All that running around in the beginning of the month was totally worth it (post here). We went up to Asheville last weekend to pick daughter up and enjoy Asheville Christmas decorations. Since then, I've been able to mostly focus on doing things with daughter and older and younger sons - baking cookies, putting up the tree, Zumba, Zumba, Zumba (Mon, Tues, & Wed), choir (daughter joined us!), etc. Daughter and I tried out a new place for breakfast this morning (Straw Valley Cafe in Durham - good!), and older son and I saw Rise of the Guardians again, this time in 3D (younger son doesn't like 3D). I'm really glad I got most of the shopping out of the way the first few weeks so I could really focus this week.
I do have to start wrapping at some point...
I'm still having a difficult time relaxing - but at least my activity level is not making it worse.
Our Christmas music is a random collection of records, tapes, and CDs. The largest part of it is not on CDs. One of my favorite tapes started warbling while we were making Christmas cookies.
Aaack!
I went to the B&N music section to expand the CD part of our collection. After listening to lots of tacky less-than-inspiring Christmas music at stores this December, I really enjoyed the jazz standards Christmas songs that Marco's restaurant (in Asheville) played when we had dinner there last weekend so I wanted to get more music like that. Unfortunately, B&N didn't have any Louis Armstrong or Ella Fitzgerald Christmas CDs. I also couldn't find any classical Christmas CDs, which was disappointing. I did find (and splurged):
- Holly Happy Days by the Indigo Girls
- An Appalachian Christmas by Mark O'Conner (including guests: Alison Krauss, Jane Monheit, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, and Chris Thile)
- Christmas Album by the Manhattan Transfer
- Jingle All the Way by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
- Holiday Spirits by Straight No Chaser
- The Christmas Album by the Canadian Brass
- A Swingin' Christmas by Tony Bennett and the Count Basie Big Band
So much good music... what to play. I'll just add what's playing now: a jazzy/bluegrassy version of Sleigh Ride by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones:
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