I was just watching a show on E! called “Chelsea Lately.”   Along with Chelsea Handler there are three other people around the table discussing various people and issues.   I have no idea who the three people are - one white guy, one black chick and one white chick.  Oh yes, there’s a hispanic little guy, too.  At one point in the show, the black chick declared - when a television show was mentioned - ”I don’t like that show.  There’s too many white people for me.”  She thought she was funny - and Chelsea and the others all laughed on cue.  All the white folks on the show just laughed it off.  I wonder if the black chick would have laughed it off if Chelsea had said she didn’t care for a show because “There’s too many black people” on it?  Chelsea could very well be looking for another job by now.

There is a huge double standard in our culture.  If something is wrong for one racial group to say or do - then it’s wrong for other racial groups.  We fought for and won equal rights for everyone.  Equal rights - not special rights for privileged groups.

Unfortunately, I kept watching the show.  The black chick was full of “racial humor.”  Maybe that’s her thing.  She wasn’t funny.  I wonder if she is actually successful as a comedian using the type humor she showed on the show.   As part of this particular Chelsea Lately show, she went to a Spice Girls concert and interviewed people.  She selected a black guy and gave him a hard time for attending a Spice Girl concert: “What the HELL are you doing here?  Martin Luther King is rolling in his grave right now!”  Then she asked him how many times he’d voted for Mel B in “Dancing With the Stars.”  When he replied that he’d voted for Mel B twice, her comment was “Another brother that don’t vote!”  You notice she didn’t ask if he’d voted for any of the white dancers.  The question assumed that since he was black, he should have supported the black finalist on “Dancing With The Stars.” 

Racism is racism.  Just because it’s black against white racism shouldn’t make it any more acceptable.

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On the day after Christmas, my family had our annual Christmas get-together.  In addition to having the family altogether, it was also a mini-convention of bloggers.  There was Ruthlace (my mother), Daddy’s Roses (my sister, Joan) , Alone on a Limb (my brother, Terrell), Blue Star Chronicles (my sister, Beth) and The Median Sib (me).  I was probably a pest, but I kept asking until my brother, Terrell, sang “O Holy Night” for us.  I’m so glad he did.  Here is the history, lyrics - and you can click on this link to listen to the music.  My all-time favorite Christmas song.

The words and lyrics of the old carol ‘O Holy Night’ were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realised that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams(1803-1856). He agreed and the music for the poem was therefore composed by Adolphe Charles Adams. Adolphe had attended the Paris conservatoire and forged a brilliant career as a composer. It was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893).

O Holy Night 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O’er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

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I was at the bookstore the other day looking for a couple books that I thought RT would like for Christmas. One of the books I selected was 90 Minutes in Heaven. Since RT was already reading another book, I started reading it Christmas evening, took it with me to Georgia yesterday - and finished it this morning. Fascinating book.

In the true story, the man, Don Piper, was involved in a horrific wreck - and was declared dead at the scene. He was checked immediately and declared dead - then checked again later - still dead.  So they covered him and his car (he was trapped inside and would require the jaws of life to be extracted) with a tarp and concentrated on the accident victims who were alive - along with getting the wreckage cleared away in order for traffic to resume.  They figured the dead man could wait awhile.   But then a minister happened upon the accident scene and felt compelled to pray for the man in the badly mangled car.  The medics and police told him repeatedly that the man was dead, but he still felt strongly that he was supposed to pray for the man.  He climbed into the car and prayed for Don - and eventually started singing a hymn to him - and suddenly the dead man, Don,  started singing along with him.  He was alive - after having been twice declared dead. 

In the first of the book, Don describes the ninety minutes he spent from when the accident happened and he was declared dead to when he suddenly became alive again and started singing with the minister.  His injuries were horrible and he should have died - and his subsequent recuperation was long and horrible - and he will never walk normally again - and many years later he still lives in constant pain from his injuries.  However, for those ninety minutes, he was in heaven, and he describes his experience in detail.  The thing that impressed me most was his description of the music in heaven - how beautiful it was - how it was many different songs that were distinct but also blended in together and was more magnificent that anything he had ever heard before or since.

It brought back memories of the story my  mother told me about when her father died.  My mother was just a young girl of nine years when her father died, and her mother was inconsolable at the loss of the man she adored.  She cried and was unable to sleep for days.  She told my mother that finally one night he appeared to her and told her that everything was going to be all right - that she needed to go to sleep and rest - and then he sang her a song - the most beautiful song she had ever heard.  And she was comforted and she fell asleep for the first time since his death.  When she woke up, although she was comforted, she couldn’t remember the song - only that it was the most indescribably beautiful song she had ever heard.Indescribably beautiful music.  Is that what fills heaven?  Fascinating line of thought…

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I turned the key in the ignition of my car - and it wouldn’t start.  I tried for a few minuts to get it to start - and it remained stubbornly un-started.  Sigh!  All I wanted to do was run a couple of relaxed errands and do a little last minute shopping - nothing pressing and nothing that absolutely has to be done.  I enjoy getting out and doing stuff like that.  There’s just something about walking through some stores on Christmas Eve - relaxed and unhurried.  I enjoy doing that.

So when RT gets home in a little while, I’ll get him to look at the car and see if there’s something obvious wrong with the car that he can fix.  If not, I’ll use my 24/7 emrgency roadside service plan to get someone to come and tow my car to the car repair place. 

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I didn’t particularly enjoy Clash of the Choirs as a whole, although there were parts that I enjoyed a lot.  Mostly, though, it was a dud of a show. I watched the first night and the last night - and bits and pieces of the other night.  I’ve never been a Nick Lachey fan, but as I watched the show, Nick came through as one of the more humble musicians.  His choir sang songs that were believable.  I really disliked Patti LaBelle’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  She shrieked through the song from the beginning - and it seemed so staged and fake.  When Nick’s choir sang “What a Wonderful World” it was melodic and well performed.  It was also a win for the choir - not for the celebrity.

However, I didn’t really have much hope that Nick’s choir would win.  Everyone had carried on so much about how wonderful Patti was - how “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” had been so outstanding.  I didn’t see it - If they hadn’t announced that the song they were singing was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” I sure wouldn’t have known it by listening to Patti sing.  The actual tune of the song was lost in all the yelling, facial contortions, shoe-throwing and theatrics.

I was pleased when Nick Lachey’s choir was announced the winner.  They deserved it.  They were the consistently best choir there. 

Then I read about Patti LaBelle’s remarks when she realized she hadn’t won.  Here’s the story:

In comments published on Philly.com, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Web site, LaBelle did not appear overly gracious about her loss.

“It was a ripoff — somebody stole it from me,” she said before backing off a bit. “I’m still a winner, you know what I mean? I’m not taking anything away from Nick Lachey … I’m 63, he’s about 2. … It’s called Clash of the Choirs, not Clash of the Popularity.”

She’s not taking anything away from Nick Lachey? Well, yes she is. She’s saying he’s too young to win and that the only reason he won is because he is popular and not because his choir was the best. She insulted him and she insulted the people in his choir. Yes, it was called Clash of the Choirs, and that’s why Nick’s choir won. Patti’s choir was all about Patti. Even though Patti’s choir contained people who weren’t African American, she selected an African American charity. What a slap in the face for her non-African American choir members. It seems to me that she was interested in Patti and Patti’s interests - and not in her choir. No wonder Nick’s choir beat her so soundly. People like Patti LaBelle who lose a competition and, instead of congratulating the winners and being gracious, criticize the winners and claim that “somebody stole” the competition from them, just illustrate their own shallow, mean-spirited and self-involved personalities.

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You might recall that a few weeks ago I wrote about playing my mother’s piano while I was visiting her at Thanksgiving.  RT listened to me play the piano then, and just a couple days later my son sent me an email telling me about how much he enjoyed listening to me play the piano when he was growing up.  So pianos have been on our minds lately.

This morning I heard a truck drive up in the driveway, and I told RT’s mother (who’s spending a couple weeks with us) that I hoped it was the things I’d ordered from Lands End.  I went outside, and RT was there.  He smiled at me, and said, “Merry Christmas.  Here’s your Christmas present.”   The men on the truck brought out a beautiful piano which they brought inside the house and set up in the library. Below is a photo I just took of my Christmas present.  It’s a wonderful Baldwin piano.  I immediately played “Silent Night, Holy Night” which is the only song I have memorized.  Then I spent about an hour going through boxes in the barn until I finally found the one with my collection of hymnals.  And I’ve played the piano off and on all afternoon.

I called my daughter to tell her about the piano, and Sweet Stuff answered the phone.  Her mom was in the shower and so I told Sweet Stuff to tell her mom that PawPaw had given me a piano for Christmas.  I told her that when she comes to visit she can play it.  I taught her one simple song a few months ago, and she still remembers how to play it.  My daughter called me later to tell me that Sweet Stuff was beside herself with excitement.  She plays the simple little song I taught her whenever she visits anyone who has a piano.  She wants to take piano lessons now that she can practice on my piano. 

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 The past few mornings, RT has walked to the bottom of the hill behind our house where the West Harpeth River winds through a corner of our property.  There he has discovered a group of river otters.   He took the above picture this morning.  When we were in Alaska last year, we both enjoyed SO much watching the otters playing in the ocean.  So we’re thrilled that we have otters practically in our back yard here in Tennessee.  Saturday morning I’m going to the river with RT to see them for myself.

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RT wanted dessert after dinner tonight, and so he looked around to see what was in the pantry, and he came up with his own recipe which he christened “Nilla Nipples.”  Very appropriately named, I might add.  More important than the name is the fact that they’re really tasty, too!  After the third or fourth batch, I decided to take a picture to post here.  That’s the photo above - shortly before the Nilla Nipples were devoured.  RT says that if we had bananas, he’d put a slice of banana under the chocolate chips - and that sounds mighty tasty, too. Then we’d have “Nilla-Nana Nipples.”

Nilla Nipples

Nilla Wafers (I guess any vanilla wafer would do, but I prefer the Nilla Wafers brand)

chocolate chips (whatever kind you like.  We had milk chocolate chips tonight)

Place Nilla Wafers in a single layer on a microwave safe dish.  Place several chocolate chips on top of each Nilla Wafer - with the points up.  Microwave on high for approximately ten seconds.  Enjoy your Nilla Nipples.

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As some of you may know, my sister is currently in Germany for a couple weeks.  While there, her Army son will be marrying his German fiance.  She has already written on her blog about the wonderful time they’re having there - all the activities that are going on and the beautiful sights they’ve seen and the sites they’ve visited.

I am a bit jealous that she is traveling in a part of the world that I’ve always wanted to visit.  Ever since I saw “Heidi” as a child and then later ”The Sound of Music” when I was in high school or college (can’t remember which ), I’ve longed to visit Austria, Germany and all the beautiful and scenic places I saw in those favorite movies.

Just imagine gazing at the magestic mountains of the Bavarian Alps, seeing the Schonbrunn palace in Vienna, or visiting the Brandenburge gates in Berlin.  The great thing now is that you can do so much of the planning for those once-in-a-lifetime trips via the internet.  You can find wien hotels, hotels in berlin, hotels in muenchen, and hotels in deutschland.  You can follow links to find activities and sites of interest in all the places you long to travel.

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Thirteen of my favorite Christmas carols: First, though, a little Christmas carol history:

Christmas carols are based on Christian lyrics and relate, in the main, to the Nativity. Christmas carols were introduced in to church services by St Francis of Assisi in the 12th century. As for the word carols, “carol” is a derivative of the French word caroller, the interpretation of which means dancing around in a circle. Carol and carols, eventually came to mean not only to dance but included music and lyrics.

(1) Silent Night, Holy Night

(2) It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

(3) O Holy Night

(4) The First Noel

(5) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

(6) O Come All Ye Faithful

(7) Away in a Manger

(8) Mary, Did You Know?

(9) The First Noel

(10) The Friendly Beasts

(11) Little Drummer Boy

(12) There’s a Song in the Air

(13) O Little Town of Bethlehem

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