♪ Il Est Né (He Is Born) ♫

The closer I get to Christmas, the more I find to share of the awesome magic that happens this time of year! The latest is this sweet wooden DIY Nativity Scene from über-creative Jamey of Victoria, B.C.'s Dabbles and Babbles... pdf template included!

Wouldn't that be fun to paint with kids or grand-kids?

To continue in my series of beloved Christmas carols, here is an unusual jazzy setting of Il Est Né by the utterly charming Petits Chanteurs d'Aix (from Provence, France). The visual effects of falling ornaments and giant snowflakes is quite distracting, but the beautiful voices and cheerful arrangement more than make up for it. Enjoy!

♪ The Huron Carol ♫

This is one of my favorite Christmas carols. Originally written around 1642 for the Huron (Wendat) people of North America by French missionary St. Jean de Brébeuf, Jesous Ahatonhia ("Jesus, he is born") was used to express the Nativity story in word pictures more familiar to his adopted flock.

Church of St. Joseph, Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons,
a reconstruction of the French settlement,  near  Midland, Ontario

An English version written in 1926 (NOT a translation of the original words and often viewed as patronizing) is the one I grew to love as a child, and still sing alone at home as well as in worship music. (There is also a French version but I believe that was just composed in the 1970s.) Many beautiful recordings exist, but I am sharing this version by Canadian Cree entertainer Tom Jackson in honor of his annual cross-country "Huron Carole" Tour, raising funds for and awareness of hunger in Canada. *Sorry folks, this year's tour ends tomorrow, Dec. 19 in Victoria, BC. I'm hoping I'll catch it next year.*

 

Donations can still be made to the Christmas & Winter Relief Association. And please remember, your local food banks need you, not just at Christmas but year-round.

The enduring appeal of the Huron Carol continues with this recent translation of the lyrics into Mi'kmaw, sung a capella by the Eskasoni Trio of Nova Scotia and offered as a free download at this link. (Hauntingly beautiful.)

Mi'kmaw is a commonly spoken First Nation language here in Maritime Canada.

*Wli Nuelewi aq (Merry Christmas)*

♪ Unique Hungarian Christmas Tree ♫

This is an amazing Christmas tree on display in Budapest, Hungary. A beautiful design AND it will be recycled for a special group of children (see below):

"This year the Palace of Arts in Budapest celebrates Christmas with an 11 meters high Christmas tree. Hello Wood, a local architecture and design studio, has built a special installation made out of 365 sleighs – it will stand in front of the Palace of Arts until the end of the holidays. After Christmas, the temporary structure will be disassembled and the sleighs will be donated to the little inhabitants of the SOS Children’s Village in Hungary."

You can see more photos here, including the lighted tree at night. Here you can view a video of the installation.

And because I can't resist the beautiful Christmas music of Europe, here is a Hungarian carol (and lots of nativity pictures... my favorite):

Mennyből az angyal (Angel from heaven)

Mennyből az angyal lejött hozzátok

(The angel came down from heaven to you)

Pásztorok, pásztorok!

(Shepherds, shepherds!)

Hogy Betlehembe sietve menvén

(Passing in haste to Bethlehem)

Lássátok, lássátok.

(Behold, behold.)

Istennek fia , aki született

(Son of God who was born)

Jászolban, jászolban.

(In manger, in manger.)

Ö leszen néktek üdvözítőtök

(He will be your Savior)

Valóban, valóban.

(Indeed, indeed.)

Mellette vagyon az édesanyja

(Next to him is his mother)

Mária, Mária.

(Maria, Maria.)

Barmok közt fekszik

(Lying among the cattles)

Jászolban nyugszik

(Resting in the manger)

Szent fia, szent fia, 

(Her holy son, her holy son.)

*Translation by Angela Kovács

♪ Waiting for the Baby ♫

Christmas is so close now... today Hubby brought in our tree. Every year he orders a tree from people he knows well, so as to be certain it is legally grown and cut, and to support the local growers. It was supposed to be "around 6 feet tall". Well, someone was feeling generous: our LITTLE tree is well over nine feet LOL, so  a bit of judicious trimming with the reciprocating saw was required. But every year we put it in the stand and remark, "It's the best one ever!"

I've been slacking off the jewelry-making but exercising my creativity in the kitchen. We are VERY restrained when it comes to gift-giving. Even when the four boys were young, the tradition of Christmas presents was conscientiously controlled, lest it become a monster. The one place where we do allow a bit of extra spending is on our special Christmas food. Over the years we have narrowed the sweets to our five favorites, and the closest family, friends and neighbors receive trays as seasonal gifts.

Gumdrop cake, turtle bars, shortbreads,
peanut butter "cups", and marshmallow squares.

This is my sister's tray, ready for pickup. She gets the "perpetual tray" option: when it is empty she can return it for refills ad infinitum. Looking forward to Christmas dinner at your house, Sis!

This year, I have been enjoying a wonderful selection of carols over on Alicia's blog. She has shared several beautiful traditional Romanian colinde; do have a listen if you haven't yet had a chance! I promised Alicia I would share a few of my favorite chants de Noël in my first language, which is French. I have read that in modern France, Christmas music is not that big a deal... but here in Acadie (the French-speaking parts of Maritime Canada), we love our traditional carols. Here is one that always tugs on my heartstrings, as it sounds like the most gentle lullaby. The chorus translates:

  This Child, the most beautiful of children,

    Calls to you with joy and elation

      To His cradle, to His cradle,

       Bring the gifts of tenderness.

       To His cradle, to His cradle,

       Bring the gifts of tenderness.

L'Enfant, des enfants le plus beau,

Vous appelle avec allégresse

À son berceau, à son berceau,

Portez les dons de la tendresse.

À son berceau, à son berceau,

Portez les dons de la tendresse.

There are many professional recordings of this carol which are musically "perfect", but I chose this charming version because I connect with its live performance by soloist and choir, accompanied by pianist. It is most similar to what we sing every year at Midnight Mass. The slide show of the cutest crèches (mangers), made by children for a Sunday School project, is a touching bonus. (Thank you Youtube uploader "Impactsupporter"; if I knew the name of your choir I would love to give you credit for this beautiful performance.)

If you have a favorite Christmas carol in any language I would love to listen to it on your blog. Let me know!

Make holiday ornament from bicycle chain

A nifty way to re-"cycle" old bicycle chains!

The easy method at the Instructables website. Enjoy!