Artist: The Mavericks
Song: “Santa Does”
Album: Hey! Merry Christmas!
In Their Words: “‘Santa Does’ came to me in a dream. I woke and scribbled it down. Dreamed the whole thing from top to bottom. It became the genesis for the whole album and spawned a whole batch of new Christmas songs. In the spirit of giving, I let my friends Raul Malo and Allan Miller have writing credit, because you know…that’s what Santa Does!” — Jerry Dale McFadden, The Mavericks
Every year, the winter season is filled with countless new Christmas albums from the latest cavalcade of pop artists. Meanwhile, some legacy acts recycle the holiday classics for an easy paycheck. Of course, there are those timeless records we revisit again and again, with songs so deeply ingrained in our brains they can take us back in just a few short notes — Kenny & Dolly’s Once Upon A Christmas, anyone??
But for me, there is one album that outpaces all of them: Bob Dylan’s Christmas in the Heart. Maybe it’s the soft gravel of his voice that contrasts the downright cheery disposition of the songs — all supported by Bob’s super-tight backing band. Maybe it’s the fifteen tracks themselves, which range from the most traditional, like “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night,” to the absurd — you have not experienced glee until you’ve seen this video of “Must Be Santa.” More than anything, I think it’s the sheer joy that comes across in every note. It’s what Christmas should be all about: silliness and happiness and cheesiness mixed with solemnity and tradition and memory.
Naturally then, to kick off our first-ever BGS Wraps series, we present the album in its entirety. Hopefully it becomes a holiday tradition in your family too.
No one really needs any help gearing up for the beautiful gluttony of the holiday season, but in the spirit of gorging oneself on cookies, pie, turkey, ham, and all manner of seasonal treats, here are nine bluegrass songs to get your stomach growling.
Flatt & Scruggs — “Hot Corn, Cold Corn”
Hot corn goes with your meal. Cold corn makes your meal (and your loud relatives) bearable. If the chickens all a-runnin’ and the toenails a flyin’, this is your best bet.
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder — “Pig in a Pen”
Bake them biscuits! Raise a barrel of sorghum! We’re Alabamy-bound!
Reno & Smiley — “Dill Pickle Rag”
Have a pickle with your leftover turkey sandwich!
Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley — “Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy”
The importance of proper cast-iron care cannot be overstated. Do not use soap or any cleaning agents (scrub with salt on stubborn grime when needed), oil after rinsing and washing in warm water, and make sure to re-season regularly.
Lost and Found — “Leftover Biscuits”
Sure, this describes a pretty misogynistic scenario in which the kitchen is dirty because the singer’s wife left him, but maybe also it can just be the day after Christmas when no one wants to even acknowledge the tower of dishes in the sink and everyone’s content to eat cold ham on day-old rolls? Maybe?
Jim & Jesse — “Y’all Come!”
Eating everything from soup to hay! HAY!?
Bruce Molsky — “Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Bit Further into the Fire”
No one wants an underdone pig’s foot.
David Grier — “Angeline the Baker”
Angeline, could you bake me up some cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, yeasty rolls, and a pie or three, a fruitcake, a pumpkin roll …
The Nashville Bluegrass Band — “Soppin’ the Gravy”
A clean plate does not count as a truly clean plate, until you’ve taken whatever bread you have on hand and have completely sopped up all that gravy. Soppin’ veterans will then move to the gravy pan and sop up all of that, too. Don’t think about your arteries. It’s the holidays!
Photo credit: Philip Clifford on Foter.com / CC BY-SA
Somewhere between going to your sixth holiday party, second school Christmas performance, 12th crowded mall, and 38th traffic jam, you realize you’ve come down with it yet again this year. Even though you vow every year you’re going to somehow escape it, organize your way out of it, downsize your experience of it, or simply consume wine by the case, at some point between Black Friday and Christmas morning, you realize you once again have come down with a nasty case of the Holiday Blues — an exhausting kind of stress that causes you to loathe the season which is supposed to be rooted in joy, love, and generosity.
Holiday stress is impossible to escape. It doesn’t matter if you’re the town Scrooge or a devout atheist, holiday stress and strain grabs everyone by the throat and doesn’t let go till we’re popping the Tylenol on January 1. There are too many people trying to accomplish too much in the same crowded spaces in too little time. And it’s not like work and family duties just evaporate at this time of year. Rather, like everything else, they multiply and magnify until we fantasize about becoming a contestant on Naked and Afraid … because wouldn’t covering up with oak leaves and eating berries for dinner just be so much easier than tackling that insane to-do list?
To make matters worse, health experts offer lots of facile advice around this time of year about how best to combat it: Slow down. Take a hot bath. Remember what’s important. Meditate.
As though anyone has time for any of that!
Here’s another, easier solution: Listen to your favorite music.
There’s an impressive amount of scientific research on how effective music is for changing our brain state and reducing the experience of stress.
It used to be thought that classical music held a monopoly on this, but more recent research suggests any music you find pleasurable will create positive brain changes — improved memory, improved mood, and improved immunity, to name just a few benefits.
Here are five easy ways you can use music to de-stress during the holidays:
Keep Your Favorite Playlist Handy
While all music provides neurological benefits (except for music that’s jarring or harsh), researchers have found that music which gives you pleasure has an even greater impact. So, as a Christmas present to yourself, go ahead and create that playlist with your crazy-favorite tracks — the songs you truly love and feel inspired by. Whether it’s a song you were recently turned onto, or something you’ve been belting along to for years, pull together your “A-Team” playlist of songs that make you feel really good.
Listen to Music While You’re Out and About
Thanks to technology, we’re in a time where — short of implanting music directly into our brains (which we assume is coming soon) — music could not be more accessible, more customizable, and more portable. Every cell phone and pair of earbuds can become your own personal stress-busting therapist.
Take advantage of this. Without sacrificing safety or tuning out your surroundings, listen to music while driving, walking through crowded sidewalks, picking up snacks for the holiday party, or waiting on line at the post office. The same situation that might previously have left you furious or fed up can have the opposite result if you’ve been listening to music you find physically energizing or spiritually uplifting. And feeling good is contagious. If you’re tapping your toes while dealing with that frazzled store clerk, your smile and positive mood might just rub off on her, as well.
Sing Along
Singing with emotion has been shown to release oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” Oxytocin is a natural human hormone associated with empathy, trust, and relationship-building. So, when you sing along to a song that makes your heart swell, you might just end up wanting to give a hug, as well as a dollar, to that Santa shaking his cup outside the department store.
Topping up your oxytocin reserves means it’s also more likely you’ll be loving and patient with family members, even as the proverbial holiday kaka hits the fan. There’s nothing worse than raging at your spouse or kids just because you’re trying to bake gingerbread cookies with one hand and wrap gifts with the other. Sing along to Mavis Staples as you’re baking, and you might be much more charitable when you’ve discovered your three-year old has just poured molasses all over the sofa. (Though, in truth, the fact that “You Are Not Alone” is a big part of the problem!)
Use Music in Emotionally Challenging Situations
Some research suggests that music which impacts you emotionally has the ability to help process old emotions. These are emotions which — though stored deep in the subconscious — nonetheless influence our present-day mood and behavior. Do you have one of those dreaded family dinners coming up, which inevitably serve up extra helpings of drama and tension alongside the mashed potatoes? Listen to your favorite “sad song” on the way home. Those tears you shed while listening will likely be linked to your old emotional wounds. The sense of clearing and release you feel will be beneficial, even if you aren’t clearing or releasing the original emotional hurt.
Give the Gift of Music
Most of us get financially stressed during the holidays. We live in a consumer culture that worships expensive high-tech offerings while downplaying simplicity. One of the great things about roots music is that it crosses genres and is universally appealing. That playlist you created to help you stay sane during the holidays? Consider burning a CD of it, spiffing it up with a pretty bow and attaching a heartfelt note for a quick, easy gift for multiple people on your list. Like cookies made from a cherished family recipe or a lovingly hand-knit sweater, receiving a “mix tape” consisting of a loved one’s hand-picked songs is like receiving a part of that person’s heart and psyche. People are moved by it. Rather than appearing cheap, it looks unique and thoughtful.
If you want to make it a little extra special, fill a mason jar with epsom salts from the drugstore and offer it alongside the CD with a note expressing your wish for them: peace, relaxation, and (if they’re lucky) maybe even a good cry.
No one has to know it’s the same ol’ playlist you’ve been listening to all season long as your own personal Xanax!
Heather Juergensen is a health and wellness consultant based in Los Angeles. Her company, The Strong Woman, devises natural, non-pharmaceutical solutions for clients dealing with myriad physical and mental health issues, including depression. Find more of her favorite ways to de-stress on her blog.
Cynical though it may sound, a lot of holiday music is pretty crappy. Just turn on your local soft rock radio station and try withstanding the onslaught of ratings-boosting renditions of “Rudolph” that, these days, seem to begin sometime around Halloween. Save for “Feliz Navidad,” a couple of Carpenters’ tunes, and anything by Bing Crosby, it all pretty much sucks.
To the rescue we come with our exclusive playlist of Non-Crappy Christmas Songs.
We like this list because it has a little of everything: heartbreak, humor, sentiment, and sadness — plus a performance by one of the great folk artists of all time … Kermit the Frog. So, kick back and let Joni Mitchell and Johnny Cash, Brandi Carlile and Burl Ives serenade your holidays.
For those of you who like your carols a little more on the country side of the street, the ginormous Ultimate Country Christmas Playlist we did last year rocks pretty steady.
Photo credit: ginnerobot via Foter.com / CC BY-SA
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the winter holiday is a holiday like no other. The oldest U.S. capital — and the third largest art market in the country — Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet above sea level at the most northern point of the Camino Real trading route. Settled as a Spanish Colony in 1610, the area was home to the Tewa Pueblo People for centuries before. Much has been written about Santa Fe … the art, the light, the culture, the geography — all of which go toward making a Santa Fe holiday a rare and memorable experience.
Getting There
Santa Fe is about 45 minutes north of Albuquerque, the most likely place to fly into. Rent a car and head north on I-25 or take the Sandia Shuttle which departs from the Albuquerque Sunport hourly from 8:45 am to 11:45 pm — reservations recommended. Santa Fe also has an airport with very limited commercial service from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Phoenix (American Airlines) and Denver (United Airlines). Another option for getting to and from Santa Fe is to take the Rail Runner from Albuquerque to the Santa Fe Depot. While the train departures are frequent, the shuttle bus to and from the airport is infrequent so I would consider a taxi to and from. You know you are almost there when you come up over the last hill and see the jeweled lights of the town at the base of the Sangre De Cristo mountains.
Lodging
Photo courtesy of La Fonda Hotel.
For maximum holiday impact, stay within walking distance of the Plaza, the heart of historic Santa Fe. To be car-free and on foot allows for exploration of hidden lanes and alleys. If it snows, all the better. The stars are within reach, and the air is crisp and scented with piñon and cedar wood from the kiva fireplaces warming most adobe structures.
La Fonda Hotel is an iconic and classic hotel built in 1922 sitting just off the Plaza. Another historic property slightly off the beaten path up Palace Avenue, covering six acres and comprised of a series of adobe casitas, is La Posada Hotel, while St. Francis, on the southern side of the Plaza, is the oldest historic hotel. A little farther afield and one of the best deals in Santa Fe is the El Rey — a classic southwestern motor court on the original Route 66. Of course, there are vacation rentals aplenty, if you want that “I live here” experience.
Celebrations
Photo courtesy of Melissa Howden.
The Spanish colonization of Santa Fe means celebrations have a generous Catholic imprint. However, it is the prevalence of firelight that sets this holiday experience apart from others. Buildings, homes, and streets are outlined with farolitos — lunch-sized paper bags filled with sand and lit from within by votive candles. Little do you know, as you drive north on I-25, you will cross an important border pretty much delineated by La Bajada Hill. To the north of La Bajada Hill, the little light bags are called farolitos. To the south, they are referred to as luminarias. The history of both derives from the night before Christmas, when they lit the way for Mary and Joseph as they searched for a place to stay before their baby was born, and/or to light the way for the Christ child.
For a true display of farolito (and luminaria) magic, head to Canyon Road on Christmas Eve. The community comes out to stroll, join or listen to carolers, warm hands and chat over the luminarias (in this case bonfires) and revel in the company of one another.
Las Posadas translates to lodging or accommodations, and it is a traditional celebration joining Spanish folklore and Christian tradition in which people re-enact Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to stay on Christmas Eve. Joseph and Mary are followed by the community, and they proceed from door to door and are turned away, all the while taunted by devils on rooftops. You don’t need to be a believer to join in this centuries-old tradition. This year, the community event is scheduled for December 11, though many churches in the region have their own throughout the season.
The Glow Event at the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens brings music, nature, food, and drink together in a particular kind of holiday glory.
Make sure your schedule allows for a visit to one of the nearby pueblos for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dances. As the original people of this land, the pueblos of the Rio Grande Valley generously welcome visitors to many of their dances and celebrations which are exquisitely beautiful. These are prayerful celebrations, not tourist entertainment. As a good guest, one is sure to go away changed by the majesty and an unrivaled glimpse into a living ancient culture.
Food and Drink
Photo courtesy of Café Pasqual's.
Santa Fe attracts both diverse and adventurous chefs and eaters, and it is hard to keep up with the latest and greatest in town. Breakfast at Café Pasqual’s — named after San Pasqual, the patron saint of kitchens and cooking — has been a favorite for almost 40 years. This is organic, noble food lifted up by tradition. If you like a good diner, the Plaza Café is one of Santa Fe’s oldest restaurant and fits the bill with windows on to the plaza. The chile is hot, the sopaipillas made to order, and the coffee cup always full. On the old Route 66 — and not far from the El Rey if you stay there — the Pantry is a classic café with good food, friendly people, families, and deal makers. Be prepared to wait. It’s just like that.
Lunch calls for the Shed. Perhaps one of the most known and visited restaurants in Santa Fe, it is much-beloved by visitors and locals, alike, as it has been owned by three generations of the same family. Try the Blue Corn Green Chile Chicken Enchilada. Vinaigrette is a “Salad Bistro” in a charming adobe. Owner Erin Wade grows much of the produce on her 10-acre farm in Nambe and each salad can be customized with protein or not. For those not salad-inclined, there are soups, sandwiches, and specials, as well as a revolving beer and wine list. Eat Your Peas is a favorite with its sweet green peas and lettuce with crunchy bacon, a white mushroom sauté, and Asiago cheese with a tart vinaigrette. Shake Foundation is a traditional drive-up with a modern twist, preserving the classic green chile cheese or no cheeseburger with local hormone and antibiotic-free beef and turkey, and shakes from natural, organic, and hormone-free Rasband Dairy in Albuquerque.
Dinner at La Boca guarantees a good meal with a small plate selection of seasonal goodness influenced by the Spanish Tapas tradition. If you are lucky, you might hit a night when local fave Nacha Mendez is playing. Chef Joseph Wrede began his distinguished, award-winning career in Taos, New Mexico, with the first and second incarnations of Joseph’s Table. He is an artist in all ways, combining traditional and contemporary cuisine into something uniquely memorable and Joseph. Locally sourced, divinely prepared, and lovingly presented, the fare at Radish and Rye is abright new-ish addition to the Santa Fe restaurant scene — with an extensive bourbon list, to boot!
Before or after dinner, make a point of going to the La Fonda Bar. Try to make it on a night when Bill Hearne and his trio play. It's a combo of honky-tonk, country swing, and slick guitar licks. Whatever the make-up, it is a joyous event with couples popping up to two step and swing. It doesn’t matter if you are a dancer or not, this is distinctive and evocative Santa Fe action.
Things to Do
Photo courtesy of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
Must-hit museums include the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the New Mexico History Museum, and IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Doubletake is one of the greatest consignment store experiences ever. Todos Santos Chocolates in Sena Plaza is a tiny chocolate shop of wonder known for chocolate confections in the shape of Milagros covered in silver and gold leaf. If you have a weakness for cowboy boots, there is no place better to oooh and aaah than Back at the Ranch.
One last thing about Christmas in New Mexico. Three particular dishes are required for the holidays: tamales, posole, and biscochitos.
Strictly speaking, tamales are not New Mexican; rather, they are a Mesoamerican dish to which New Mexicans have added their own twists. A tamale is made of a corn masa/dough then stuffed with any combination of cheese, chile, meat, and vegetables then wrapped in a corn husk and steamed. Families have their over versions of Christmas Tamales that, in some cases, include a special chile or a sweet tamale version. Posole is a hominy stew — usually made for celebrations — with pork and garnished with shredded cabbage, chile peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa, and/or limes.
Finally, biscochitos — an anise and cinnamon cookie which are traditionally made with lard. Every family has their particular twist and take on the recipe, which is most often learned in the kitchen with an abuela or tia passed down by oral tradition. They are also the New Mexico State Cookie.
Photo courtesy of Melissa Howden.
Here is a basic recipe to try:
Ingredients
1 ½ cups lard, chilled*
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons anise seeds
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
About 3 tablespoons brandy, whiskey, or brandy.
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat lard and one cup sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and anise seeds, and beat until very light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, along with the brandy. Mix thoroughly to make a stiff dough.
Place dough on a long piece — about three feet — of waxed paper at one end. Bring the long end over the top, and press to about one inch or slightly less in thickness and refrigerate until chilled.
Roll out dough between waxed paper to just under ½ inch thickness. Cut with flour-dusted cutters into your preferred shape. Combine the three remaining tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon into a bowl; Some people dip the unbaked cookies into the cinnamon sugar, some sprinkle after just baked.
Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops of cookies are just beginning to brown. Cool cookies on wire racks.
*You can substitute Crisco or butter for the lard, but you will sacrifice crispness and taste. You can also substitute the whiskey or brandy with a juice or milk, but again, it’s a different cookie with changes.
Bubbafest hunting
Old moonshiner Uncle Wayne
Possum for supper
Gatlinburg weekend
Domestic reality
Dad's a local judge
Costco Velveeta
Stay at the Holiday Inn
Spoil the little one
Named after a bug
We still get along just fine
Tennessee Christmas
I won Thanksgiving
I bought his mom Tupperware
Extra butter and sugar
Don't beat my sister
I love it, praise God, amen
Named after a plant
Can't win for losin'
Drama from six years ago
Don't worry, dad's drunk
All of which calls to mind this Robert Earl Keen Christmas ditty as brought to life by Jill Sobule.
The above is a work of satire. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental … although entirely likely.
Photo credit: Ronald (Ron) Douglas Frazier via Foter.com / CC BY.
