On Getting in that Christmas Mood

I realized yesterday, with some surprise, that Christmas is merely five weeks away.

I’d say it snuck up on me, but it didn’t. Not really. Four months ago I was writing about Christmas products — ornaments, nutcrackers, even calendars. Last month, I wrote about Valentine’s Day stuff.

Pretty soon, I’ll be thinking about the summer convention season.

I’m living in the future, as I often joke at work. We have rocket cars there. Not at work, that is. In the future. There are rocket cars there.

I have a migraine, can’t you tell?

I can look out the office window here at home and see a branch of a holly tree. The other trees have leaves that have turned brown, if they have leaves at all. But the holly branch is green, with its red balls, and it’s quite pretty. It sways in the breeze.

I’ve had Christmas music in the stereo, prompted by, of all things, Snoopy. I saw the trailer for an upcoming video game, Snoopy: Flying Ace, and when I shared it with coworkers, one fired back with the lyrics from the Royal Guardsmen song, “Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron.” Which, naturally, prompted me to dig out my CD of Royal Guardsmen songs, several of which, like “Snoopy’s Christmas,” were Christmas related.

Naturally, one of the things I’ve had in the stereo is the Fab Four’s two albums of Beatle-y Christmas music. (By the way, their music is completely weird when you use Audacity to OOPS the track.) About a year ago, I wrote out which Beatles songs were used as the basis for their Christmas carols, like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” becomes “What Child Is This” or “Tomorrow Never Knows” becomes “Jingle Bells.”

There’s another album of Beatle-y Christmas music, Xmas! The Beatmas by Rubber Band. However, I’ve never broken down how they took Beatles songs and turned them into Christmas songs. Their line-up:

1. Jingle Bell Rock (Please Please Me)
2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Eight Days A Week)
3. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (I Saw Her Standing There)
4. Last Christmas (Please Mr. Postman)
5. Feliz Navidad (And I Love Her)
6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (All My Loving)
7. Jingle Bells (Love Me Do)
8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Taxman)
9. Mary’s Boy Child (Nowhere Man)
10. White Christmas (Ticket To Ride)
11. Silent Night (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds)

There’s a final track, “A Bairn in Born in Beatlehome,” that borrows from “A Day in the Life,” “She Loves You,” and “All You Need Is Love,” among others.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. 😉

I think I’ll listen to A Charlie Brown Christmas or something. Vince Guaraldi, he wrote good stuff. 🙂