Christmas | Washerman's Dog

All things considered 2014 was far superior to 2013 which means we are on an evolutionary trend. Can’t wait to get to 2015!

I am grateful for my wife who is about the most hardworking, dedicated to life person I know. I am grateful to my kids who are fast becoming the most beautiful things known to man. I am grateful to my employer for keeping me around. I am grateful to my friends who have endured with me through another year and who have shared their lives, lows and highs with me throughout the twelve months. I am grateful for life itself, for the heart (which I abuse) that keeps ticking each morning and night. I am grateful for the big crop of new friends I’ve made both in the flesh and virtually in 2014.

I am also grateful for the gift of music. I’ve not been able to share and enjoy it so much as in the past, but that goes back to my employer who is keeping me busy most days and nights. So no complaints.

Allow us to share with you some Christmas music that is a bit off the beaten track (with some old burnished gems tossed in like sparkling lights on the tree) and wish for all of you a great holiday /break.

Merry Christmas, Kwanza, Hannukah and Holidays!

Track Listing:

01 Must Be Santa [Bob Dylan]

02 Christmas Must Be Tonight [The Band]

04 Breaking Up Christmas [The Smokey Valley Boys]

05 Christmas In Southgate [Ry Cooder]

06 Christmas Date Boogie [Big Joe Turner)

07 The Christmas Song [Calvin Owens]

08 White Christmas [Frank Sinatra]

09 King Of Love [Johnny Cash]

10 Christmas Eve Blues [Blind Lemon Jefferson]

11 Christmas Time [Larry Norman]

12 Happy Christmas [Nazir Ali, Nahid Akhtar and Mehnaz]

13 Blue Christmas [Master] {Miles Davis}

14 I Wanna Spend Christmas With You [Lowell Fulsom]

14 Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight) [The Ramones]

15 Christmas, Merry Christmas [Usha Uthup]

16 God Rest You Merry Gentlemen [Victoria Welsh Male Voice Choir]

17 Winter Wonderland [Jaymz Bee and the Royal Jelly Orchestra]

18 Deck The Halls [Golden Gate Quartet]

19 I’ll Be Home for Christmas [Elvis Presley]

20 A Song For Christmas [Charles Brown]

21 Silent Night [Ladysmith Black Mambazo]

22 O Holy Night [Victoria Welsh Male Voice Choir]

Ho Ho HO

Syrian refugee children make a snowman in Turkey.

Christmas has snuck up on me this year. I’ve not had much time to look at the calendar in the last few months and suddenly everyone is off for their holidays to Burma, Bali, Denmark and USA. I, alas, remain behind here in KL. And the family, double alas, in Melbourne.

To ring in the season we share a Christmas album from the one and only Fairuz. A couple of traditional seasonal songs mixed in with Arabic and presumably French carol tunes. Nothing too adventurous or audacious. But as always Fairuz sings with a lightness and as appropriate to my take on the season, low key and relaxing.

Given the horrific times in her native Lebanon and neighboring Syria, where children, families and old folks are struggling to survive in the snow, seemingly ignored a world content to let their country cannablise itself, these soft songs take on healing properties.

If you would like to make a donation to the people of Syria, here are a couple of links that can provide you with more information and a link to donate. AS always, WD gets 0% of any donations.

Info: http://www.ifrc.org/what-we-do/disaster-management/responding/ongoing-operations/crisis-in-syria/

To donate: http://www.ifrc.org/en/get-involved/donate/