Reindeer and your eternal salvation...

So we know that they all know The Boar's Head Carol and Feliz Navidad around here but another tune that always gets some time in the spotlight as Christmas approaches is "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" (YouTube link here).  Today my little Monkey was singing it for me.  His version saw both Grandma and Grandad get taken out by the wayward Caribou.  His version also had an interesting ending for a 3 year old singing a Christmas song.

Grandma and Grandad got run over by a reindeeeeer

And they got kiiiiiiilled
But God gave them new bodieeeeeees in heaven
And new hands and new fingeeeeeers

Wolf was, of course, thankful that we will also be getting new hands and fingers to go with our new bodies when we get to heaven.  I was just thinking that it might be time to cash in that therapy fund for this kid.

Feliz Navidad

That's Dragon's favourite Christmas carol lately. Only he sings it Liz Nanny Up, Liz Nanny Up, Liz Nanny Up, Liz Nanny Up, Liz Nanny Up... well you get the picture. Lion has also misinterpreted the line "from the bottom of my heart" as "from the bottle of my art"

We get some great songs around here.
Head, shoulders, knees and nose.
It's the final meltdown.
His "Spanish" version of Incy Wincy
The Boars Head Carol.

And speaking of The Boars Head Carol, that is Lion's favourite carol at the moment. They sang Away in a Manger during the kids talk for our Christmas service this morning and the minister asked the musicians to play it quietly so he could hear the kids singing. One of the other mothers turned to me and said she didn't think her kids knew it. I was pretty sure Lion had sung it at kindy but was doubtful if he knew it enough to sing it. He was wandering the local shops last week singing The Boars Head Carol and he doesn't know Away in a Manger... That's my boy.

So, it's 11:30 Christmas night. Lion has JUST gone to sleep and Dragon has only been out for about half an hour. I am loading songs onto my spiffy new iPod and getting really frustrated that it doesn't come with an instruction manual.

Hi, My name is Mummy McTavish and I read instruction manuals.

I know, I know, it's dorky, it's lame, it's just not right but I do. Christmas is a very hard day for me when the grinch Wolf opens the boxes of the toys and gets them out and then the kids come to me because it doesn't work and I track down the instructions STILL IN THE BOX MUSHED UP WITH THE WRAPPING PAPER and have to figure it out after half the pieces have been lost already. Or when I get something technical and I want to sit down with it and with the instructions and figure it out and those "helpful" people around want to "teach" me how to use it. "yeah, thanks but you probably haven't read the instructions so no, I'll learn it myself if that's okay".

Okay, enough of that... It's been a lovely day with family. Remembering the REAL Christmas message with the boys. Napping. Eating. Playing. Reading instructions.

I wanted to go to each of the blogs I regularly read and leave a Christmas message but it's now after Christmas and I haven't done that. You are all special though, I hope you Christmas was as wonderful as ours and you have some precious time off with your family. (yay, 3 whole days for us!!!!)

Merry Christmas,
Clan McTavish

Six White Boomers

Continuing With the Australian Christmas Carols...

This is probably the best known of the Aussie Carols. It's got nothing on Colin's Christmas carols though. I am not sure what this video is like, Wolf wont let me watch it because he is watching some Kung Fu Forbidden Kingdom movie.

Deck the Shed

It's time for another Aussie Christmas Carol from Colin.

Go on, have a guess what the tune is for this one...

Sing it out loud now!

Deck the shed with bits of wattle
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Whack some gum leaves in a bottle
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
All the shops are open Sundays (many Aussies pronounce it "sundies")
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Buy your dad some socks and undies
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la


Deck the shed with bits of gum tree
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Hang some decos off the plum tree
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Plant some kisses on the missus
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Have a ripper Aussie Christmas
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la


Say g'day to friends and rellies
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Wave them off with bulging bellies
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Kids and babies, youngies oldies,
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
May your fridge be full of coldies
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la


Chop the wood and stoke the barbie
ha-de-ya-de-ya-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ring the folks in Abu Dhabi
ha-de-ya-de-ya-ha-ha-ha-ha
Pop the stuffing in the turkey
ha-de-ya-de-ya-ha-ha-ha-ha
Little Mary's feeling 'urkey'
ha-de-ya-de-ya-ha-ha-ha-ha


Rally, rally round the table
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Fill your belly while you're able
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Joyce and Joanie, Dave and Darryl
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Sing and Aussie Christmas carol
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la


I had to get Lion to sing if for me three or four times this morning to see if I was hearing him right... "Deck the sh*t with bits of waddle"



He wouldn't sing it for a video.

Go Tell it to Australia

To the tune of "Go Tell It On A Mountain"

It's Christmas time in Lithgow
In Canberra and Moree
it's Christmas time in Boomi
and Adaminaby.....

CHORUS
Go tell it to Australia
in the city, the bush and everywhere
Go tell it to Australia
that Jesus Christ is Born

It's Christmas time in Murgon
in Fitzroy and Nerang
it's Chrissy in Nuriootpa
and in Wallerawang....

CHORUS

It's Christmas time in Derby
in Esperence and Longreach
It's Christmas time in Broken Hill
and down on Bondi Beach....

CHORUS

Another Colin Buchanan Christmas Carol for you to enjoy. Since I cant put the songs on without infringing on copyright I don't know if I will do any that aren't to familiar tunes.

5 sleeps till Colin is here!!!!

Colin is here in only 5 sleeps (plus nap times of course as I have to be very specific for my kids). Now the arrival of Colin is almost as exciting as the arrival of the man in red. Only Colin gets here first! So, who has absolutely no idea what I am talking about????

Colin Buchanan is the most brilliant kids performer in the world and he happens to be an Aussie. Most people know him from Playschool and the Playhouse Disney or as a country music performer. But by far the best stuff he does is Kids music. CHRISTIAN kids music. and he is coming back to Stable on the Strand this year. This is his third year at Stable and I am so excited... oh, the kids are too a bit. So, Julie B from The Other Boufs... here is the answer to your question courtesy of Colin Buchanan...

Julie B. said...
LOL - loving those old posts and your your mum's as well.I never really thought about it, but do you have a whole different set of traditional "Christmas movies/cartoons" that take place in tropical weather instead of snow? :)

Dashing through the bush

In a rusty Holden ute

Kicking up the dust

Esky in the boot

Kelpie by my side

Singing Christmas songs

It's summertime and I am in

My singlet, shorts and thongs

CHORUS

OH! Jingle bells

Jingle bells

Jingle all the way!

Christmas in Australia

On a scorching summer's day

HEY!

Jingle bells

Jingle bells

Christmas-time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden ute!

Engine's getting hot

Dodge the kangaroos

Swaggie climbs aboard

He is welcome, too

All the family is there

Sitting by the pool

Christmas Day the Aussie way

By the Barbequel

CHORUS

Come the afternoon

Grandpa has a doze

The kids and Uncle Bruce

Are swimming in their clothes

The time comes round to go

We take a family snap

Then pack the car

And all shoot through

Before the washing-up

CHORUS

Sorry about the dodgy formatting there...

So we do have some very Aussie songs, perhaps I'll put up another Colin one soon...

Is anyone wondering what Stable on the Strand is??

It is the biggest Christmas celebration in town and it is celebrating the birth of Christ. It is a free event all the churches get together and they create a whole town in a big park made to be Bethlehem, there are people playing all sorts of roles, roman soldiers, beggars, town folk, Mary, Joseph and Jesus

They had a particularly spunky trio playing them one night back in 2006. They try to rig it so they have as many "holy families" as they can so that each baby only has to do one session. we did 3 hours this night, the Mary dress is designed so you can feed while still wearing it if you want or you can go away to feed and a doll becomes Jesus and Joseph is a single father (to a very compliant baby) for a little while. I just sat there and fed, I don't think anyone even noticed, they thought I was just cuddling him. This particular year it was in a HUGE air conditioned tent but the air con blew it's nut and shut off, we had some lovely roman soldiers and also some angels fanning us (well baby Jesus anyway) so that we didn't overheat. Now it is all open air stuff.

One thing the kids love (other than Colin) is the REAL animals. Camels, donkeys, baby chicks, sheep, goats, they are all there and the kids can pat them and even hold the little ones. It is so well done. Apparently I am involved this year but have been unable to get to any of the training so I am unsure if I am still doing anything. Nothing up front this time... just going in after they have set up and saying that window is crooked, you need more palms over here, this stage is too prop heavy on one side, that sort of thing I think. They have a website you can check out. There is nothing else like it in Australia, it was all started by one church setting up a "live" stable each year and the crowds became more than their church could handle and they saw the potential for something bigger.

Once you enter Bethlehem they try to make it so real that they will only let you have a pottery cup to drink out of "on set" and you cannot wear a watch or anything modern like that, the costume ladies do really well making sure everyone is up to standard before they go on and the set designers do an excellent job making sure everything fits the period.