No particular reason to post this here, except that I truly love this song and it brings back so many associations and memories.

Bob Dylan’s major songwriting influence? Robert Burns!

Our old friend Bob Dylan has cited Scottish poet and songwriter, Robert Burns, as his major influence.

 Scotland – featuring Alan Mars, Harriet Anderson and the ancient Lychen swamp people!

By Michael MacLeod

THE original Robert Burns manuscript of Auld Lang Syne is going under the hammer – but the winner will be banned from taking it home.

As one of the world’s most famous songs, experts believe it will fetch over £50,000 at auction.

But instead of taking the treasured book home to keep, the winner will become the “patron” of the song.

All their money will buy is a plaque displaying their name, on show beside the manuscript in the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire.
The Hogmanay anthem is one of 250 Burns-related items being “sold off” to help fund the National Trust for Scotland’s Burns project.

Researchers found the manuscript – showing the Bard’s elaborate handwriting alongside musical notes – in the early 20th Century.

Nat Edwards, director of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, reckons bidders from across the globe will be keen to sponsor the book.

He said: “This manuscript is hugely important. It’s one of Burns’ best-known songs and it’s an international song.

“This is a unique opportunity for one person to sponsor the preservation of this one item.

“Lots of people sponsor rugby tournaments or other sporting events, but those are fleeting. What we are talking about here is Auld Lang Syne – the song everyone knows around the world.

“This will be popular with people who have a love of Burns and people who understand how relevant Burns is, both in Scotland and internationally.

“I imagine people will be bidding a bit more than £50,000.”

Burns wrote the legendary song in 1788, setting his lyrics to a traditional folk tune.

He changed the meaning of the originally dark hymn to become a song of celebration – still sung across the world at New Year.

Mr Edwards added: “It was quite a grim song lamenting the fickle nature of human friendship.

“Burns completely flipped the sentiment and rather than becoming a lament of defeat, it became a celebration of the human nature of friendship.”

The money raised by the manuscript’s sale will help curators at the museum, which opens next summer, to preserve all 250 items.

They will all go under the hammer at Bonham’s Auction House in Edinburgh in August.

Miranda Grant, Bonhams Scotland director, said: “We are very excited about this new relationship with the National Trust for Scotland.

“The Scottish sale is a marvellous vehicle to find a new patron for Auld Lang Syne as it has a strong appeal to anyone with a particular affection for Scotland and the arts.”

The Lisu are one of over 50 minority peoples in China. TBB Co-Founders, Robin and Sandy, had the opportunity to learn how the Lisu celebrate Duration :[More..]


Happy New Year, One and All… From now on, travel the road to a greater you. Allow yourself to enjoy a pilgrim

Tomorrow night is the 8th annual Robert Burns Dinner at the Country Squire Inn in Wallace, NC.  YOu can find more information at the Inn’s website:  http://www.CountrySquireInn.com .

2009 is the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth.

The Following, and Menu are directly quoted from the Inn’s site:

We think this is an evening you do not want to miss. Robert Burns was a Scottish poet who wrote for the common man and was not widely acclaimed until his death. Burns supper celebrations are held worldwide in January to honor Burns. The lowly dish of “Haggish” was immortalized by Burns and is always served on this occasion. It is presented with great ceremony and will be led in by Pipe Major Andrew Simpson. This is a fun occasion where you can experience a “wee bit of Scottish Culture” (or lack there of), an excuse to wear you kilt, if you have one hiding in the closet, and generally just have fun and fellowship with a group of people who enjoy getting together whether they have a good reason or not.

MENU

Haggis Neeps & Tatties
Followed by
Salad w/ Choice of Dressing
Choice of:
Spinach Stuffed Chicken w/ Cream Sauce
Or
8 oz. Ribeye
Or
Broiled Flounder
with Potato and Vegetable
Scottish Trifle
All dinners include glass of wine, tea, and coffee

January 24, 2008
6:00 p.m. – Cash Bar
7:00 p.m. – Dinner
$42.00 per person
call (910)-296-1727 ext. 155 for more info

748 NC HWY 24/50, WARSAW, NORTH CAROLINA
(910) 296-1727 or TOLL-FREE NC (877) 830-1602

A fun night, and something different to do if you are from the area and bored with your usual Saturday night. . .for more info on Robert Burns, check out the Wikipedia reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns where there’s all sorts of great info to include that he was the author of Auld Lang Syne. . .happy reading and perhaps I’ll see you there tomorrow night! 

“Three Days of Snow”

January 19th, 2009

There comes a time in the life of every sitcom that tries to be something different than your traditional sitcom that you stop thinking of its unique qualities as unique and start to view them as cliches, crutches the show uses to pretend that its storylines are something more than they really are. And considering that this is the umpteenth time that I will talk about how charming the show’s use of time in order to disrupt storylines, perhaps this is the time for How I Met Your Mother.

Now is not the time.

What makes “Three Days of Snow” such a strong episode is that the time-twisting trait of sorts was intertwined with the characters who hold this show together, returned to their simplest forms. Lily and Marshall use this three-day storm of the century to re-engage with the innocence of their married days, Ted and Barney try to pick up co-eds and investigate the futility of male fantasies, and Robin is forced to confront her robotic tendencies and perhaps open herself up to some sense of emotional connectivity in the future.

The result is, yes, the very definition of a sitcom episode: characters we know and love put in situations where they get to demonstrate why we love them. But HIMYM continues to shine when it uses these scenarios as a display for a unique comic voice and a unique sitcom structure that’s time is not up by a long shot.

The rituals of Lily and Marshall’s marriage have always been one of their most quaint characteristics, and this is not the first time where their busy lives and the drive towards a more mature relationship have challenged their quirks. It’s a simple storyline: they have their traditions, they’re losing sight of their traditions as they move further into adulthood and Marshall becomes more attached to his job, and now they are faced with one of their most charming traditions being taken away from them by what Marshall read in CosmoGirl. I’m just horribly charmed by this couple: they have always been the most youthful of our characters, not so much hopelessly naive (like Ted) than wonderfully comfortable with the state of their lives. For that to be in jeopardy, both of them coming to a realization that their attempts to ruin one tradition they had left were ill-advised, was actually disheartening in a way that few “sitcoms” are usually able to achieve.

Call me a hopeless romantic and you’d probably be wrong, but who couldn’t be at least somewhat emotionally moved by the final sequence where, after realizing that Marshall and Lily’s airport arrivals were actually separate by two days, we discover how the various plots of the episode come together for one rousing finale. The entire storyline had that air of something very familiar and comfortable: Ranjit being there at the airport in order to help Lily transport her keg of Seattle was in itself the kind of thing that takes any storyline (see: Ted’s date in “Ten Sessions”) and connects it (if very simply) to the show’s own sense of tradition. But as Marshall organized for a marching band to perform “Auld Lang Syne” and give Lily and Marshall a chance to reconnect with their traditions, I was emotionally lifted. The show is still capable of evoking those types of feelings, and I am very happy about this.

The other half of the episode was the second week in a row where I felt like Ted was used correctly – I have always contended that Ted is a perfectly good character when not the center of the show’s dramatic tension, and here I thought he was great with Barney. Their entire bartending montage to “Kokomo” was perfectly executed, Barney’s inner telepathic monologue consisting entirely of “Kokomo” was inspired, and the opening sequence of Barney consistently dragging Ted into McLaren’s was totally justified by the fantastic punchline of Barney calling him in to complement his joke instead of berating him for it. None of this is fundamentally new, but it’s one of my favourite dynamics: not Ted getting dragged along on one of Barney’s schemes, but rather Ted and Barney hatching a plan that was five years (and an ever-dangerous five words) in the making.

Their scheme was not so much crazy or inappropriate than it was just very typical: owning a bar is the kind of thing that guys dream of doing, even when it is both entirely impractical and a huge pain in the ass when it comes to kicking everyone out at last call. That last part is what Barney and Ted swore they would never do at Puzzles (the name of their imaginary bar), but there comes a point where they realize that they should stick with what they know: throwing a raging house party and checking to see if the flute section is seeing anyone.

But where the episode really came together was when everything melded into one: as the splitscreens showed us that the timeline was more skewed than we though, the episode title having more meaning than we expected, the two storylines converged into the great conclusion. The show’s traditions may be becoming a little bit rote, and certainly I’ve talked enough about them now that writing this much more may seem redundant, but darnit the things work: they took what was a very simple episode from a character perspective and turned it into a celebration of their simplicity in the face of some harsh reality.

Cultural Observations

• My favourite moment in the Lily and Marshall storyline other than its conclusion was perhaps Lily’s lovey-dovey phone call that Marshall attempted to respond to in official business talk. I loved it because of the inherent irony that his attempts at non-sexual discussion actually sounded extremely sexual, even when they were euphemisms for very innocent things. It’s the kind of scene the show does really well, and it worked great here.
• Similarly, I loved the bit about Barney’s Party School Bingo; it wasn’t that the idea was particularly clever, but rather his confusion at Ted’s insistence that the game have a goal other than to bag five co-eds whose school’s names were in a line either vertical, horizontal or diagonal. I greatly enjoyed it.
• Robin was the one character who went nowhere here, but I guess there’s a chance she might recall Marshall’s attack on her (and perhaps her SO blatant attempt at hitting on Marshall, poor thing) when eventually opening herself up to Barney’s love.

“Auld Lang Syne” is wan ae the maist well kent poyems in the Inglis spakin warld. Hooeer, the maist muckle pairts ae it wir screevd in Scots bae the Scottis Poyet Rabbie Burns.

____________________________________________________________________

“Auld Lang Syne” is one of the most well-known poems in the English-speaking world.
However, the majority of the lyrics were compiled in Scots by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

____________________________________________________________________

Auld Lang Syne Burns’ Oreeginal

Chorus.
And for auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne,

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes
And pu’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d i’ the burn,
Frae mornin’ sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

____________________________________________________________

Old Long Past Standard English Translation

Chorus.
And for old long past, my joy (sweetheart),
For old long past,
We will take a cup of kindness yet,
For old long past,

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days of old long past.

And surely you will pay for your pint-vessel!
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet,
For old long past.

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the wild daisies fine;
But we have wandered many a weary foot
Since old long past.

We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till noon;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since old long past.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend!
And give me a hand of yours!
And we will take a right good-will drink,
For old long past.

It’s that time of year. Whether snow is falling by you or not, it’s likely holiday fever is running rampant.

Television shows, including teen dramas, are known for considering the holidays to be “gifts”–easy excuses for getting all the characters together in one place and having drama ensue. But when this is done year in and year out by seemingly a bazillion shows each year, it can become stale after a while.

In the teen drama world, there’s been a few gems. This week we’ll take a look at some of my favorite Christmas-Hanukkah-New Year’s-Plain Ol’ Winter episodes, show-by-show.

TODAY: Beverly Hills 90210

1. Episode 3.16, It’s a Totally Happening Life

The title is obviously a reference to It’s a Wonderful Life, the plot of which the show kind of  toys with. In this episode, two angels–one who is trying to advance in the angel world–take a look at what should be a normal day for our Beverly Hills gang–albeit, one with fighting among nearly all the characters and a bus ride that could prove deadly. One of the angels serves as a narrator, explaining to the other the dynamics among the characters (it can be quite humorous at times) and even pausing or rewinding as it jumps from storyline to storyline and back again. I remember hating this episode years ago but as I watch it now, I see the storytelling as creative instead of annoying and the message heartfelt instead of cheesy. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that one of the storylines centers around one of my favorite love triangles, Brenda-Dylan-Kelly.

2. Episode 5.14, Injustice For All

Beverly Hills 90210 was on for 10 years, which means it had quite a few Christmas episodes. Heck, even one of the characters–Donna–shared a birthday with the holiday. But nothing gave me more pleasure than when they incorporated Hanukkah into the mix. As a member of the tribe–though, to be honest, one who alternately hates and loves the religion–I always feel pride when pop culture gives Judaism some attention. It’s partly why I identified with Andrea so much (one major difference: no marriage and baby in college for me!). In this episode, Andrea throws a Hanukkah party and we get latkes and dreidel games, just a few episodes after a chilling storyline on anti-Semitism (Episode 5.11, Hate Is Just A Four-Letter Word).

3. Episode 6.16, Turn Back the Clock

Like my first pick, this episode sheds the linear storytelling format in favor of flashbacks. As some of the characters sit around recounting a disastrous New Year’s Eve, they’re slowly joined by more and more of the gang who provide additional details. The episode also features performances by The Corrs, including a great rendition of the holiday classic “Auld Lang Syne.”

Come back tomorrow for a Dawson’s Creek Christmas gone wrong!

Available for decades only to Beatles bootleg collectors or fan club members that got their hands on the original in 1967 (or on the 1970 Christmas compilation), “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” is the Beatles only real Christmas song.   If you didn’t have the fan club Christmas stuff or bootlegs, this was released in 1995 on the CD single (or EP) for “Free As A Bird.”  As John says in the introduction, “It’s a bouncy remix.”  The lyrics are about as simple as can be, but the song’s catchy.  It sounds like the Beatles having fun on a throw away song, which, in my view, gives it immense value.  If I’m not mistaken, the little “Auld Lang Syne” bit at the end was grafted onto it for “Free as a Bird” EP.  I do not recall that ever being part of the bootleg mixes.  If you’ve never heard it before and you like the Beatles, I think you’ll enjoy it.

I don’t know why I am in this frame of mind these days. Nostalgic, I mean. I’ve always loved this song, but never had the good sense to hunt it down on YouTube. I would ask sundry people to sing it for me, so that I could learn the words.

The words–that’s the beauty of this song. It’s one of the rare Rabindra Sangeet pieces that I can actually fully understand on my own. Rabindranath Tagore had such a brilliant command on the language that someone like me, who even messes up colloquial Bengali, can never really grasp his brand of literature. But whenever someone takes pity and explains the words to me, I can truly appreciate the brilliance of it.

Rabindrasangeet, as a genre, does not appeal to me. At all. The simple reason is the way it is sung. Tagore apparently laid down some ground rules and even after his demise, the Vishwa Bharati University in Shantiniketan regulates them. Not that one will be thrown into jail for inability to adhere to them, but it’s ‘frowned upon’. And the noble task of ‘frowning upon’ is undertaken by such a large population of Bengal that one feels intimidated enough not to deviate from the norm.

Rabindrasangeet is supposed to be sung with no instruments, or at the most, with  a harmonium. I don’t really have a problem with that bit. What gets to me is the tone in which people sing it.  It’s this flat soporific tone. The tunes are actually quite sweet, if  one is allowed to sing it normally. Many of his songs are raag-based, and the voice modulations are quite challenging. But sadly, improvisations are not welcomed.

I limit myself to humming the tunes in the confines of my room or bathroom. Going public with Rabindrasangeet is dangerous. Especially for me, because I have a tendency to westernize the melodies. And I hardly EVER listen to the songs, because almost all recorded pieces are compulsorily sung in that god-forsaken manner.

This particular song “Purono shei diner kotha” is set to the tune of the Scottish folksong ‘Auld Lang Syne’. The words are also adapted from the version penned down by Robert Burns. I recently ran into the English translation of the Scottish poem :

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

             For auld lang syne, my dear,
            for auld lang syne,
            we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
            for auld lang syne.

It’s not a literal adaptation of course. The slopes of the Scottish highlands have been replaced with the canopy of local-flora. And the chorus has a slightly different meaning. But in essence, it’s the same thing. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ basically means ‘of old times’, hence “Purono shei diner kotha”.

For the nostalgia emanating from the words, I love the Bengali song. But for the beauty of the tune, I love this version of  ‘Auld Lang Syne’ reproduced by Kenny G — the reason I fell in love with the saxophone!

I have never made a New Year’s Resolutions.  I figure, if I cannot get myself to do “whatever it is” during the year, then I am not going to follow through just because it is January 1^st.  I have not even gone to a New Years Eve party in many years and I rather miss doing so. 

One of my grand nephews posted his New Year’s resolutions the other day and it made me wonder about New Year’s traditions.  Like most research, you never learn just one thing, when you start digging. 

Did you know?:

That, Auld Lang Syne is actually a Scottish song and is totally unreadable in English for me.  I really like Hamish Macbeth and Bagpipes and the landscape of Scotland and the lilt in their speech.  I just cannot always understand it.  Thanks to poet, Robert Burns, who wrote it, and Guy Lombardo, who first played it in 1929, we have a tradition that makes us feel, on January 1st, like we are part of something greater, as people all over  (okay, in your time zone anyway) sing the same song, at the same time, just with the wrong lyrics.  Sort of like our National Anthem, eh?  Check the link at the bottom of this post to view the proper lyrics.

That, Scotland is also the birthplace of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY).  This is a “rousing” Scottish tradition of “first-footing.”  Okay, when did the Scottish ever do anything that was n0t rousing?  That is why I love them so.  ”First-footing” is when neighbors visit each other for New Year’s wishes.  They bring a gift of coal for the fire (which would be really welcome this year) and shortbread (which, I have had honest-to-goodness Scottish Shortbread and it is good).  It is sort of like our bottle of booze and cookies, which would be equally welcome.  The part I like is that it is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark and handsome man is the first person to enter your house after the New Year is rung.  Hmmmm, Viggo Mortensen, I will be waiting.  (HAH!  Betcha thought I could not figure a way to get him in for New Years?)

 On to Japan: As a symbol of renewal, New Years is a very important holidame to bid farewell to the problems of the past and prepare for a new beginning, and houses are scrubbed, with this in mind.  For several years now, I have said to myself “Whew! That year is done.  It’s gotta get better, next year.”  Now, I know where my problem lies.  This New Year’s day will find me elbow deep in soapy water.  I am working on a good new year.

Then, in Spain, they eat twelve grapes at midnight.  This secures twelve happy months.  So, I will be scrubbing with grapes in my mouth. 

In my Ancestral homeland of the Netherlands, at least the Dutch part, they burn their Christmas trees and shoots off fireworks to purge the old and welcome the new.  Since husband is allergic to what they put on fir trees, I have a plastic one.  Oh, the shame and totally non-burnable, so can I just burn the wood that is down from the tornado?  I am hedging all bets here.

So, this year, as the New Year ball drops in Times square and millions of people in fancy clothing gather to swill their favorite drink , eat cookies, and sing Auld Lang Syne , I shall be down on my knees scrubbing the house and eating grapes and blacked eyed peas.  This is a traditional southern dish and ensures I will have plenty of everything the rest of the new year.

And, what about my New Year’s Resolutions?  Those items the Babylonians are believed to have first made and broken? 

If we just work at:

• treating each other with respect
• treating our world with respect
• and treating ourselves with respect

How can we lose?

It’s the first time I have used infoplease New Year’s Traditions  check it out.

A few weeks ago, I used this space to bemoan the fact that quote-unquote holiday music had begun to haunt the halls of my mind like some musical Marley’s ghost. “Bah! Be gone,” I said, “it’s too early.” It wasn’t even Thanksgiving, and yet the strains of carols old and new were already jingling and clinking their tinny notes, bearing down on me like some funereal locomotive, unexpectedly and unwelcome, no doubt triggered by the appearance of some annoying TV advertisement, an undigested bit of cheese, or some suchlike other humbug.

I tried ignoring them at first, hoping they’d eventually settle down and merge with the general murmur that normally fills the chambers between my ears. But I couldn’t, and they didn’t. They grew louder and merrier, in fact, and over the course of the ensuing days began appearing before me in the shapes of beings I dreaded most. I tried getting angry: “Out upon Christmas!” I shouted. “What right have you to be merry? What’s Christmas but a time for paying bills without money, a time for finding yourself a year older and not a hair richer?” Nothing worked. On they came, continuing to vex me, subtly at times — in the quiet of an elevator, for instance — and at other times brazenly, loudly, as if every bell was ringing in my house at once, on its own accord.

So I decided I’d better pay attention to what I was hearing and, believe it or not, these restless specters spoke to me in a way I hadn’t anticipated. “Why do you doubt your senses?” they queried. “There are many things from which you have derived good but by which you have never profited. Blogging, for one thing, and Christmas, too, among the rest.” To which I had no response. I howled, but I knew they were right.

Thus, I soon found myself seeking out Christmas songs and other seasonal music in great haste (see, miracles really do happen). After all, I realized, I will only be able to enjoy — and, let’s be honest, to tolerate — this sudden, joyful melomania for a few short weeks; like eggnog, one can only stomach all that syrupy sweetness for so long.

I also discovered that, when it comes to holiday music, I have fairly wide tolerance. There are a few artists and genres that don’t make me cheerful (for instance, I keep hoping Mannheim Steamroller will run out of hot air), but I like pretty much everything else, from Bing to Brian Setzer, The Muppets to Motown, New Age to Nat King Cole. And, as with other musical adventures I go on, I try to seek out the holiday novelties rather than just settle for the old chestnuts crackling on the Victrola, so to speak.

Following is a playlist of seasonal songs plucked from this year’s furze of new releases. They run the gamut from new compositions to reinterpretations of old standbys. There are appearances by some usual suspects, along with a few surprises and a couple of misfits to please even the stubbornest Scrooge. I am certain some of these songs will become instant classics for you; some may need a little time to simmer, cider-like, for your full enjoyment; and a few you may decide to re-gift right away. And that’s OK — ’tis the season!

Be sure to click on each of the links below to sample the songs (open each as a new tab or window), and then follow the threads to find out where you can download them. Or you can listen to the playlist in its entirety at the Scribbleskiff page on the 8tracks Web site. Just click HERE, open as a new tab or window, and let the music play as you read along. Enjoy!

“The Snow It Melts the Soonest,” Sting, If On a Winter’s Night. Former Police-man Sting lately has transformed himself from pop star to troubadour, rediscovering and revitalizing music from the ancient and not-so-distant past. He has recorded songs penned by an eclectic mix of writers and composers, including William Blake, John Dowland, and Robert Johnson, with a variety of musicians, from hip-hoppers to lutanists. So it’s not surprising his first holiday CD should favor obscure over more obvious compositions (ie, no “Jingle Bells” here). What makes his choices so effective, especially on this spare, wintry Newcastle folksong, is that he has found music that suits his softened, slightly tattered voice (raddled from reaching too many “Roxannas” to the highest?), not the other way round. It’s a haunting, lovely prelude to the season, and I’ll wager a crown you’ll agree.

“Snow Angel,” Tori Amos. Midwinter Graces. I have to admit that Tori Amos recordings can be an acquired taste for me, sometimes requiring a more labored acquisition than others. Mostly she wears her fantastical, Kate Bush-inspired mantle with grace and panache. But some of her more overtly confessional songs can be, well, too distracting. Here, though, she won me over right away. The seasonally themed lyrics are touching and catchy, and the breezy, backing strings lend her characteristically lolling, moody piano playing both a sense of gravitas and uplift that seem appropriate and necessary.

“Christmas Time Is Here,” A Fine Frenzy, Oh, Blue Christmas (EP). Sometimes it takes a reinterpretation to better appreciate something you’ve known a long time (and possibly taken for granted). The most memorable scenes in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” one of my favorite holiday TV specials, revolve around Vince Guaraldi’s jazzy instrumentals — the dance party (“Linus & Lucy”) being the most popular. And yet I had nearly forgotten how much I liked this song, which mostly serves as background music for a montage of scenes (including the ice-skating party), until I heard this cover by indie darling A Fine Frenzy (aka, Alison Sudol). Not only does her crystalline, sylphish take on it make me want to watch the show again, this new version also might be the Charlie Brownest.

“Candy Cane Christmas,” Darius Rucker, Candy Cane Christmas (Single). Look who’s all grown up. Rucker, the frontman for Hootie & The Blowfish, a college-rock band hugely popular in the mid-1990s (though fairly uninspiring since then), has traded in his tour T-shirts for a button-down and some quality time with the family. And he’s added a string section and a touch of down-home country twang, to boot. What keeps this “sweet,” waltzy original from sliding into schmaltzy, however, is Rucker’s voice: the man can sing. In fact, his smooth, soulful Nat King Cole-like voice should place this tune alongside the best of the Christmas crooners in your collection.

“A Christmas Compromise,” The Bird and The Bee. Safety Harbor Kids Holiday Collection. I know I’m not alone in stating that the best holiday “classics” were created in the mid to late 1960s. I mean, don’t you need a little Rankin/Bass, right this very minute? If so, then listen to “A Christmas Compromise,” by The Bird and The Bee, an indie  band from LA whose infectious melodies have a campy, throwback sound — somewhere between the bossa nova and the B-52’s — that’s perfect for the job. Their new song, found on a compilation CD created to raise money for the Safety Harbor Kids organization, is at once goofy and cool, fun and earnest, and seasonably essential. Just like Frosty himself.

“Cool Yule,” Hot Club of San Francisco, Cool Yule. If you like mistletoe-tapping jazz music with a gypsy swagger, the way Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli used to cut it, then you’ve found your bliss. Originally written by Steve Allen and recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1953, this updated version trades Satchmo’s brassy licks for a guitar- and violin-based rhythm that really swings. So hot it’s cool.

“Must Be Santa,” Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart. I first heard this song years ago, on a Raffi Christmas cassette tape that my then-young kids played endlessly in the car stereo. And since that time, I have always (fondly) equated it with the other mild-mannered children’s holiday music: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Up on the House-Top,” etc. Until now, that is. As only he could do, Dylan has created a grown-up’s version by speeding up the tempo, adding several carousing back-up singers, some Tex-Mex spices, and a few surprises (like the inexplicable roll-call of presidents). In other words, it’s a jolly roadhouse romp sure to make any silent night shake, rattle, and roll.

“The Chanukah Song,” Neil Diamond, A Cherry Cherry Christmas. Neil Diamond is perhaps my mom’s favorite musician, and he has always been a guilty pleasure for her dutiful son, too. So it seems fitting to pick something from Diamond’s new Christmas album (which, cobbled together with some songs from his previous releases, is more like a best of). Although I think the title track and “Christmas Dream,” the two new ones, are nice, this kitschy cover of Adam Sandler’s shtick (think “The Dreidel Song” meets “America,” with Guns ‘N’ Roses as back-up band) is too naughty to pass up. Go tell your friend Veronica.

“Father Christmas,” Cary Brothers, Father Christmas (EP). The story goes like this: A department store Santa Claus gets mugged by a group of poor kids who take his money (leaving the toys for the “little rich boys”) and ask for more practical things, like a job for daddy and a machine gun. Just another heartwarming holiday classic, right? Well, yes, in the hands of The Kinks, who could write great songs about anything, including the unlikely likable combination of violent crime, retribution, and redemption. And although this is a fairly o-come-all-ye-faithful cover, Cary Brothers, a folk-rocker from Nashville, takes a looser, laid-back approach that softens the original’s edge while staying on message.

“Winter,” Christmas, Christmas 7″. Although they label themselves “a psych-dance-punk band from Olympia, Washington,” a description that calls to mind an entirely different kind of sugar plum, I couldn’t resist the name of the band or their song. And so what if, after several spins, I’m not entirely sure what this has to do with the incoming holiday or season. There’s enough raw energy, surf influences, reverb-laden guitars, and pounding drums to make anyone feel like riding the crest of Christmas.

“This Christmas,” The Elves of Heaven. This Christmas (Single). At first I thought this song sounded a little like “Christmas Wrapping,” by The Waitresses, though perhaps produced by (the pre-incarcerated) Phil Spector. Now I think it could be some kind of new Band-Aid song (not that there’s anything wrong with that). In either case, don’t wait until next Christmas to grab this free, breezy, retro ’80s-sounding original, which marks the first release by South Street Records, the new label from New York’s South Street Seaport music venue.

“Winterlove,” Parachute, Winterlove EP. Earlier this year, I played the stuffing out of (and consequently scribbled about) this band’s song “Under Control,” from their debut album, which came my way on a recommendation from my 11-year-old nephew. As newcomers, this Charlottesville-based quintet follow a familiar, piano-based power-ballad path cleared by the likes of The Fray and Gavin DeGraw. And though they don’t stray too far off course for their seasonal release, they slow the pace a bit and add some space, creating a sense of comfort and longing that is anything but ho-ho-humdrum.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Colbie Caillat, A Very Special Christmas 7. Fans of singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat, like my teenage daughter, call her “Coco” (the title of her debut LP, BTW). And that seems appropriate for someone whose version of this song feels as warming and comfortable as mug of hot chocolate. It’s a fairly standard treatment of an old standard, but Caillat wraps it up with the right touch of coziness, soulful sophistication, and sunny charm to help put your troubles out of sight, for a little while, at least.

“Deck the Halls,” R.E.M., Gift Wrapped: 20 Songs That Keep on Giving! Talk about the passion: I once was a card-carrying member of the R.E.M. fan club, mainly because they sent out holiday gifts — usually a key-chain or pin, along with a “holiday single” on 45 rpm — to all their members. I have several vinyl versions from the late 1980s, but somehow not this one, which is commercially available for the first time on a new CD compilation from Warner Bros. When I downloaded it from iTunes (for $1.29!) recently, I considered it a very belated present to myself.

“Auld Lang Syne,” The Mumlers, Auld Lang Syne (Single). I don’t know how it was for you, but 2009 was certainly a momentous, gut-churning year here at Scribbleskiff. It was Dickensian (“the best of times … the worst of times”) in so many ways. So, then, what better way to bid farewell to something so bittersweet than with a bluesy, rousing, slightly inebriated rendition of the greatest send-off song of all time? Go download this single by a young Tom Waitsian sextet from Silicon Valley, pour yourself a cup o’ kindness, and sing along, for auld lang syne.

So, there you have it, 15 new songs of the season. Whether you enjoy following the antics of Old St. Nick or simply reveling in the quiet sounds of winter, we at Scribbleskiff hope this music will provide you with some new reasons to gather near your faithful friends (like you, dear reader) once more. Happy holidays!

As always, tell us what you think. Is there another new holiday song that you’d like others to know more about? What’s your favorite seasonal classic? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Download MxPx’s version of “Auld Lang Syne” for free here.