Pictured is my Charlie Brown (sort of) Christmas tree. It's too overdecorated to be a truly sad looking tree. It's small, and best of all, I can leave the trimmings on the tree, carry it up to the attic, put a large bag over it to keep the dust off, and - Voila! - next year it will be ready to go on the table again. I love it. My grandchildren laugh at it, but it's what I do now.
Below is the first verse of my favorite carol - NOT:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are bright;
They're green when winter snow is white.
O, Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!
Eh. Let's try the literal translation:
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree
How loyal are your leaves/needles!
You're green not only
in the summertime,
No, also in winter when it snows.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree
How loyal are your leaves/needles!
No, I don't think so. Finally in German:
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur
zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
I'll leave it to others to say if it's a gem of a carol in German. How did this one make it into the canon?
Literal English translation and German version from About.Com.
Thanks for the photo. I believe that all bloggers should be required to post photos of their Christmas trees. It should be the law.
ReplyDeleteFeliz Navidad.
Padre Mickey, it should, indeed, be the law.
ReplyDeleteFelíz Navidad, paz y amor a mis amigos y amigas!
You mean they make artificial Charlie Brown Christmas trees? Who knew?
ReplyDeleteWell, tonight I get to be an acolyte for the mid-evening service since by the 11:00 service, my partner will have turned into a pumpkin. He has asked me if it will be a "full service" (i.e., Eucharist), which I take to mean he's already figuring out what time we'll get home. However, in order to make it worth his while, I have made chocolate cookies to be eaten upon our return, and tomorrow when the festival begins, he will have prime rib and Yorkshire pudding. Dessert will include yam and pecan pie. Good behavior must be rewarded. (I say all of this tongue-in-cheek, as he has had some significant health challenges this year. But he is greatly improved this Christmas over the last two.).
Merry Christmas, Grandmère! I trust you have a blessed Christmas festival!
We didn't put our tree up this year cuz' we're off to Italy on the 26th. New Year's in Firenze.
ReplyDeleteKJ, we are having prime rib, too. We're carrying lots of food to my daughter's house tomorrow. My pecan pie came out a little dark, due to the fact that my niece called, and I did not hear the timer. It may be edible or it may not be. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased that your partner is doing better. Thanks be to God.
I'm sure you make a great acolyte. Just from knowing you virtually, I'm sure of that.
A Blessed and Happy Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Mike, I am insanely jealous. I adore Italy.
ReplyDeleteHave a Merry Christmas and a lovely trip. I know you will. You will eat well, of that I'm sure. It's actually hard to find a bad meal in Italy.
Ah ... we have similar taste! If I had to pick a favorite place to visit, I think it would be Italy. I fell in love with Florence in 1971, and I can't get enough of it (as well as the rest of Italy). Picking a favorite would be a hard choice though. There are so many wonderful places to visit.
ReplyDeleteMike, what I love about Florence is that it is a small city. You can walk across it, and wonderful restaurants line your way.
ReplyDeleteIt has more art treasures per square foot than any other city of its size. If you have not visited the Convento de San Marco, the monastery where Fra Angelico lived, you might want to give it a look.
He painted in fresco all over the chapel, and each monk's cell has it's own small meditative fresco on the wall. It's a lovely small museum. I felt like I was in heaven in the chapel.
We're going to the Leigh's house in Gamboa, and I'm making a saag with pork. And basmati rice, of course! This has become our traditional Christmas meal over the past few years.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good suggestion, Mimi. I did visit it years ago. Maybe it's time to do it again.
ReplyDeletePadre Mickey, that sounds delicious. Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteMike, I love Fra Angelico. He was a holy man living in the midst of the horrors and intrigue of the church of his time. And look what beauty he created! Tell the David "hello" for me if you go to the Academia, and blow kisses to the Botticelli Madonnas there.
I grew up singing that carol, in the German. My mother liked it, though she didn't speak German. Never quite knew what it meant. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy pecan pie, which I thought was overcooked, was the best I ever made. It seems darker is better.
ReplyDeleteJan, I gave the song the benefit of the doubt in the German. I'll take your mother's word for it that it's good.