December Holiday Open House

[ANNIE]

December Holiday Open House

Come celebrate the holidays with us...
-  share some of your favorite seasonal  books, as well as those you have enjoyed this year.    Do you give books as gifts?  How do you choose the perfect gift for those on your list?

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I just reserved the annotated Dickens story at my library.  This is the one annotated by Michael Patrick Hearn.  Just want to see it.  We only have 4 at our library so I will want to reserve it next year in late November.

[JoanP]

It's still December...maybe someone is around the mulled wine bowl?  I need some advice.  This is an issue regarding POST GIFT Books ideas.  Husband was gifted two hard cover books from a DIL, (though he specifically requested NO BOOKS this year}.  Did I mention there were no gift receipts this time - - very unlike her.  She must have ordered them through Amazon.  Any  suggestions about what to do with them?

Hope you had a merry time...or at least, a peaceful Christmas.  Our weather could not have cooperated any better than it did.  How was your day?

[PatH]

That's a tough problem, JoanP.  Two crucial points are, does your DIL get huffy about what you do with presents, and is your husband interested reading the books.  If she cares, you have to keep them around for a while, but if not, you can hold for regifting or donate to a library.  If you were in Portland, you could sell them to Powell's Books, but you would get a store credit, which only postpones the problem.

Christmas was wonderful, with a lot of people I love around me.  I didn't get much serious reading done, though.  It was mostly things like Dinosaur A to Z, read aloud to grandchildren.

JoanK and I used to have a standard present strategy.  You give the other a paperback of a book you enjoyed.  There is no particular expectation that the other will enjoy it, and no hard feelings if she doesn't.  Sometimes it's a big success and sometimes it isn't, but it's fun.

[pedln]

PatH, that sounds like a very fun way to gift. Fun for the receiver to wonder which of her sister's favorites she will receive,and fun for the giver to ponder over which her reads to give to another reader.

JoanP, will your DIL ask how your husband liked them?  I guess the big problem would be In thanking her for them.  My solution would be to treat them like any other gift you would rather not have received.  Then follow Pat's suggestion to regift or donate.

Christmas with the Seattle and California families has been very peaceful,quiet.  Our little one got sick with stomach issues Christmas Day and had to be rehydrated in the ER yesterday, but fortunately has  bounced back and can now enjoy her Christmas gifts.

I kind of goofed on a gift to my eldest granddaughter.  She's been living and working in Manhattan for the past year and a half, exploring and loving it.  I ordered a book, Mapping Manhattan, and before Christmas learned that her job would have her working in London. But I gave her the book anyway.

[marcie]

Pat and JoanK, you have a nice gift giving tradition. I like the idea of a gift involving an ongoing "ritual."

Pedln, how wonderful that your granddaughter has gotten to work in Manhattan and now in London. I bet she'll have fond memories tracing her way through Manhattan using the book.

[JoanP]

This daughter in law gifted us with so many generous presents...including tickets for family of 8 for the production of Porgy and Bess yesterday at the National Theater.  Can't possibly suggest a return of these books.  Donating them seems to be the best idea so far.  I wish he'd scan them and at least make a comment about something...but he's afraid she'll give him more by this author in the future.  Remember on SeniorNet when we had the book swap?

My son is home from London - with new love.  Where is your granddaughter living Pedln?  He's on Portabello Road... Notting Hill...

I don't think I shared with you my Amazon experience.  My granddaughter keeps an Amazon wish list of books she'd like.  I ordered a book from the list, only to learn from my son that she'd already read it...  I understand that if there's nothing wrong with something you ordered, you can't return it.  But I thought it was worth a try and went to the "Returns" section, filled in the "reason for return" - "Ordered the wrong item."  To my surprise I heard right back from them that they would credit it to my account...and not only that, but because I was a good customer,  it was on them - I could keep it...didn't even have to mail it back.  No wonder Amazon is doing such good business!

[PatH]

That was nice of Amazon.  I think they accept returns for almost any alleged reason, but they certainly went out of their way for you.

How did you like the Gershwin production?

[pedln]

Amazon does a lot of things right, but I think they are especially good at customer relations.

I don't know where on London Catie is living. Her work will be in Northhampton, but she wants to live in London.  She went there shortly after Thanksgiving, but then came home for Christmas and going back shortly.  Your son is living on a very historic and well-known street.

[ginny]

I'm fascinated by the conversation here. Is it the subject matter, the author, or both that Bruce doesn't want? Or is your house beginning to look like mine, a books warehouse? 

[JoanP]

Pat, did you get to see Porgy and Bess at the National Theater?  It was WONDERFUL.  I've seen other performances a number of times, but this one was so high-spirited!  Also, though it ran 2 hrs. and 15 minutes, I read that a good portion (a third?) was cut...so perhaps that kept it moving.  Wonderful.

Pedln - yes, he lives right over the Portabello Rd. market - likes to Skype me and hold his laptop in the window so I can see and hear the racket every weekend.  He LOVES it.

Ginny - a good question.  I neglected to write on his wish list which I sent to all the "kids" - NO BOOKS.  He has such a back log - some from last Christmas, some from his birthday...that he WANTS to read.  The two he received for Christmas - the author and the subject matter.  These are NOT books he wants to read.  I might read one of them...

Have you heard of Bill Bryson - who wrote One Summer, America 1927?  Or Brian Kilmeade's George Washington's Secret Six...(The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution)?

I've also got the Amazon copy of one of Maria Lu's books, Prelude, I think it is - ordered for Lindsay, which she already has...any takers?

Almost done wrapping the North Carolina gifts...I keep finding things, no matter how fast I wrap.  Tell me this is almost over!

Here's hoping you are finding some time for Wives and Daughters...the discussion begins tomorrow - first five chapters! The first discussion of the year!

[marcie]

Joan, if no one else wants the Maria Lu book, I'll pay for it and postage. I know a 14-year-old reader who I think would be interested in it.

Good luck with the wrapping. It can take so much time!

[JoanP]

Oh it does...take time.  Still not done!  I was down in the basement wrapping - and noticed that the title of the Marie Lu book is not Prelude, though it does start with a P...it's called Prodigy - still interested?  Couldn't sell it - it was a gift from Amazon, remember? If you want it, it's yours!

[ANNIE]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
We are spending tonight watching olde tv programs and going to bed early so we can get up early to go to the airport to pick our daughter who is maybe flying here to celebrate MDH's 80th BD!  We are all praying that the weather forecast doesn't happen before she lands here.
Bad timing for travel!

[BarbStAubrey]

Started my inventory of CDs and looking up to find original purchase and other info did I run into a line of information I had no idea - I have a collection of medieval music and want to store them by the dates of the composers or, since many are anonymous, I want to get the time frames in order.  

Most of the early music is tied to the church or the gods regardless from the early Jewish tradition, Greek, Arabic or later Christian - There was some dance and street music that after the second Temple was built women could no longer sing during services for fear of their bringing into the Temple this street music.

Well onward - my new find - one thing and another I heard that Sybil was a pagan prophetess - what I did not know is that it was a plural word and there were prophetesses that were called Sybils - and the Sistine Chapel has on display a Michael Angelo showing the twelve prophetic figures representing the coming of Christ. Seven of these are Israeli Prophets, and the remaining five are the female Sibyls of the Classical World. The Sibyls symbolize that the Messiah was to come for all the people of the world and not just the Jews.

There is the Song of the Sibyl from a 3rd century Greek poem that was translated into Latin by St. Augustine, who began the tradition of wishing non-Christians a Merry Christmas with the famous opening verse: Judicii signum, tellus sudore madescrit ("The Sign of Judgment: the earth will be bathed in sweat [or, will begin to sweat]").

This Song of the Sibyl  became 10th century Latin plainchant, a 13th century Provencal version with oud and male cantor, and a late medieval Catalan version with instruments - viols, various winds, percussion instruments.

And so to say Merry Christmas to a  non-Christian has a long history that dips into the 3rd century Greek prophetic Sibyl tradition. Amazing...

[pedln]

Someone just forwarded this to me today. It is new to me and interesting, I thought.

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.  What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
 
This week, I found out.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
 
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol
 

[BarbStAubrey]

Interesting - thanks

[JoanP]

Very interesting, I agree, Barbara!  I did know that there was a sort of catechism embedded into the 12 Days of Christmas, Pedln, but don't think I ever knew exactly what.  Thank you!  Aren't you glad we decided to keep this site opened through the 12th Day of Christmas - which is tonight?
The things we learn.

Barbara, you hadn't mentioned your collection of medieval music before...and the fact that you keep it so well organized!  And in the process, discovered the  Song of the Sibyl from a 3rd century Greek poem beginning the  tradition of wishing non-Christians a Merry Christmas.  Now we have learned something!
Thank you for that!  

We celebrate the 12th Night here - the Epiphany, the Three Kings, Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior.  Our tree is still up -  for the last time -   though we  will leave all the little clear lights on the bushes and trees in the yard until  some time late in February - too dark, cold and dreary without them.-

We hope you've enjoyed this Open House as much as we did.  See you again next December!

[pedln]

JoanP, thanks for the reminder.  January 6th almost slipped by without recognition.  It was a big holiday in Puerto Rico and when we lived there the children would put grass and carrots under their beds, for the Kings' camels, who would be carrying the gifts of the Kings.

[PatH]

I enjoyed the Open House very much.  Thanks.