Auld Lang Syne

So out with the old and in with the new. As years go, 2010 was not my best. I think it was ten years in the making but for what ever reason I am looking forward to it being over. It was not all bad, there were some highlights. In March, we made our way to the big apple for a second year in a row to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. This is a parade that should be on your bucket list along with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade. In May, Sam graduated from the College of St. Rose, just another reason I am so proud of all my children.



In June, a few of my facebook friends (great job Susan) put together a little reunion, complete with a tour of three schools in Guilderland, including the high school. After we gathered at a bar owned by a classmate (thanks D) for a night of fun and laughs.


Other than that the year was pretty lousy. It has gotten better the last six weeks or so and I am hoping the good times get better in 2011. I also wish you and yours the happiest of New Years and that 2011 brings everything you could want. Now to end the year; lunch with the best people in the world, my kids.






Tom, Michael, Jack, himself, Sara,
Sean and Samantha

2010 Deaths

Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, "in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes". 2010 is no exception. Some deaths hit close to home this year, my sister-in-law lost her mother, a close friend did also. Most recently, my daughter-in-law lost her grandfather on Christmas eve. The following people may not have been related to any of you but I think they played a part in all of our lives.

In the world of entertainment we lost;
as Don Cornelius of Soul Train would have said "the mighty, mighty Teddy Pendergrass"
Best know as Adam Cartwright on Bonanza, Parnell Roberts
For over 45 years she was Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives, Frances Reid
I Spy, Robert Culp
He was both Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett, Fess Parker
The movie Airplane! lost both Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen
The star of Designing Women, Dixie Carter
Movie icon, Dennis Hopper
Eddie Carroll, the voice of Jiminy Crickett
Different Strokes star Gary Coleman
He was Charlie in Charlie's Angels, John Forsythe
Music greats Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath) and Lena Horne (Stormy Weather)
Art Linkletter who showed us that kids say the darnedest things
From The Golden Girls, Rue McClanahan
We all sang along with him, Mitch Miller
Patrica Neal, newsman Edwin Newman, Character actor Harold Gould
Tarzan's son, Johnny Sheffield and the original Dano, JamesMacArthur
We lost the father from Happy Days and the mother from Leave it to Beaver, Tom Bosley and Barbra Billingsly
Movie producers Dino DeLaurentiis and Blake Edwards and movie star, Tony Curtis
Jill Clayburgh and from TV's Barney Miller, Steve Landesberg

The literary world lost;
J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
Eric Segal, Love Story
Dick Francis
Bob Guccione
Stephen J. Cannell

In politics;
Rep. Charlie Wilson from Texas, the inspiration for the movie Charlie Wilson's War
Senator John Edwards wife, Elizabeth Edwards, after a long public fight with cancer

Sports were not immune;
UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, the wizard of westwood
Oakland Raiders hitman, Jack Tatum
From the Rams, Merlin Olsen
Baseball greats Ron Santo, Robin Roberts and Bob Feller
Standing a mere 7'6" basketballs Manute Bol
He was know as "The Boss", New York Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner
Two of the greatest voices that baseball will ever know. The voice of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell and called "The Voice of God" for over 50 years the voice of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard
He hit the shot heard round the world, Bobby Thompson
Quarterback and place kicker, George Blanda
Manager of the 1970's Big Red Machine Sparky Anderson
and now we can Turn out the lights, the party's over, Dallas Cowboy great and one of the original voices of Monday Night Football, Jeff and Hazel's baby boy, "Dandy" Don Meredith

first cousins, second cousins, third cousins more

When my grandfather left Ireland for America almost 100 years ago, he landed in New York City. He then headed north to Albany where he had three sisters and a brother. Another brother and a few more sisters followed. They all raised families in Albany and all the cousins were close. As all the first cousins grew and married, they started having families of their own, second cousins abounded. This cycle repeated itself again. In my life growing up we would have a family picnic each summer or better yet go to Aunt Kit's (my grandfather's sister) camp in the stately Helderbergs. I have fond memories of the older cousins pushing the younger ones on the rope swing and running and playing games in the fields in front of the camp. To this day we never referred to each other as first cousins, second cousins or the confusing, cousin once removed, we were family and call each other cousins. This is the legacy of my grandfather, the love of family.

Yesterday was Christmas, I went to my sister Peggy's house. The age range of people there was a little over 90 years from my mother to her great grand daughters. My nephews and their wives, my sisters and my brother and his family. My children were represented by my daughter and her boyfriend and my youngest son. You would think that this would be enough for one day but it wasn't. After dinner I went to my cousin Eileen's house to see cousins and fireworks. Eileen's daughters were in town for the holiday and as the adults were leaving their friends started coming over. People on the outside may look at my family and call us crazy but we, the descendant's of John and Catherine Curran of Kilusty, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, know how to have a good time and it all starts with family

.

a few of the younger cousins

a party at a cousins house

[The hard to explain once removed. Start with your grandparents and write their names on a piece of paper. Under that write the names of their childern in a line from right to left. Under each name, write the names of their childern left to right, these are all first cousins ( you all have the same grandparents). Under this line, write the names of all their childern. The term if you go from one line to the next is once removed. What becomes confusing is that after the line of first cousins, the second cousin line is made up of groups of first cousins. The childern of my fathers first cousins are my second cousins, my childern and the childern of my second cousins are third cousins and so forth and so on. You can see why we just called each other cousins.]

Christmas wishes

If you are reading this before Christmas we can assume you have finished with all the hustle and bustle and have found a little time for yourself, and me. So here are a couple of Christmas wishes I have. Yes they are too big for Santa and I will need a lot of help from others but I have faith.
First and foremost Peace on Earth. Now this one is tricky, just as President Clinton was able to squirm out of answers, just what do you mean by peace? I know that in our lifetime there will never be complete peace but how about a little. It's time to bring our troops home. We have too many of our young people in harms way fighting a war over what. It's been almost ten years if the people of Afghanistan and Iraq have not been able to set up a government by now, our troops won't make it go any faster. Let's not have our people miss another Christmas with their families. Immigration, I don't want to go into a big long debate on this issue, just a few of my thoughts. After all these are my wishes not yours. We have hundreds of thousands of illegal and undocumented immigrants in this country, why? are the laws too difficult to enter this country legally? They are building walls to keep people out. This is America, we are all born of immigrants, some broke free of chains to live free ( after years of indentured servitude) and some were put into chains to come here. So ether way, our ancestors came from other countries. The words on the Statue of Liberty are, "Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" not "No Vacancy". What defines huddled masses more than people willing to stow away in cargo containers or climb fences in the dead of night just to be in America.
My wish is for these things to change, let's show the world once more that we are the greatest country, open our arms and welcome the next group of immigrants.
Family and Friends. George Baily learned it the hard way and we have been able to see this over and over for the last fifty odd years. Remember the words of Clarence, "No man is a failure when he has friends". My wish is that we appreciate our friends and family more. They are the people who will rush to your side in your time of need.
So to all of you out there. I wish you a Merry and joyous Christmas and I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.

Fairytale of New York

Fairytale of New York, every Irish person I know adds this song to their Christmas song list. Shane MacGowan and the Pogues recorded this back in the '80's and it still rings true today. Everyone takes a try at this classic so here are a few for you to choose from.

Ronan Keating and Moya Brennan

Coldplay with the crowd singing along





The great Christy Moore

but nothing compares to the original. The Pogues with Kristy McColl.
If you look closely the cop taking Shane to the drunk tank is actor Matt Dillon.

Down the stretch they come

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday. This weekend is the last time you can get the gifts that you really want to give your friends and family. Over the next four and a half days, the ideas you had get thrown out the window and you get what's left. Every Christmas eve a local TV station will have a news story about a group of guys that wait until Christmas eve to start and finish their shopping. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to shop that way. What's on the shelf is what they have, you don't have to ask, "do you have this in blue?" they don't. Basically your are picking out something that someone will have to return.

Being at the mall on the last weekend before Christmas is always a total experience. From the time you settle into traffic approaching the mall, finding a parking spot, staying on the right side of the sidewalk (do shoppers in England and Ireland stay on the left?) Looking in a store to see if there is room for you to walk around or do you just move on. Christmas shopping is the best.

Why is Santa still at the mall? Really, think about this for a second. You've got all the toys bought and hid away back home and two days before Christmas little Johnny tells Santa he has changed his mind. Santa has been at the mall since early November, you can explain to your kids that Santa needs to be at the North Pole these last few days making sure everything is ready to go.

So enjoy yourself today at the mall as I stay home and watch football. Be careful, be happy and remember, just because there are long lines at the food court they haven't changed the menu, it's still the same fast food as before. Fa la la la la, la la la laaaa

Bud, this clip was for you, Merry Christmas

Picking out your Christmas cards

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

As you can see I deviated from posting a video for this post. I am sure you are all are acquainted with Irving Berlin's famous carol and I just wanted to use the second verse. In 1940 when Berlin wrote White Christmas, it was easy to pick out your Christmas cards. Basically you had a nice Currier & Ives print on the front of a standard card

Merry Christmas to your friends with a homey winter scene.

Then came the photo cards. Just what makes the perfect photo card. In the late 50's and early 60's aluminium trees were all the rage. how about a nice photo of your tree.

As time past and photos became more and more inexpensive it seemed everyone was sending out a photo Christmas card. Just plop a Santa hat on one of your kids ( it helps if you use the cute one) and put them in front of a nice fireplace and voila, instant Christmas card.

Sometimes you try to use your personality more into your photo. A photo from your trip to sunny Florida is always nice to warm up a cold December. Or the family standing on the edge of the grand canyon is a nice back drop. I try to give Christmas a bit of a twist. Dickens had his Christmas spirits and I have mine.

But when all is said and done I think you should always go with what works best for you. The old tried and true. A photo that is sure to bring a smile and warm joy to all your friends. What better way to say Merry Christmas.

Who are these people and who cut their hair?

I heard Band Aid's song Do They Know It's Christmas three times yesterday, once on the way to work, once one the way home on the same station. I changed the station and heard it again. It does bring back a lot of memories of the '80's but Three times in one day is a bit too much. Bob Geldorf, lead singer of the Irish band Boontown Rats, put together the group made up of some of the hottest UK and Irish rockers of the time. In the documentary film, Out Of Ireland, The Hit Songs and Artist of Irish Music, Geldorf tells of the making of the video. Bono, of a then yet unknown band, U2, reluctently joined in and Geldorf gave him his line in the song. Bono said that was the one line he didn't want but did it anyway. When the song was released it debuted as number one in Great Britin and two weeks later was number one in the US. Geldorf tells of going to Ethiopia after the song was out and one night at sundown, looking out over the plains the song was playing and Bono's line, "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" was perfect, just enough anger in Bonos voice. The songs popularity sparked an American version, We Are The World and also led to the Live Aid concert.
Now here's the big question, after watching the video, how many people can you name? The answer will appear in the comments section.

Gift Cards vs Gifts

When did Christmas shopping become an inconvenience? I recently saw a commercial on TV for a local restaurant that said, a more convenient way to shop, in talking about their gift certificates. Now I am here to tell you that I have given gift cards or certificates in the past. Try and buy clothes for a teen age girl and you will know my pain. With that being said, I do feel that gift cards are very impersonal. I didn't know what to get you so, go out and buy something your self. Why hold them to one store. I didn't know what to get you so here's cash. A lot of Christmas spirit there. And how much do you spend? Does everyone have to have the same amount spent on them? Do you love one son more who needed new running shoes ($100) then the son who gets the Yankee hooded sweatshirt ($60)? [Sean and Mike this is not you] What if you went shopping and found the perfect gift for someone but it was on clearance and you spend under $10, do you need to find other gifts for that person to even out the totals?
What about home made gifts. A few dozen assorted cookies makes a nice gift. A scrapbook or photo album is nice or how about a collection of your favorite recipes. Everything doesn't have to break the bank each Christmas.
Before I get everyone upset about gift cards let me say this. A gift card is good for an out of town person who is not going to have time to return your gift if it's the wrong size ( or incredibly ugly) and my mother, who is 91, has been giving cash to us for the past few years. Honestly though, I have never used the money on something for me, it usually goes for groceries or a tank of gas because I spent everything on the gifts for everyone else.
So I am wondering if I am longing for a long ago, simpler time or if I just find myself broke this Christmas "DING" next batch of cookies is done. Just in case anyone on my Christmas list is reading this.....these cookies aren't for you (John, do your girls like peanut butter cookies?)
Happy Shopping.

John Lennon

October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980



I can't believe it's been thirty years

The most maligned Christmas Carol

There was a time when The Twelve Days of Christmas was a revered Christmas Carol. Those days are gone. The original gifts that my true love sent were, 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 Lords a leaping, nine Ladies dancing, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. Try and read that sentence without singing the last four. The list has been changed and changed. From Alan Sherman to Ozzie Osborne it seems that everyone wants to put their own touch on the gifts.
Here are just a few.
Jeff Foxworthy Redneck 12 Days of Christmas,
Frank Sinatra 12 Days of Christmas,
Bob and Doug McKenzie 12 Days of Christmas,
Andy Williams A Song and a Christmas Tree,
Twisted Sister Heavy Metal Christmas,

Some, like The Chipmunks and John Denver with the Muppets, kept the song in it's original form. Based on the original list, you will see each year, in the newspapers, (http://www.saratogian.com/ ) what it would cost to send your true love the gifts. The Irish take on this is Frank Kelly's Count down to Christmas, the thank you notes to his true love Nuala, for her gifts. You can imagine how quickly he went from happy to angry over the 12 days.

The other question, most often asked about this song is, what are the 12 days? Bob and Doug tried to explain that in their song. According to the McKenzie brothers the days are, Christmas and Christmas eve, boxing day, New years and New Years eve, two Saturdays and Sundays in there, and the other three days are the mystery days. (the real 12 days are from Christmas to the Epiphany)

So what ever version you want to listen to pay attention because there will be a lot of good ideas for gifts

Doug: Boy that song was a beauty. It moved me...
Bob: Yeah, I think it ranks up there with Stairway to Heaven

Bad Christmas Songs

I grew up in the age of rock and roll, as a child, the Beatles were sweeping the nation. So apart from rock and roll, Irish music and Christmas music are my favorites. Although you can listen to Irish music all year, by February, Christmas music gets old. Each Autumn ( it used to be winter but some radio stations started playing Christmas music at the end of October) like an old friend we get to embrace our selves in Christmas music again.

While searching youtube the other day for an old favorite (Frosty the Snowman by Leon Redbone and Dr. John) I came across the video above, Bob Dylan singing, Must be Santa, and it dawned on me, there are a lot of bad Christmas songs. Although growing up in Catholic school we were taught to love the sinner, hate the sin, I believe that in this case it's Love the sin, hate the sinner. When Raffi sings, Must be Santa, to kids it's a good song, Dylan singing it to anyone, bad song. So here are just a few of the bad songs I found.

Cherry, Cherry Christmas is the tittle track of Neil Diamond's Christmas album. I'll write that again so you don't miss it, Cherry, Cherry Christmas is the title track of Neil Diamond's Christmas album. The first verse is,
Wish you a merry cherry, cherry Christmas
and a holly holy holiday too.
Underneath your tree may there always be
sounds of harmony, not a song sung blue.
Now Christmas may be something new to Neil, but Christmas songs should be about the birth of Christ or Santa, not a collage of all your own songs.

At least Tiny Tim kept Santa in his Christmas song, Santa's got the AIDS this year. I believe the title says it all.

Lou Monte's Dominick the Donkey, makes the list. If I was Italian I would really hate this song.

Snoopy's Christmas by the Royal Guardsmen is a song that has outlived it's humor. A funny sequel to the Guardsman novelty hit Snoopy vs. the Red Baron in 1966. It was a one Christmas wonder.

With all due respect to Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis , Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and all the rest of the great singers that have tried to sing White Christmas, unless Bing is singing, it's a bad song.

Well there you have it, a few of the bad Christmas songs out there. I hope you find the songs you are looking for this holiday season and remember what Bruce Springsteen, Fred Astaire, James Taylor, Perry Como, The Jackson 5 and countless others have told you....Santa Claus is coming to town.