As a lifelong Texan, I am no stranger to hot summers, so this poem, popularly known as “Ode To Texas” hits a certain nerve around this time of the year when it feels like the triple-digit days will never end in the Lone Star State. The author of this work has seemingly been lost to time, but it was written way before our miserably hot modern times. And so I give you: “Ode to Texas”
A Beary Furry Christmas!
I love Christmas music, and in assembling my annual Christmas song list, I’ve come across a few songs that feature animals. Of course, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is the granddaddy of them all, so enjoy a few other musical Christmas critters:
“The Chipmunk Song/Christmas Don’t Be Late,” The Chipmunks, 1958
“Chrissy the Christmas Mouse,” Debbie Reynold, 1957
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (Snoopy’s Christmas), The Royal Guardsmen, 1967
Dominick The Donkey, Lou Monte, 1960
Super-Short Storytime: “A Conversation”
Whether you work with words, musical notes, paint, foam, cloth, or even pixels, there are few times more frustrating than when your brain just doesn’t want to cooperate and the whatever-it-is that you want to create just doesn’t happen. We’ve all been there, and one such time provided me with this delightful drabble that I have deemed: “A Conversation”
Super-Short Storytime: “Saturday Night”
Few things in life are as embarrassing as not being in the right place. Indeed, Dear Listeners, I have found myself inside the wrong classroom, dorm room, hotel room and even building on occasion. Thus, I can certainly relate to the young lady in this little lost lark that I’ve labeled: “Saturday Night.”
Super-Short Storytime: “Oneupmanship”
While I would like to be hopeful that gatherings such as this don’t take place in real life, the callousness that the “haves” can show towards the “have-nots” makes me wonder sometimes. And so I present this rich recital that I call: “Oneupmanship.”
Super-Short Storytime: “Loaner”
If a company sells a million widgets and 1 percent of them break, that’s ten thousand unhappy customers. As the man in this story is about to learn, service contracts tend to favor the ones who wrote them and thus, I give you this tale of customer dissatisfaction that I call: “Loaner.”
My Favorite Christmas Songs 2021 #1
“Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)”, Ramones, 1989
It feels fitting to close out 2021 with some punk rock.
Naturally, the Ramones make up for the song’s sentimentalism in the video:
Enjoy the full list of Christmas favorites on YouTube!
My Favorite Christmas Songs 2021 #2
“Everyone’s a Kid at Christmastime”, Stevie Wonder, 1965
This is Stevie Wonder’s third song on my list. It’s upbeat, fun, and a reminder that it’s okay to let our inner child out to play every holiday season.
Enjoy the full list of Christmas favorites on YouTube!
My Favorite Christmas Songs 2021 #3
“O Holy Night”, Perry Como, 1968
Probably one of the more difficult Christmas carols to sing, Perry Como handles this standard with aplomb.
Enjoy the full list of Christmas favorites on YouTube!
My Favorite Christmas Songs 2021 #4
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, Frank Sinatra, 1957
From the “A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra” album, Ol’ Blue Eyes knocks this standard out of the park.
TRIVIA: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin for the movie “Meet Me In St. Louis” starring Judy Garland. Some of the original lyrics were rewritten because they were found to be overly depressing. “Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight” was originally “It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past.”
In 1957, Sinatra asked Martin to revise the line “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” He told Martin, “The name of my album is A Jolly Christmas. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me?” The line became “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” Sinatra’s version is also in the present tense.
Enjoy the full list of Christmas favorites on YouTube!
Eduardo Soliz 