]

Jordin Sparks Reads The Night Before Christmas

Better that she reads instead of sings. Definitely not material for an audio cd version of this book. She reads like a robot.

Carrie Underwood- Last Christmas!

Carrie Underwood sings a song intitled "Last Christmas" at Christmas in Washington

Christmas Caroling Origins

Carols commemorating the nativity, or birth of Jesus Christ, were purportedly first written in Latin in the 4th and 5th centuries, but they didn't become associated with Christmas until the 13th century. Saint Francis of Assisi, the Roman Catholic saint of animals and the environment, is often credited with incorporating upbeat Latin hymns into Christmas services. The energetic, joyful carols were sung in sharp contrast to the somber Christmas music of the day. The concept of Christmas carols, and spreading them to the community to celebrate Christ's birth, is thought to have spread across Europe.

Today, many caroling groups sing for charity in churches and neighborhoods; some historical accounts claim this is rooted in feudal societies, when poor citizens would "sing for their supper" in exchange for food or drink. Another theory is that carolers traveled door-to-door because they were not originally allowed to perform in churches. Others say this idea didn't develop until the 16th century, when Anglo-Saxon peasants adapted these pagan customs when they went wassailing, requesting nourishment from their superiors in exchange for singing good tidings.

Wassail was a thick, hot spiced beverage that helped keep the traveling well-wishers warm; in its heyday, the drink was just as much of a holiday tradition as eggnog is in modern times. As wassailing evolved, with children often going door-to-door, it became more associated with Christmas and caroling. Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas celebrations in England from 1649 to 1660 (he believed Christmas should be a serious holiday, and celebrated accordingly), and caroling did not experience a surge in popularity until the 19th century, when it's thought that the joyful, expressive hymns were well-received in the Victorian Era.

A common legend says that Christmas carols were named after Carol Poles, a little English girl who supposedly went missing in London during the holiday season in the late 19th century. People supposedly searched for her by going door-to-door, singing to declare their good intentions. Although it may be a nice story, it has no factual basis.