I see live people

[calimac]

This is rare and notable for us.

1. Sunday, carol-singing party. By general agreement, we skip "The Little Drummer Boy." You know, I actually like "The Little Drummer Boy." Turning to non-carol songs, I may also be only living person who likes "It's a Small World."

2. Tuesday, without B. but with my visiting brother for a day visiting Salinas and Monterey. Lunch at favorite charbroiled chicken place in the Salinas barrio. Quick trip through Steinbeck museum, where I've been before, on late-entry discount because they're closing early for Christmas eve. Monterey: coastal view, used bookstore that's still open (both in the sense that it's Christmas Eve and that, hey, there's still a bookstore), dinner on the wharf and the discovery that the candy store there carries chocolate-covered gummy bears, which I'd wondered if I'd ever see again: something else I like that nobody else can stand.

3. Wednesday, Christmas dinner at B's brother's. Very small gathering, but the newborn granddaughter and her parents make an unexpected appearance. Rotisserie rather than the usual smoked turkey; hence extremely tender. Annual dispute, this one over, May employers enforce their religious scruples on their employees' health care plans? I note how these days "religious freedom" often means "enforcing your religious beliefs on other people."

4. Thursday, Boxing Day open house party. Apartment has the shape and ambiance of a very large warehouse storage unit with a loft. Technically it's a one-bedroom flat, but it's unlike anything by that description you've ever seen. Residents have filled it with books, gadgetry, and - above all - cats, so it's most welcoming.

Comments

[19-crows.livejournal.com]

Say more about what you like about The Little Drummer Boy? i find the melody annoyingly boring and monotonous, plus the story is dumb. I don't like Silent Night eithe because it seems monotonous to me.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Huh. Can't say I've ever found the story of The Little Drummer Boy boring. In fact, I find the idea that the baby's beneficence shines even for the lowest and humblest to be reliably touching. It's a really nice distillation of the underlying theme of this whole Savior business, i.e. that grace is given even to those whom society might shun, who lack material resources, and who feel they are shameful and not worthy, if only they will seek it. The primary merit of Christianity captured in two verses of a song, I say that's quite pretty.

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

You are not the only living person who likes "It's A Small World." My family is made crazy by the fact that a Disney visit isn't a Disney visit for me without one ride through that attraction.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I would also have vetoed The Little Drummer Boy, not because I don't like it, but because I cannot get through it without weeping. I'm also a fan of chocolate covered gummi bears -- I sometimes can find them among the bulk foods at grocery stores here, though I won't get the ones from WinCo anymore, because theirs are indeed nasty.

[19-crows.livejournal.com]

All right, that analysis does make the message more appealing. But I still think it's a boring tune.

[(Anonymous)]

"The Little Drummer Boy" reminds me of "Bolero".

For about twenty years, the Cleveland Orchestra has performed an outdoor Independence Day concert downtown for a crowd sometimes numbering more than 100,000. The easiest transportation for many folks is the (rather limited) commuter train system. Some friends and I attended several times in the event's first years, and on the return trip they'd get the entire packed train car to sing "It's a Small World".

-MTD/neb

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

The story is, "Let us praise the Christ child in any way that we possibly can." If that's dumb, and it may be, then all Nativity carols are dumb. I think you just have to accept the premise for the purpose of celebrating the holiday.

As for the melody, which I think is the main point of contention: I like minimalist music too.

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

To clarify, it was not an argument about religious employers trying to force their beliefs on workers in a secular setting but a Catholic university run by a Catholic religious order denying particular health benefits. I see that as somewhat different than a craft store doing the same.

[19-crows.livejournal.com]

Yeah, though I have a hard time seeing a drum solo by a kid as appealing.

I think I like minimalist music. The repetition is a problem for me too, but you mentioned you like "It's a Small World" so I can see we aren't going to have a meeting of minds here.

Anyway, interesting to hear other perspectives.