I have the same feeling about the Christmas music. If you go to any retail store the play only the modern secular music, which is just a lot of noise and selfishness. I also noticed some of the songs trying to paint Santa as a Christ-like figure, saying he'd answer your prayers.
I like old-style Christmas carols, not so much the modern ones. In Germany the Christmas songs are usually very nice. In Brazil (I lived there in my youth) they used to play all the time a Brazilian version of "And so it is Christmas", which was I think by Lennon and Yoko, but it was really awful.
These days I like to listen to medieval Christmas songs. This one, an old Breton song, I find really nice, even though I can't understand the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4pKrYPd2zg
I know what you mean about the Christmas cards. I still regularly send a dozen or so cards out every year, and so I buy my cards as boxed sets. It is incredibly difficult to find attractive cards that celebrate the birth of Christ - or even cards that say "Merry Christmas"! It's all "seasons greetings" and "happy holidays."
Thank your for doing a post today - I especially appreciated the line, "Peace on Earth to all men of good will." I hadn't noticed the men of *good will* part before, and that resonated with me!
Apparently this part is many times mistranslated in English as "peace and good will towards men", but, at least according to the Vulgata in Latin, it should be "peace to all men of good will" (et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis.) I never really learned Latin, but the suffix "-bus" means "to", therefore, "to men of good will").
Merry Christmas Tom,
I have the same feeling about the Christmas music. If you go to any retail store the play only the modern secular music, which is just a lot of noise and selfishness. I also noticed some of the songs trying to paint Santa as a Christ-like figure, saying he'd answer your prayers.
I like old-style Christmas carols, not so much the modern ones. In Germany the Christmas songs are usually very nice. In Brazil (I lived there in my youth) they used to play all the time a Brazilian version of "And so it is Christmas", which was I think by Lennon and Yoko, but it was really awful.
These days I like to listen to medieval Christmas songs. This one, an old Breton song, I find really nice, even though I can't understand the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4pKrYPd2zg
I love the old hymnal Christmas music. Thank you for the share, I enjoyed listening to it.
I recently been enjoying Russian folk Christmas music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COI9tn2hlGQ&list=OLAK5uy_nVkkA_0tbT1gOtxxJ6T0xpatpEDxjNLsM&index=3
Merry Christmas Tom!
I know what you mean about the Christmas cards. I still regularly send a dozen or so cards out every year, and so I buy my cards as boxed sets. It is incredibly difficult to find attractive cards that celebrate the birth of Christ - or even cards that say "Merry Christmas"! It's all "seasons greetings" and "happy holidays."
Thank your for doing a post today - I especially appreciated the line, "Peace on Earth to all men of good will." I hadn't noticed the men of *good will* part before, and that resonated with me!
All the best in 2025.
Apparently this part is many times mistranslated in English as "peace and good will towards men", but, at least according to the Vulgata in Latin, it should be "peace to all men of good will" (et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis.) I never really learned Latin, but the suffix "-bus" means "to", therefore, "to men of good will").
That detail makes all the difference! I will always think of the CORRECT translation when I hear that phrase now.