Perfectly Imperfect

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

Just don't tell Little Lad that it is Santa Lucia Day, because we have moved the celebration to Saturday in recognition of the fact that today was a school day, LL was exhausted and needed to sleep as late as possible, and there is already plenty of excitement (okay, maybe terror and dread as well) thanks to tonight's school Christmas program.

Also, today seemed like a good day to fetch our Christmas tree (between school and concert).  It is, however, raining buckets.  And cold.  Hmmm.  Perhaps we really are meant to do the old-school thing and get our tree just before Christmas.  The pumpkins on the front steps still look good...

Speaking of lightening up about little imperfections, I have never made a big deal here about the Christmas CD my mother, sister and I recorded five years ago.  Yes, my Christmas 2008 blog post included a song sample from it, but otherwise I have remained mute.  Partly I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to sell them something, but partly it is because I -- a total slacker when it comes to most things -- am a huge perfectionist when it comes to my singing.  (Okay, and partly I am self-conscious about looking like a lumpy mother of a one-year-old in the publicity photos.  There!  I said it.)

My tracks on the CD had to be recorded in a rush, because I developed killer bronchitis and had to skip the entire first recording session.  So when I listen (and I have listened to it a LOT -- it was the only music Little Lad ever wanted to hear when he was a tot), I cringe at the over-the-top nervous vibrato here or the botched-from-hurrying French pronunciation there.  (And now that Toffeeapple is here, I might need to stress out about our creative version of Welsh, as well.)

But, by gum, people near and far tell us they enjoy it.  They ask us when we are going to make another one.  They say that they keep it in rotation year-round because it relieves their stress (I can't wrap my head around that one).  So in the spirit of loving and embracing my perfectly imperfect self, as well as in the spirit of giving, I am re-posting that song from three Christmases ago.  It's a special one to me, suffused as it is with motherly love.




You're welcome to go here and listen to all of the songs for free; you can even hear a tiny Big Lad on Track #7.

I hope that all of your seasonal celebrations, whether perfectly executed or a little askew, bring you great pleasure.