224 Candles

Happy Birthday, Individual Liberty!

Well-played, Anti-Federalists, well-played.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, became law 224 years ago today, when Virginia's vote to ratify satisfied the Article V requirements.

Drafted by James Madison, these landmark provisions were designed to safeguard individual liberties and circumscribe the power of the central government.

As you know if you read this blog reasonably often, I believe the freedoms codified in this document are under sustained assault by the progressive left and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself), and their political manifestation, the Democratic Party.

Whether freedom will prevail over the totalitarian impulses of certain segments of the population remains to be seen. The self-evident truths that this nation was founded upon, and the political structures we put in place to embody them, have never been in greater peril.

In the meantime, though...

"...and many more!"

Let's hope so...

Christmas Movies & TV Shows

George C. Scott as Scrooge

The great Charles Dickens novella  
A Christmas Carol has been the basis for many motion pictures and television programs. You can actually get quite an argument going this time of year as to which filmed version of the familiar story is the best one.




I try to avoid getting into those conversations, but this space is for self-expression,
so I don't mind telling you that my favorite version of the Dickens tale is the 1984  
A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, one of my favorite actors.

There are numerous charms to this particular film, but I think what appeals to me most is watching Scott portray Scrooge as a fully-realized person and not just the usual caricature. That he could stay true to the Dickens character yet infuse him with such humanity even before his famous nightmares begin says a lot about Scott's brilliance as an actor.

My "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree: Day Two

My "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" project continues apace. After a successful shopping trip to Hobby Lobby yesterday, I began the process of decorating the tree last night.

I bought a serving platter to use as a slightly more stable base, and added some of that white, fluffy batting around the bottom. Eventually, I hope to add a Nativity scene, and perhaps some other decorations...

The next step was to add lights. HL had a 50-bulb set appropriate for a tree of this size, and while I still have some adjustments to make after I have hung the ornaments, I tested the lights last night and was pleased with the results.

"It's going to be SO funny when the cats knock it over."

Not going to happen...

Until Next Time...

My first clear memories of most Christmas carols and hymns come from Catholic school when I was young. Every school I attended had a Christmas program where each class performed one or two songs, with the finale being all of the classes singing a song together ("Silent Night" was a favorite for that honor). Some songs were easy to learn and to sing, but a few were difficult for me. I always dreaded "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" because I just couldn't hit the notes correctly.

The lyrics to the carol were written by Unitarian minister Edmund Sears in 1849. Oddly, there are two popular versions of the song. One of them pairs the Sears lyrics with the 1850 melody "Carol," written by Richard Storrs Willis. The other uses the melody "Noël," written in 1874 by Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan renown). The former version (often called the "American" version) is by far the more popular, but the latter version (referred to as the "English" version), has its charms also. You can listen to a great performance of the "Noël" version by clicking here.

Chanticleer is an all-male choral group founded in 1978 to revive medieval and Renaissance choral music in the style in which it was originally performed. The group
is named after a rooster that appears in many stories from medieval literature, most notably in "The Nun's Priest's Tale," by Geoffrey Chaucer (there is actually a community theater group in Council Bluffs which also bears that name).

I first encountered the group's wonderful music in the fall of 1997, with their album Reflections. I was searching for a particular song for a show I was directing, and that search led me to their album, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have all of their Christmas albums now, and highly recommend them if you like a cappella choir music. Peerless.

Today's send-off is the group's sublime rendition of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" using the "Carol" melody. Enjoy...