Poem-a-Day November and Favorite Christmas Music

Scrape off the mold, dust the cobwebs, oil the rusty gears - it's blog time! Other than the April Poem-a-Day challenge, I've been very inactive here lately (not that anyone really missed me). It's been a busy, crazy year, with a lot happening, mainly our move to a newer home - downsizing for the retirement years. Also I am still watching my two young and active granddaughters as a full-time volunteer position. Poetry has had to take a back seat most days, but I am participating in Robert Lee Brewer's Poem-a-Day Chapbook Challenge this month over at the Poetic Asides blog. So far I've written 31 poems in 23 days. I don't really have a theme in mind to produce a chapbook, but at least I'll have a pile of new poems - I've already more than tripled my production of poetry this month compared to the previous six months. I haven't been sharing them here like I do in April (when I also do a poem a day), but here is a sample of one I wrote, appropriate for the approaching holidays. The prompt was to write a poem about "good for nothing".

My Wife is Good for Nothing

Every year from her church's wishing tree

she plucks the tag of a family in need,

usually one with several children.

Then she buys presents, not one for each of them,

but several  - nice things like dolls, pajamas,

coats, toy trucks, an electronic game,

enough to fill the floor beneath their tree.

Imagine Christmas morning, and the joy of these kids

who otherwise might have got little or nothing.

She remains anonymous, a secret Santa.

For all that goodness, she expects nothing in return,

not even a thank you, although sometimes

she does receive one through the church.

We should all have this huge a heart.

We should all be so good for nothing.

And since it's the holiday season again, I've trucked out my Christmas CD collection to put such music in heavy rotation (though these days I seem to rely more and more on Spotify and my Amazon music files). Anyway, here are 50 of my all-time favorite Christmas albums, roughly in order, representing a range of pop, rock, classical, jazz and traditional music. Some of these may now be out of print or hard to find, but they are worth seeking.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi

2. December - George Winston

3. Noël - Joan Baez

4. The New Possibility - John Fahey

5. A Festival of Carols in Brass - Philadelphia Brass Ensemble

6. We Three Kings - The Roches

7. On Yoolis Night - Anonymous 4

8. The Bells of Dublin - The Chieftains

9.  A Christmas Gift for You - Phil Spector et al.

10.The Jethro Tull Christmas Album - Jethro Tull

11. Handel: Messiah - Toronto Symphony Orch./Toronto Mendelssohn Choir/Andrew Davis

12. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet) - London Symphony Orchestra/Charles Mackerras

13. Noël: Christmas at King's - King's College Choir, Cambridge

14. A Winter's Solstice - Various Artists (Windham Hill)

15. The Peace Album - Paul Horn

16. Celtic Christmas - Various Artists (Windham Hill)

17. In Dulci Jubilo - James Galway

18. Ultimate Christmas - The Beach Boys

19. Holiday Spirits - Straight No Chaser

20. The Spirit of Christmas - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

21. Christmas with Robert Shaw - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Robert Shaw, cond.

22. It's a Holiday Soul Party! - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

23. Daquin: 12 Noëls - Christopher Herrick, organ

24. Sounds of the Season - Maggie Sansome

25. To Drive the Cold Winter Away - Loreena McKennitt

26. A Canadian Brass Christmas - The Canadian Brass

27. Acoustic Christmas - Various Artists (CBS Records)

28. Christmas with the Puppini Sisters - The Puppini Sisters

29. Strange Communion - Thea Gilmore

30. James Taylor at Christmas - James Taylor

31. Christmas - Bruce Cockburn

32. The Best of B.B. King Christmas Collection/20th Century Masters - B.B. King

33. Light of the Stable - Emmylou Harris

34. A Tapestry of Carols - Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band

35. Winter - Steeleye Span

36. Songs for Christmas - Sufjan Stevens

37. Tinsel and Lights - Tracey Thorn

38. A Very Special Christmas 1 and 2 - Various Artists

39. Christmas with the Smithereens - The Smithereens

40. On Christmas Night - Cherish the Ladies

41. My Holiday - Mindy Smith

42. Snow Angels - Over the Rhine

43. 12 Songs of Christmas - Etta James

44. Wintersong - Sarah McLachlan

45. Christmas Songs - Diana Krall

46. Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas - Mary Chapin Carpenter

47. A Holiday Carole - Carole King

48. The McGarrigle Christmas Hour - Kate and Anna McGarrigle, et al.

49. Christmas Time Again - The dB's et al.

50. Christmas Means Love - Joan Osborne

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!