Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

This blog will pay for itself.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Not all heroes wear capes.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

You are here: Home / Music / Open Thread: Seasonal Music

Open Thread: Seasonal Music

by | 33 Comments

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Thank you AsianGrrrl for a new and glorious companionable version of my favorite carol:

When advances in teleportation-booth technology permit the Balloon Juice community to get together for the holidays, we can pretend we’ll sound like this. (Hey, I have a very nice singing voice, just no ear for the right pitch.)

We may go out for Chinese food, because the Spousal Unit is lollygagging about taking off for his familial obligations in upper lower Michigan. Please be nice — meaning: no “Little Drummer Boy”.

Reader Interactions

33Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    When I was in college they brought in a gospel director as a guest conductor for us once. I don’t know how she did it, but she got our voices to sound unlike anything we had produced before. The feeling was truly phenomenal. I also learned a ton about the gospel choir culture and the history of African-American musical history. I wish now I could remember what church she’s the director for in Seattle, I wouldn’t mind hearing her choir again.

  2. 2.

    MelodyMaker

    merry chistmas!
    adding: somebody plowed the alley wide enough for a Jetta. Thanks. Bell Chorus is my fav. SNL did a really lame/funny thing with it back in the Jan Hooks days. looking…

  6. 6.

    Linkmeister

    I’ve been posting YouTube-d Christmas songs since the 10th at my place. Start here and roll forward.

    Patrick Nielsen Hayden posted a whole set of Christmas titles here, and down in the comments one of his readers put together a playlist of the songs at LaLa.com.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I mostly agree with you, Anne Laurie, about “Little Drummer Boy.” (I think I was ruined for good and all on one of the Xmas episodes of the old Dick Van Dyke Show, where the always-dreadful-anyhow Richie gave a vomit-inducing saccharine performance of LDB.)

    But there’s one exception, and I alluded to it yesterday morning when someone (geg6 maybe?) mentioned Bravo’s West Wing marathon, and the first episode up was the one where Toby and Mrs. Landingham go to Arlington for the funeral of a homeless vet on Christmas Eve, and the crisp military precision of the service and crack of the rifle salutes contrast most movingly with a children’s choir back at the WH singing LDB. It’s beautifully done; I’ve seen that episode maybe 20 times and it always brings me to tears.

    But otherwise, yeah, LDB can DIAF.

  10. 10.

    jeffreyw

    “In the past, there was a general understanding, a sort of implicit clause in the rules of American politics, that major parties would at least pretend to distance themselves from irrational extremists,” Krugman said. “But those rules are no longer operative. No, Virginia, at this point there is no sanity clause.”

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jeffreyw: LOL, I read that this morning and just about spit coffee all over the BlackBerry. I really like Krugman especially when he does funny shit like that.

  15. 15.

    Bruuuuce

    Three special ones online:

    The Hallelujah Chorus, Darkover Grand Council 2007(?). Our last year singing with the pool in the atrium; it has since been filled and replaced by a floor :-(

    Zat You, Santa Claus?, Louis Armstrong

    and a true story:

    Christmas in the Trenches, John McCutcheon

    and a thought about one that isn’t. I wish it were, though: the episode of M*A*S*H that ends with Dona Nobis Pacem; that version is very special, and never fails to leave me dripping with tears.

    Light for your days and warmth for your nights, and may your heart overflow with both.

  16. 16.

    RedKitten

    I can’t even listen to “Little Drummer Boy” anymore without laughing ever since Peter Griffin changed one of the lyrics to “I have a gift for you — it’s up in my bum!”

  19. 19.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @RedKitten: Okay, now I’m spitting wine everywhere. Never heard that lyric change before. No matter how cool and mature I like to think I am, I guess at heart I’m as sophomoric and crass as they come.

  21. 21.

    Mwangangi

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Sorry, wandered off. To answer your question…

    Christman Interpretations – Boyz II Men

    Track list:

    Silent Night – (Intro)
    Let It Snow
    Share Love
    You’re Not Alone
    Joyous Song, A
    Why Christmas
    Cold December Nights
    Do They Know
    Who Would Have Thought
    Silent Night

  22. 22.

    Anya

    I love Nat King Cole’s version of Oh Holly Night!

    href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uP32mnAjY”>

  23. 23.

    burnspbesq

    Last night when I was deploying gifts and getting the Kid’s new Playstation 3 set up in the family room after Spouse and Kid had gone to bed, I had “A Dave Brubeck Christmas” on.

    This morning when we were exchanging and opening gifts, we had “The Messiah” on (a great recent recording by the Dunedin Consort).

    My other favorite Christmas records are “Phil Spector’s Christmas Album” and this.

  26. 26.

    West of the Cascades

    @SiubhanDuinne: I had coffee all over the monitor too – my first thought was “Krugman +5.”

    O Holy Night pretty much rocks as carols go and that’s a great, great version. Thanks, Anne!

  28. 28.

    Montysano

    From the Chieftains’ wonderful Bells of Dublin album: Jackson Browne’s “Rebel Jesus”.

    ….So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
    From a heathen and a pagan
    On the side of the rebel Jesus

    That’s pretty much where I’m at.

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