Auld Lang Syne

As the new year quickly approaches, we will soon probably be hearing the familiar strains of “Auld Lang Syne.”  What a strange little song.  I certainly know the tune.  I can probably stumble over about half the words. But please don’t ask me to explain what it all means!  Something about forgetting old acquaintance and taking cups of kindness?  Like I said, a strange little song.

For me this song will always be associated with Guy Lombardo.  As a child, if I was able to stay up late and watch the festivities on TV, it was Guy and His Royal Canadians who always played in the new year with this beloved song.  This was before the days of Dick Clark, and now even Dick is gone.  Boy, do I feel “auld.”

One of my very favorite renditions of this song is by local Lawrence, Kansas musician Sam Billen.  He manages to take this cliché of a song and make it into something truly beautiful.  Click below to listen.  And Happy New Year to all!

“Auld Lang Syne”  Sam Billen

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Sherman Alexie has become a favorite writer of mine.  Much of his work draws upon his experiences as a Native American growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation.  His subject matter can sometimes be dark, even brutal, but there is always a beauty in the writing.

I first became familiar with his work through his National Book Award winning young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Below is the author reading a short excerpt from that book about a boy being disappointed yet again by his drunken father at Christmastime.  There is something so poignant about this scene—”a beautiful and ugly thing.”  It’s not your typical feel good Hallmark holiday moment, but even in the midst of pain, there is still the love between a broken father and his son.

“And a Partridge in a Pear Tree”
from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

Star of Wonder

Merry Christmas all!  This is one of my favorite Christmas songs by one of my favorite music groups—The Roches.  Wishing you peace and joy.

“Star of Wonder”  The Roches

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  John 1:5