The end is near... In a blink of an eye Christmas will be over and a new year will begin. For my final blog of 2019 I present a wintery adventure; the first Christmas song I ever wrote. Childlike imagery and true-life events make up this holiday story about a cold November walk in a park with my kids who were anticipating the coming of Christmas and all its splendor. We felt the magic in the chilly air, the mist curling around the trees, our breath white as smoke as we listened to the crinkling sounds of ice forming on the creek.
Some pics from Christmases of yore when family fun, warm hats and baby snuggles are the trend. 'When Christmas Comes' has folky lyrics that tell my story of that day long ago. Lea plays the circus-like tinkling piano with style and precision as well as singing the Smokeywine harmonies that make me sound good. I strum my guitar on this gentle waltz that's got a great sing-along chorus. It is a definite contender for the title track on our upcoming Christmas album in 2020.
This year has been a doozy! Births, deaths, miracles, disasters, the whole kit and kaboodle. I wrote a poem to commemorate the whole thing. Enjoy.
2019 Chronicles by Mark Sheldan
Cold January winds blew on us
To begin The Year of the Great Release
We ate, sang and played
For Rhianna’s big birthday
And cooked up some wonderful feasts
Loads of February snow covered the roads
And cancelled our trip to the isle
We stayed home and froze
From our ears to our toes
Scraping ice from the windshield…a trial
My heart stopped in March when I lost my job
And pay cheques became void in my world
Aurora’s Marley was born
And the clouds ceased to storm
And the EI wait slowly unfurled
On-The-Road April workshop in New West
We learned music industry nitty gritty
Spring blossomed with perfume
Grandkid, Frances turned two
And my EI kicked in itty bitty
Summer peeked timidly through clouds in May
The yard sales were exciting to parley
Squamish funeral we played chords
Then for Bill Frew at the Wards
Add a shower for sweet baby Marley
Rushed surgery In June for Lea’s dad
She went Penticton bound for a week
Then we hosted a BBQ scene
With assorted fun and cuisine
And music to dance cheek to cheek
Lea’s 40th reunion at Pen Hi in July
It was drunken and drama induced
Our friend Helen turned one century old
Great stories there were to behold
And work BC gave me another boost
Our August anniversary we attended Squatchapalisa
For music, friends, dogs, booze and meats.
The following week we did hold
A Tie Dye Hippy Vibe wild and bold
Rocks were thrown from dark alley streets
We were Okanagan bound for Labor Day
For Dan’s 85th birthday bash
Then came home to moan and groan
When we cleaned a hoarder’s home
Julia’s harp recording was a smash
I was asked in October to orate
Work BC gifted a prize and a show
Organic chicken Thanksgiving with Orma and Dan
Sherry and Taryn fed us till we couldn’t stand
New born Donovan came out to say hello
We started November with Halloween fun
Till my buddy Tom gave us a fright (a trick?)
He’s ok, the tough guy
I got a great job nearby
And Lucienne gave birth to grandson Benedict
December adventures will happen
There’ll be dinner parties and gluttonous times
Try to visit the grand kids if it doesn’t snow
We’re decorating our palace to sparkle and glow
And I shall bottle some Champagne and wine
Merry Christmas to one and all and thank you for participating in our blog adventure this year. Please keep supporting organic, homegrown music and local artists. We will continue in 2020, writing and recording as much as we can. Perhaps a video is in our future and maybe a book of my poetry will be published as well. So until next time, dive deep into the nog and don't be a Scrooge.
#YearOfTheGreatRelease #ListenToThis #MarkSheldanBlog #WhenChristmasComes #SingerSongwriter #HolidayWaltz #WinterSong #FamilyTime #SmokeywineDuo #YearEndPoem #OriginalMusic
To hear 'When Christmas Comes' right now, go to my songs page:
If you have SPOTIFY, please download here:
The lyrics are posted on my songs page so you can sing along.
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