Gonna sit on the couch and watch some Mythbusters with the family. I’ll need to open the bubbly and the kids’ bubbly (sparkling grape juice) in a while. Just finished our ham dinner. Blackeyed peas will be made on the morrow.

and so, we here at Musing Minds wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

To all those lost to us in 2007

For Silvia and Wilson, for all your personal losses, our prayers.

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Below is a partial list of those lost in 2007

Yvonne De Carlo January

Carlo Ponti January

Ron Carey January

Art Buchwald January

Sidney Sheldon January

Molly Ivins January

Barbara McNair February

Lew Burdette February

Frankie Laine February

Anna Nicole Smith February

Ian Richardson February

Buster Keaton Jr. February

Arthur Schlesinger Jr. February

Richard Jeni March

Betty Hutton March

Dr. Harold Lief March

Stuart Rosenberg aka Alan Smithee March

William N. Panzer March

Pascale Dauman March

Bob Woolmer March

David Clarridge March

Calvert DeForest aka Larry “Bud” Melman March

Luther Ingram March

Cathy Seipp March

Johnny Hart April

Barry Nelson April

Roscoe Lee Browne April

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. April

Don Ho April

Kitty Carlisle April

David Halberstam April

Boris Yeltsin April

Roy Jenson April

Bobby Pickett April

Jack Valenti April

Tommy Newsom April

Tom Poston April

Gordon Scott April

Wally Schirra May

Nicholas Worth May

Charles Pemberton May

Jerry Falwell May

Yolanda King May

Charles Nelson Reilly May

Mala Powers June

Jim Demarest June

Don Herbert aka Mr. Wizard June

Kurt Waldheim June

Claudia Cohen June

Ed Friendly June

Donna King June

Chris Benoit June

Fred Saberhagen June

Joel Siegel June

Beverly Sills July

Bill Pinkney July

Charles Lane July

Doug Marlette July

Lady Bird Johnson July

Tom Snyder July

Ingmar Bergman July

John Gardner August

Lee Hazlewood August

Merv Griffin August

Mrs. Vincent Astor August

Phil Rizzuto August

Joe Van Slyke August

Geoffrey Wilkinson August

Leona Helmsley August

Dr. Toad (Robin Williams’ older brother) August

Max Roach August

Richard Jewell August

Virginia Funicello (Annette’s Mother) September

Carter Albrecht September

Steve Ryan September

Madeleine L’Engle September

Luciano Pavarotti September

Anita Roddick September

Jane Wyman September

Brett Somers September

Alice Ghostley September

Marcel Marceau September

Bill Wirtz September

Charles B. Griffith September

Lois Maxwell September

Deborah Kerr October

Joey Bishop October

Robert Lantz October

Chef Tell October

Porter Wagoner October

Robert Goulet October

George Osmond November

Laraine Day November

Norman Mailer November

Ira Levin November

Dick Wilson November

John Drury November

Sean Taylor November

Henry Hyde November

Ike Turner December

Dan Fogelberg December

Benazir Bhutto December

Rest in peace.

He wubs her, he does.

Duncan and Bitsy. She’s 10-1/2 years old, but the size of a six-month-old kitten. He’ll be three on St. Patrick’s Day.
And that’s my computer chair they’re on. So I’ll have to shoo them away so I can do some work.

You, your family and your country are in our prayers.

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Photo credit: Digischool.nl

What Child Is This?

What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant king to own Him,
The King of kings, salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Previous: I Saw Three Ships, The Holly and The Ivy, O, Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), Angels We Have Heard On High, O Holy Night

Other hymns posted in the past:
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Good King Wenceslas
Ding Dong Merrily on High

Luke 2: 10-11

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

KJV

Merry Christmas to all!

I posted this a while ago and I’m reposting for Christmas Eve Day.

Mary, did you know?

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You’ve kissed the face of God

Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
Is the great I AM

(buddy greene, mark lowry)

O Holy Night

video h/t Caoilfhionn

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need-to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Previous: I Saw Three Ships, The Holly and The Ivy, O, Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), Angels We Have Heard On High

Don Surber brings us the story of 171 Texas National Guard soldiers, members of the 436th Chemical Company, whose deployment to Afghanistan was delayed until after the holidays, but those soldiers weren’t home, they were at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. The Government told them they could go home for Christmas if they returned by New Year’s.

The problem? Airfare.

In steps Southwest Airlines.

Southwest Airlines today announced it will fly more than 170 Texas Army National Guard soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
…
Airline president Colleen Barrett says Southwest is happy to be able to grant this Christmas wish for the troops to reunite with their families.

Don says All the best to Colleen Barrett. I second that motion. Thank you Colleen and Southwest Airlines.

Welcome Don Surber Readers!

While you’re here, please have a look around. We have some Christmas Hymns of the Day (I Saw Three Ships, The Holly and The Ivy, O, Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles), Angels We Have Heard On High), Tracking Santa with NORAD, and it’s time once again for 24 hours of a Christmas Story (it’ll be 25 years old next Christmas!).