Cousins at Christmas: Thor,
John, Peter, Dave, Ann, Steve, Vicki, Irish Setter Mike
Dear George,
Every year Christmas Eve
takes me back nostalgically to family celebrations at our house on Riverside
Boulevard in Menominee. Friends
would visit all week long, Vic would spray paint an evergreen at the auto body
shop, our extended family would gather for a big party on Christmas Eve, Doris
would prepare a holiday banquet, and we’d all wait anxiously for Santa. It recently struck me that this grand
family occasion has never been set to music. The lyrics below are written to be
sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
“Jingle Bells”, of course, starts with an initial verse (“Dashing
through the snow / In a one-horse open sleigh / O’er the fields we go …etc.),
followed by the chorus (“Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the
way…etc.). Then another verse (“A
day or two ago…”), a repetition of the chorus, etc. If you want to play the tune on the piano while you sing,
the musical score is available at www.jingle-bells-lyrics.com. Here’s my revised Menominee family
version.
Love,
Dave
When we were little kids
And lived on Riverside
December was the best
Because of Yuletide
We
all believed in Santa
He
lives at the North Pole
We
learned if kiddies misbehaved
They’d
get a lump of coal
(chorus)
Norway pines
River ice
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
My dad would take us kids
We’d walk across the road
He’d pick a tall blue
spruce
To home the tree we towed
Then to the body shop
They’d spray it blue or
pink
Aunt Martha was perplexed
She knew not what to think
(chorus)
Norway pines
Colored lights
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
Christmas
was our party time
Friends
stopped by every day
The
adults joked and talked
The
kids played on the bay
My parents had great
friends
O’Haras, Worths, and Mars
Sawyers, Caleys, St. Peters
too
The Jacobsen girls were
stars
Norway pines
Acorn fights
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
Our family met on Christmas
Eve
We played games with our
cousins
The grownups got all cheery
Drinking Swedish glug by
the dozens
My uncles Ralph and Kent
Brought drugstore samples
for all
Uncle Karl brought furs and
jewels
Aunt Millie spoke in a
drawl
(chorus)
Norway pines
Popcorn strings
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
My mother cooked a feast
Roast turkey, brussel
sprouts
About those sweet potatoes
I always had my doubts
Dessert would be schaum
torte
Such an incredible dish
How did Doris make it?
Perhaps she boiled a fish
(chorus)
Norway pines
Chickadees
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
We’d leap right up at
sunrise
And rush down to the tree
The presents were in piles
For Pete, Steve, Vick, and
me
Roller skates, water paints
Checker boards and trains
Lincoln logs and teddy
bears
It frazzled our kiddie
brains
(chorus)
Norway pines
Mistletoe
Santa we love you
All those gifts, it’s just
so fine
And we got some ice cream
too
Now that I’m grown up
A thought occurs to me
It wasn’t even Santa
Who brought us all that
glee
My parents kept it hidden
And worked behind the
scenes
They never took the credit
But we know what it means
(chorus)
Norway pines
River ice
Sweet parents we love you
All your gifts, they were
so fine
You gave us ice cream
too-ooh
Norway pines
River ice
Sweet parents we love you
All your gifts, they were
so fine
And you gave us ice cream
too!
G-Mail Comments
-JML (12-27): That's great dad. Forgot about your
painted trees. Merry Christmas
-Donna D (12-25): David, this brought a joyous tear to my
eye:). Did u cry as u wrote this? Sooo fun.... Makes ur family Christmas sound
like every kids (and adults) dream, wonderful!
No comments:
Post a Comment