In German, even!

Simon's school's 5 and 6th grade held their Winter Concert last night. The school's Music Director makes this an inclusive even - there are Kwaanza songs, Christian, Nordic, Native American, hopping spirituals, smooth jazz - something for everyone. The 6th grade (shown above) chose Silent Night as one of their offerings. Did I say Silent Night? Sorry, Stille Nacht, all in German.

Stille Nacht! Heil'ge Nacht!
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar.
Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar,
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!

Further to yesterday's decorating presentation, I offer this.

I came to realize a few years ago that I collect mechanical music box snowglobes. This was not intentional, and these few are only some. They all play wonderful, tinkly Christmas songs. The first one I ever bought is the Coca-Cola Santa up front. In 1992 I was working in the toy department of a local store, and spied this cutey on one of my breaks. He was marked at $45.00, well beyond my "decorating" budget but oh, did I want him. The day after the day after Christmas (Boxing Day used to be a Statutory Holiday) I was first in line at the door of Eatons at 9:00 when they opened. Beeline to the 50% Christmas department, and Santa with his little Coke bottle and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" cylinder was all mine. Joy!

I bought a few other snow globes in the years that followed - one was a gorgeous almost 2 foot tall pine tree that played White Christmas. It was a wonder to behold. Then one Christmas I opened the tote with all my globes and a few other garland and was greeted not by a vision of snowy splendor but by a faceful of mold spores. The magnificent pine had broken, probably the January previous as I put the decorations away, and everything inside that tote was soaked - moldy, rusty, stinky, broken. The miles of twine and wood bead garland were rotted and covered in mildew, some linens were beyond recovery, and poor, dear Coke Santa would never teach the world anything except to pick up what you can, and make it work.

I replaced the corroded cylinder from Santa with the surpringly still working White Christmas music. I soaked those garland beads in bleach and restrung them on new twine, and I pitched the broken, stinky, rotted rest. That year I did find another tree shaped globe (behind Santa, above) though it's neither tall nor elegant. Doesn't matter.

So every year I think about buying another globe. Most years I do, some years I don't. And some days I pick them all up, one at a time, give 'em a good shake, and wind the music box keys all the way up. That's what Christmas sounds like.