About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Nix the Jingle Bells


Holiday music is the topic for December 7 Fun Monday. Specifically, Cynical Girl , our host for this week, asks us to share that one Christmas or holiday song that we would prefer never to hear again. And why does that one song make us sad, get on our last nerve or just spoil the holiday mood in general? For me, it was an easy pick--"Jingle Bells". I actually feel like a curmudgeon even admitting this, but Cynical Girl promises no judging, so there you have it. I especially despise any version that is performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks or barking dogs, like this for example:





I usually associate animal performances of "Jingle Bells" with bad commercials on radio and TV urging us to get started with our holiday shopping by the last week of October. And as the weeks go on leading up to December, the mindless frenzy just keeps building, egged on by barking dogs and chipmunks. This morning I was looking on YouTube for performances of the song that I liked and no luck. Not even a bunch of cute school kids with their guitar playing music teacher. And when you really pay attention to the lyrics, where's the reality? "Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh. . .O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way" Come on! I love the sounds, sights, smells and traditions of the holiday season, but think that we'd all be a bit happier at this time of the year if we had more realistic expectations for what we'll get from the season.

So, there you have a small glimpse at this Christmas grinch. But just so you won't totally give up on me, I'll close this post with a video that Kittyhawk sent me last night. I'm definitely against dogs barking "Jingle Bells", but it's okay for them to decorate the Christmas tree if they're as smart as this pack. Now that's being realistic! :-)




Be sure to head over to Cynical Girl's place and check out the songs that make other Fun Monday participants' most disliked holiday music lists.

Fun Monday Update -- I'll host on December 21. Promise it will be something simple since everyone will probably be in holiday prep overdrive. Check back here for the assignment on Wednesday, the 16th. We need a host for December 14. Going once, going twice. . . :-)

15 comments:

Gattina said...

I love the song "Rocking around the Christmas tree" and the video is real cute. It reminds me the nicest Christmases I ever had so far which we spent with our son in London, already 7 years ago. Ever since Christmas was rather boring in Amsterdam. Hope it will be nice this year. We will get together in the Ardennes. (the belgian "mountains")

I find singing cats just funny and amusing, but I would never buy a record, lol. Dogs or other animals I never heard.

cynicalgirl said...

I love the video of the dogs decorating the Christmas tree! The pets I had as a kid only knew how to knock the tree down.

Thanks for playing with us.

http://cynicalgirl57.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/fun-monday-the-christmas-songs-you-love-to-hate/

Hootin Anni said...

Great choices for the 'ditz' holiday songs of the year. I loathe Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

Jan n Jer said...

Jingle bells is annoying to me also...but the kids love it, so I tolerate it and pretend I like it. The dogs decorating the tree is cute...its amazing what you can train and animal to do. Thanks for sharing Faye and happy FM

Jill said...

that's really cute. I am trying to remember what group it is, it's an a capella number, they were college glee kids or something, and got a lot of hits when they posted it on you tube and now they are traveling I think singing instead of their regular jobs, the one that got the most attention was the 12 days of Christmas.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Whenever I see something like this I think of my grandmother who had numerous dogs over the years, most of whom were rescue dogs. I especially like the one of the dogs decorating the tree.

wendishness said...

Dashing through the snow...in any kind of sleigh is far from reality here.

Actually, in recent years we've been producing Christmas cards with Santa under a tree on a beach and cooking a Barbecue or surfing!

My memories of Christmas day included a Christmas dinner, all the family would join in at one of my grandparents' house and everyone would cook this massive dinner, turkey, pork etc.. in 40C (104F) heat.

Santa would never have coped with that! ;-)

Pamela said...

well -- there you have it. Thats why I don't have a tree. No dogs to do it up right!

ChrisB said...

Ahh the barking dogs again not for me!

The dogs decorating the tree brought a smile to my face :)

Faye said...

gattina--Christmas in the mountains? That sounds like just the thing. Hopefully you'll share some photos? Although, London is no slouch. I'd go to a concert at St. Martin in the Fields on Trafalgar Square.

cynicalgirl--my dogs also lacked tree decorating talent--it was always tails knocking off treasured ornaments or the pup zipping under the tree to get a drink.

hootin' anni--one word for GGROBAR--ignorant.

janis--that's a good grandmother. Children do just love a rousing "Jingle Bell".

jill--I saw that a cappella group also--they're called No Shooters or Straight Up or something like that--from Indiana. I saw them doing an impromptu performance at a Hardee's Restaurant when traveling through KY. Everyone had so much fun.

debs--I'm always a bit concerned when I see animals performing something that's not exactly natural for them. But this pack seemed like they were having a grand time. I hope I'm able, like your grandmother, to rescue animals for many years to come.

wendishness--travel for Santa would probably be a lot less stressful in your climate. And then there's the reward of a wonderful barby after all those deliveries. :-)

pamela--wouldn't it be grand to just set out the boxes and put those cuties to work decorating? Might save this grinch. . .

chrisb--seems several of us object to barking dog songs, but don't mind them decorating the tree!

Sayre said...

I'm exhausted after decorating the tree too! That was a cute video. and I agree with you on the jingle bells song. Irritating. I've got a touch of the Grinch about me as well, I guess.

I've started a FM list on my blog (where to go and the topic) - can I put you down for the 21st?

Lane Mathias said...

Those decorating dogs are a bunch of happy hounds:-)

I'm not a Christmas music fan either. The shops here play Band Aid's 'Do They Know it's Christmas' and Kirsty MacColl's 'Fairytale in New York' pretty much on a loop.

Now a nice carol ... that's more like it.

KarenB said...

Hi Faye, Thanks for coming by for the Christmas tour. I love Homespun Living blog and all that she makes. Mona Marie is my boss' dog. I had to make her the scarf. I hear she loves is very much. My dog, Buddy, doesn't have one yet. His will have to be more boyish colors. I loved your list of giving. I think Hospice care takes very special people. I think it would be very difficult to do. And rescuing dogs, I'd want to take them all home. I'm glad you figured out a balance. That's so important in order for you to keep giving. Have a Merry Christmas!
Karen @ Elderberry Street

Janice said...

Do you think if I gave the girls a common job to do (like decorating) that they would forget to kill each other?

Me neither!

m (the misanthrope) said...

Hello my friend! Long time, no see I know :-( I'm going around making my sheepish all-too-infrequent visit to my favorite bloggers right now. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Jingle Bells! I would've loved to take part in that FM because I can think of a few songs that send me from zero to Grinch in 2.7 seconds. But - I snoozed and I lost.

So anyway - a big hello to you and Willie! I will try to do better in visiting!