R&P: "Tis the year's midnight, and the day's". Songs for the season...?

hi silver,

sorry i'm late to the solstice party - i've been having connection issues :(

so here's a few tunes i've dug up for you:

winter solstice song - lisa thiel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C4mfpIM7qM

noon of the solstice - damh the bard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNm_sAZ27pU&feature...

winter song - lindisfarne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg_dsk7u26A&feature...

i hope your log burned brightly

A Hard Day's Night The Beatles Tonight New Kids on the Block Things We Said Today The Beatles Yesterday The Beatles Let's Live for Today The Grass Roots Just Another Day Jon Secada Saturday Night The Bay City Rollers Yesteryou,Yesterme,Yesterday Stevie Wonder Midnight in Montgomery Alan Jackson After Midnight Eric Clapton He Stopped Loving Her Today George Jones More Today Than Yesterday The Spiral Staircase 18 Days Saving Abel A Day in the Life The Beatles Day Tripper The Beatles One Fine Day The Chiffons Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Elton John Are You Lonesome Tonight? Elvis Presley I'd Really Love To See You Tonight England Dan & John Ford Coley No Sugar Tonight The Guess Who Take Me Home Tonight Eddie Money Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton In the Midnight Hour Wilson Pickett Midnight Train to Georgia Gladys Knight and the Pips Walking After Midnight Patsy Cline That's all I can think of with those words right now.

Hi Silver,

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE

BQ: Well I'm from Ireland and one thing that some people do during the winter solstice is to visit the tomb at Newgrange. The tomb was designed in a way so that when the solstice occurred, a beam of light from the sun shines directly down the passageway and illuminates the chamber within.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange

Also years ago, on St. Stephens Day some people would take part in the hunting of the Wren. I don't think that this is done so much anymore though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Day

my goodness Silver, you certainly have brought out peoples best for this question, congratulations!!!

this is one of the most impressive collection of answers that I have ever seen in R&P!

I am dedicating a very special song for you, my dearest Silver.. Its very wintry and big screen and it expresses what I wish to share with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMuVc0nXEhE

Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind

as you can imagine, in my work with seniors, celebrating the holidays is very important. One of the things that I do is to play Santa Claus to lower income seniors and children at community centers, if only you could see me at work. It doesn't matter how I might be feeling at any particular time, when I put that suit on, I become Father Christmas LOL

I hail from Southern California, which if you think about it is just down the road from Mexico, and a tradition that I bring to seniors every year is called a Los Posadas. Its basically a parade which reinacts Joseph & Mary's search for shelter. This is a festival which is played out over several days usually, however in my case I present it like this.. I invite families of seniors and the caregiving staff to join us for a event. I station 12 people down a parade route, thier function is to say :" no, there's no room here" as we go down the hall caroling, we have a wagon and people who represent Joseph and Mary and we march until we get to the place the fiesta is held, and the 12th person says " Yes, we have room here" and the party begins!! We have festive hoilday music, plenty of food and a pinata!

The funny thing is that I decorate so many Xmas trees as part of my work, that I haven't had my own tree in years LOL

my best wishes,Silver

for the coming new year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvYgRvA_9e8

Keane - "Somewhere Only We Know"

Not a holiday or winter themed directly, but it reminds me of the season so much. When I listen to this song, I imagine two old friends (or lovers) meeting in London on a snowy day and they can only be together for an hour or two. And there's an inherent loneliness to this time of the year for many people, myself included... So, there you go.

Bonus: My holiday/winter traditions have always been very... traditional. Very American. The tree, the lights strung along the porch. My mom and I DO open presents on Christmas Eve, though--not just one apiece, we do the whole shebang on the 24th. It's so much more atmospheric than Christmas morning.

I have posted this song in another question earlier, but it just fits the atmosphere so perfectly.

THE ROLLING STONES- Winter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwu0MQrk_ec&fmt=18

Also I love this song by Canadian Rocker

KIM MITCHELL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfhXkO2SpWE

It is called " Rockland Wonderland." ...but for me at this point , every time I hear it on the radio I always change the lyrics and sing the words..Rockland Winterland.

BTW Smiley and I are going to see him in concert on Boxing Day.

This guy should have been a mega international superstar. Such a great musician and a cool guy too.

bq: My family is from former Yugoslavia, although I was born in Mexico. I also lived many years in other countries, so I guess my nomad life made me kind of cosmopolitan. Very few real traditions I recall. My Dad was atheist, my Mother not overly religious either.

Best things I recall? The FOOD. My mother used to make the traditional Serbian Cabbage Rolls for New Years Eve and another batch for the Orthodox Christmas on January 6th. It is called SARMA She also made awesome French/Russian cold salad, assortments of pastries and cakes.....

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z311/nuardo/sar...

For more than 20 years I used to have a large Christmas Dinner every year.with the family of the father of my children. In Mexico most families have a large dinner ( Christmas Dinner is far more important than Christmas Day in terms of cooking etc, ) that includes always:

Turkey or Pork Roast

Romeritos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeritos

Bacalao (dried Cod) a la Vizcaina.( cooked with lots of tomatoes, olives, raisins, almonds and hot peppers).

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/222778...

What is traditional where you live?

The Night Santa Went Crazy - Weird Al

^ I fail when it comes to holiday songs...

BQ: My whole family is Christian, as in the so freaking Christian that they can all probably recite the bible by heart. And the town I'm from is deep in the South of the good old USA. However, about 6 years ago I stopped following that and started searching for my own beliefs and ever since I've been a practicing Wiccan. Where I'm from, I can't really tell anyone because they either a) think it's just a phase I'm going through or b) I'm Satanic, both of which are probably the two most offensive things that you can say to a person who shares the same beliefs as me. I guess you could say I'm still "in the closet" on everything, mainly because most of the people in my family that I've told still don't take me seriously. I've believed in this for over 6 years now and I plan to stick with it for the rest of my life. I'm committed to Wicca and to my deities, and I really don't think I can get any more serious about it.

Where my own traditions are concerned, tonight I'm going to be doing my Yule rituals to celebrate my deities, the rebirth, and just the overall life of everyone and everything in the world. I've got my plant all nice and watered, my candles are ready to be lit and I'm just ready to thank my Goddess (and my God, as well) for everything that I feel they've helped me with this year. And after tonight, I'll be good to go, holiday-wise, until Imbolc.

...And I kind of went on a rant there, sorry. ^_^

Hi Silver

Liking the Tull song !

Here's a good album about all seasons..Wendy Carlos-Sonic Seasonings

I can't post any song , they're not available on youtube cause they're too long

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Seasonings

BA : Well , we have pretty much the same traditions as the Americans , the Christmas tree, presents , etc . But we like to bake a lot of cookies and such , and traditional Romanian food , like sarmale .

I'm not too keen on Christmas , I don't know why but it's the most depressing time in the year for me .

Hello and Happy Solstice, Silver :-)

Reading your question put me in a British frame of mind... which then led to Traffic. This album has been a favorite of mine since I was in high school

Hidden Treasure

http://popup.lala.com/popup/432627043563821264

No particular reason why, but it fits well.

BQ: I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. Winter sports were always something fun to do when it's cold and snowy out ~ and not just ice skating and skiing, but playing fox and geese, building snow caves, sliding on streets of packed snow, and sledding down those same snowy streets.

From a more "Christmas-y point of view... pretty standard stuff ~ decorating a tree, making cookies and other goodies, exchanging gifts, and a big meal on Christmas day. Actually, tho, when we would visit my father's family deep in Texas, Christmas Eve was the "big event", with a visit to the local church for a special candlelight program with lots of singing and children telling the story of Jesus' birth, and then back to one of my aunt's houses for the big gift exchange and food, food, food. I'm not a Christian, but I wouldn't mind going to an evening Christmas Eve service somewhere here in my town... one of these years.

No Presents For Christmas-King Diamond

BQ: I'm from the U.S. and I hate the way Christmas is celebrated in this country. That's why I love "No Presents for Christmas" cause I'd rather have no presents than feel the need to appease everyone's materialistic appetite.

Hi Silver :)

I always listen to this on the Solstice.

"Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun"- Pink Floyd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RbXIMZmVv8&feature...

Love the Pompeii version. Much more eerie! It's my own little tradition to watch all of Pompeii on this day. Just have to wait till it's a little darker out :) Happy Solstice!