So... a week or two ago, I thought I had TC. I wrote this diary, went to get comments, and... saw someone else had grabbed them. Went to the calendar and found it wasn't me up that night. So glad I discovered it before we had an "awkward moment" there on the Recent Diaries list, but it left me with a diary to use. Here in Casa Brillig the defined Holiday Music window is from when Santa is sighted at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade until New Year's Day. Ergo, this diary is still topical and doesn't need to go into draft limbo til next year!
A few years ago I did a TC on favorite Christmas Carols. There are of course new versions out since then that could populate an update, but instead this year, let's take a look at the wierd, the questionable of spirit, and the just plain "what were they thinking?!" Follow me below the dingledoodle squigglie dKosagnocchi ornament fold after a word from our sponsor...
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We Wish You A Merry Christmas - This 16th century English carol sounds innocuous, what with the tidings of good cheer and wishes for a happy New Year. Then before you can say "same to you" it turns into Christmas: The Siege. "Bring us some figgy pudding... we won't go until we get some!" I don't know about you, but the prospect of a dozen carolers camped out on my front porch until Epiphany or later because all I've got is some Pillsbury Cranberry Quick Bread or a few cups of Jello Pudding is fairly terrifying. As I wrote this a friend dropped by, and quipped as I told her my topic that she keeps Fig Newtons in the pantry just in case feisty carolers swing by :).
Baby, It's Cold Outside - This song was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser. K1 characterizes this as the "Christmas Date Rape Song" because it features a very insistent man cajoling his date into staying with him. A selection of her protestations and his replies:
I really can't stay - But baby it's cold outside ... My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry? ... Say what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there ... I ought to say no no no sir - Mind if I move in closer ... At least I'm going to say that I tried - What's the sense of hurtin my pride ... The answer is no - But, Baby it's cold outside
I'm thinking she should have met him in a public place on a double date with a down-to-earth friend who doesn't drink. Hopefully she won't need rape insurance.
Oh Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas Tree) - Nice centuries-old German folk song co-opted into a Christmas carol, and it really is pretty. So why does it make my list? Because Dr. Who's Christmas episodes, that's why. The Spinning Christmas Tree of Death? I give my tree a wide berth late at night...
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - wherein a poor male reindeer is ostracized by his peers because of his red nose. Until, of course, Santa makes him valuable and the reindeer become utter suck-ups trying to get in good with the now A-list rangifer. Yeah, exactly the moral I'm hoping for this season of hope and light. "It's ok to shun Johnny, but if he happens to win the lottery, make sure to let him know you never really meant any of that shit you said."
Of course, each of these songs has a perfectly culturally acceptable reason why the lyrics are what they are:
Upper-class English society engaged in a bit of charity as they gifted the lower classes under the guise of "we sing, you feed us." Think a bit of Halloween trick-or-treat mischief added in, and you've got the gist of figgy pudding extortion.
As explained in Persephone Magazine, "Baby" in that story was a woman who wanted to stay with her beau, but society frowned mightily on the idea - so he was giving cover replies to keep relatives pacified and her reputation intact. The drink comment so many point to today was a common construct at the time, whereby inappropriate behaviour was blamed on drink; the joke being everyone knew the drink wasn't spiked and the behaviour deliberate!
Back in the 1930s a red nose was the caricature of a chronic alcoholic, and so the Rudolph story is one of the town drunkard saving the day and becoming a hero others respected.
The tree? Trees might be Sycorax weapons, I'm not taking chances. :-) What carols make you double take?
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything
without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do
not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From BeninSC:
I found this comment by BrentRitzel in TXsharon's fine diary on Fracking and Earthquakes. It is Brent's first ever comment on Daily Kos, a diary-length comment that provides the authoritative and informed input we always need and cherish on all technical subjects. Well done!
From pixxer:
In a most excellent, spotlighted diary, My Grandfather's Barometer Dbug reminds us about understandings we may have lost in this information-overloaded age. In this comment, se portland helps us recover a bit of that by making our own barometers! Gooserock also described how to make a barometer. I saw se portland's first but gooserock actually posted first.
From mrsgoo:
On ACA signups, Brainwrap gave a late teaser update diary tonight. Excel spreadsheet hilarity by philipmerrill ensued.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
In erdoc in PA's excellent How a sudden moment in the ER symbolized progress in social justice, Dallasdoc caught my eye with his comment, specifically that marriage equality means not having to deal with relationship ambiguity in others. He said it better.
Top Mojo for yesterday, December 28th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Lol try harder. Seems to me that Obama admin was by doroma — 132
2) Snowden is a traitor but the NSA must be curbed? by SpecialKinFlag — 110
3) Thanks, Justice. For the record, the honor... by Meteor Blades — 101
4) If not for the intervention we would not by RfrancisR — 98
5) Ibaé Brother Carter. by Denise Oliver Velez — 89
6) DKos has embraced the Party's status quo... by bobswern — 89
7) it's sad really by quill — 87
8) Beoing from a foreign country by Armando — 85
9) To quote the great comedian Scott Thompson on by Tackle — 79
10) NeoCONNED again. by TopCat — 78
11) And, of course, enforcement of the laws... by Meteor Blades — 78
12) It wasn't an embassy. by psnyder — 75
13) I'm sorry by Armando — 75
14) Everyone is entitled to his own opinion by SW — 72
15) Treason as defined in the Constitution by Armando — 70
16) Eugene Robinson: Snowden's "Person of the Year" by bobswern — 70
17) Keep filling those vacant judge seats Harry. by skillet — 69
18) I think it's important to distinguish ... by Adam B — 67
19) Really, the diary is quite trollish imo. by divineorder — 66
20) USA Today Column: Snowden Tech Person of the Year by bobswern — 66
21) Translation by LaFeminista — 65
22) Nice. by SpecialKinFlag — 65
23) Memories by Denise Oliver Velez — 64
24) 23% of the wealthy gamble? by JRElliott — 64
25) I can understand the reluctance -- but I'm glad by theKgirls — 63
26) I read the comments to this article by MadRuth — 63
27) The country still has much to learn by Kitsap River — 63
28) Normally, I don't respond to such comments. by David Harris Gershon — 63
29) It wasn't the bombing by wouthera — 62
30) I'd say Snowden fulfilled his oath... by ApostleOfCarlin — 62
Top Pictures for yesterday, December 28th. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!