Arts | Entertainment | Crafts | Life
The holiday song most folks know is ”The 12 Days of Christmas.”
But which version?
The original, beginning with “A partridge in a pear tree?”
Or the localized pidgin one, starting with “One mynah bird in one papaya tree?” This rendering often is called “Numbah One Day of Christmas.”
So the issue and today’s “Just Asking” query: Which version can you sing without checking the internet for lyrics you’ve forgotten?
No searching the lyrics on the internet, please.
Robert Cazimero did his final Christmas concerts last night (Dec. 20) at Chef Chai’s.
Several audience members – plus the performers, including Cazimero’s hula dancers Sky Perkins Gora and Keala “Bully” Makaiau – were decked in red attire. “Code Red” was the motif of Cazimero’s final performance till next year.
I asked Bully where he found his red trousers, and he remarked “I think I got it someplace like Gap (or Old Navy) 20 years ago…and it still fits.”
Since I reviewed Cazimero’s Tuesday’s performance, I’ll bypass the usual commentary and simply share a pictorial and say the evening was a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Sky Perkins Gora, left, and Keola “Bully” Makaiau
All week, Cazimero was testing the jingle the water glasses sing-and-chime novelty, and had Saturday’s audience tingling to “Sleigh Ride” and “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells” plus the original “Jingle Bells,” and clearly will repeat this in his next series of holiday shows.
The Haradas had red gear, too; so did our grand nephew John Rhoades.
There were guest hula dancers and some show biz folks like Marlene Sai and Brandy Lee in the house. ‘Twas a nice way to start a Merry Christmas around the corner,
A pictorial is shared here…
And that’s Show Biz…
Do you have a favorite Christmas song?
With so many Christmas melodies recorded years ago but annually srevived and shared on radio during the holiday season, the choices are varied and plentiful.
Just asking…
So I’ll start the ball rolling.
For a holly jolly mood, I love “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells,” an increasingly popular December number, was recorded by both Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra (separately, of course). Its jingle is easy to remember, adorable and charming, and it’s a contagious sing-along that’s hard to resist. In my book, it surpasses the traditional “Jingle Bells,” and the spelling version is a novelty spin-off of the original number.
For solemnity and a pause from the hectic holiday rhythm, I turn to Willie K’s “O Holy Night.” Beats any other version available. No contest, hometown loyalty aside.
For the essence of the Christmas spirit, I vote for “We Need a Little Christmas,” performed by Angela Lansbury, in Jerry Herman’s hit Broadway musical, “Mame.” The tune establishes the holiday mood in the play’s storytelling, and has since jumped out of the soundtrack with a life and identity of its own.
A close second in the mood-maker would be “Sleigh Ride,” by Johnny Mathis, a legendary singer, with pipes had that ring-ting-jingling mood.
Sorry, Mariah Carey: I love “All I Want for Christmas” and you dominate the pop charts this time of year, so congrats.
These tree cards are colorful and easy to make. If you have wrapping paper scraps with Christmas motifs, it’ll cost you almost nothing.
Start with card-stock paper, and cut to desirable size; one 8 ½ x 11 sheet will make two cards.
I was in a creative mood today, so decided to whip out my scraps of Christmas wrapping paper and hand-cut three sizes, of differing designs and colors, for a tree top and two lower tiers to complete the tree design.
I used two-sided tape to arrange, shape and complete the tree motif, taping the three pieces to form the tree.
I always have sticker gold stars on hand, so applied one to the tree top.
For a bit of a shimmer, I glued thin, silvery tree trim, in-between the paper segments.
I cut corrugated card scraps, to form the tree base, but you can use any kind of paper – plain or with appropriate design — to mount as the base.
You’ll need envelopes, of course; the required size: 4 3/4″ by 5 1/2 ” envelopes.
And here’s how the final products looked. (Above).
The individual tree was my favorite (inserted within text) from today’s make-a-tree session.
And I’ve already mailed off seven or eight cards this month.
Robert Cazimero’s Christmas shows at Chef Chai’s will be a five-night shindig his year; the first evening was last night (Tuesday, Dec. 16) and the run continues nightly through Saturday (Dec. 20).
Already, a Christmas tree is up and decorated, and yes, ’tis the season to be jolly. No holly, but the prevailing mood is ho-ho-ho. And heightening.
If you’ve been a Cazimero/Chai’s regular, you’ll discover a few updates but mostly familiar protocols in what the kumu hula describes as “our little party.”
Highlights and summaries:
And that’s Show Biz…