Have you ever felt that Christmas has become over-commercialized? Well… if it makes anyone feel any better… you are not alone… so do I. So does today’s featured recording artist… the 89-year-young, American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist and mathematician… Tom Lehrer.
Were you and I to ever have the good fortune to meet up with this musician / wordsmith… oh… say at some impromptu holiday gathering… I know I’d try to gently coax him out of retirement… get him to… once more… for old time’s sake… pull out the ol’ piano bench to regale us with today’s BlogCast featured song… Lehrer’s original, spot-on, musical composition… A Christmas Carol.
Of course… considering how that above partay scenario exists only in my fantasyland… to hear Tom playing the 88’s and singing his heart out, we’ll simply need to click onto that YouTube vid’s playback button.
My owning both vinyl and CD copies of two of Lehrer’s 1960s era albums, I am well acquainted with his wit and wisdom. So, I can fully attest to the fact that this particular track will totally meld with one’s yearnings to reconnect to the true meaning of Christmas. Or, to put that into more secular terminology… to reconnect to respect and love for humankind.
There’s little doubt in my mind that there are multiple billions of kindhearted, non-Christians and agnostics… spanning all across our globe… who feel that respect and love.
To demonstrate how… with the passage of time… Lehrer’s music has become a cultural crossover phenomenon, I’m also including a cover of this same track, performed by David Quah, a man who totally digs where Mr. Lehrer’s head is at… a man who has learned all his mentor has taught him… and learned it well. Don’t miss Quah’s impressive rendition.
Just for the record… I’m not channeling Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge. I’d never bleat out, “Bah! Humbug!” towards families and friends who are exchanging Christmas presents. However…
What life has taught me is that long after the festive wrapping paper, fancy bows and gift boxes have been stuffed into the recycling bin… long after the gifts, themselves, are forgotten… oh… say… the clothing which has faded / frayed / become unfashionable and high tech gizmos / gadgets which have malfunctioned / melted down / become obsolete… it’ll be our cherished memories of all who are near and dear to us… the family reunions and holiday parties we attended in days of yore… which will endure… perhaps through eternity.
More to the point…
The best present anyone could ever present to anyone near and dear to them, would be to say, with sincerity, “I love you” and to express those three magic words not just during the holidays but all year round.
On a more personal note…
I wish all of my readers, followers, and BlogCast listeners
Happy Holidays / Merry Christmas!
I’d also like to express my gratitude to all who are spending their precious time listening to my “Top 20 Countdown “2” Christmas”… a musical mix featuring a blend of spiritual content, social commentary, secular…and yes… even some humorous elements. My plan is to get as many of us into the holiday spirit as is possible. Towards that future, I’ll continue presenting my selections… classics all… counting ‘em down one-a-day… from now until we reach #1 on the 25th.
So… be sure to stop back here again… if not daily… schedule your return visits as often as your time permits.
I’d also like to invite you to click back for my regular monthly BlogCast… one that typically features anywhere from 3 to 5 segued songs… this program slated to hit the www “airwaves” on Sunday, December 24, 2017.
FYI, my past musical presentations are archived within my BlogCast and music categories.
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CommonSenseTom 