Or so says the “American Family Association.” I put the organization’s name in quotes, because so little of what it does actually supports American families. For example, the group’s latest project includes attacking Campbell’s soup for this magazine ad…
The ad appeared in the Advocate, a very popular gay-themed magazine, and *gasp* includes two women in the photo. Almost hinting that they are a real lesbian couple who have a child and are making dinner like a normal family. Stunningly risque.
The American Family Association was shocked, and immediately began a drive to pressure Campbell’s to remove the ad and apologize. Says the AFA:
Campbell Soup Company has openly begun helping homosexual activists push their agenda. Not only did the ads cost Campbell’s a chunk of money, but they also sent a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support. They also gave their approval to the entire homosexual agenda.
Homosexual parents can actually create a family? They deserve support? Craziness. Only a complete radical could believe something like that. Let’s all get behind the brave AFA stance and switch to generic brands instead of Campbells. Otherwise those homosexuals might just take over the world, eat our children, and bind us all in chains to the carry out the vile, evil, heinous “Homosexual Agenda.” Dun Dun Dun…..
In this Jan. 11, 2008 photo, eagles await transfer to a warm U.S. Fish and Wildlife warehouse after being rescued from the cold in Kodiak, Alaska. They were among 50 eagles which dove into the back of an uncovered dump truck full of fish guts and became too wet to fly away. (AP Photo/Jay Barrett) #
Sitting here at the local Barnes and Noble (my haven in my hometown) puts me in a contemplative mood as I watch the last minute Christmas revelers rest in the cafe. Christmas always seemed to be the big culminating event of the year, a reminder of the good parts of having friends, family, and any measure of prosperity. New Year’s is much less contemplative. New Year’s Eve is of the mindset, “Let’s get drunk, dress up, and sing songs, because we can and have no idea what the next year will bring.” Christmas is like arriving at a destination; New Year’s is setting off toward a new one. At Christmas you catch you breathe and look back. At New Years you button up and look forward. The cliche’s here are endless and overdone, but I can’t help but consider them.
In that contemplative spirit, I want to look back at the last 24 days of our Greatest Christmas songs countdown. Here’s a recap:
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
3. That Spirit of Christmas
4. Carol of the Bells
5. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
6. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
7. Griswold’s Song
8. The First Noel
9. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
10. It Came Upon A Midnight
11. In The First Light
12. Silent Night
13. Little Drummer Boy
14. Merry Christmas
15. Jingle Bell Rock
16. Somewhere in my Memory
17. White Christmas
18. Who Would Imagine a King
19. Christmas Shoes
20. Wonderful Christmastime
21. Winter Wonderland
22. Christmastime is Here
23. All I Want For Christmas Is You
24. The Christmas Song
25. It Feels Like Christmas
The entire project of selecting the 25 ‘greatest’ songs and ranking them was impossible to do impersonally. In fact, the entire thing was nothing but personal, because there is no other way to select and judge something like this otherwise; no clear-cut standards exist. There was no rubric to use, and so I relied almost exclusively on my own personal gut-reactions. In that way, I think I was honest but not representative; I didn’t attempt to appease all tastes.
That said, because of the very nature of the topic, I already have changes, additions, and alterations that I wouldn’t likely make if I re-did the list this afternoon. In the spirit of that continued honesty, here are some of those thoughts…
SONGS THAT I WOULD LIKEY ADD:
*I’ll Be Home With Bells On -Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
(The only reason this song didn’t make the list, quite frankly, is because I forgot about it. It’s an egregious omission)
*Rocking Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
(A stunningly fun, happy song. It should have been in the 20-25 range.)
SONGS THAT I WOULD LIKELY TAKE OFF THE LIST:
*Who Would Imagine a King
(The children’s choir version is the only thing that allowed it to make the list. I realize, however, that taken out of the context of the movie, it isn’t as strong.)
*Wonderful Christmastime
(I enjoy it. But looking back, there’s no way it is in the top 25, at least not for me.)
SONGS THAT I WOULD LIKELY MOVE DOWN:
*It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
(Still on the list, but it isn’t as consistently good as the songs behind it.)
*Little Drummer Boy
(It can be good, but it can also be stupendously bad. It’s a unique sound for a classic tune, which is what earned it extra points initially, but I was likely too generous.)
*Griswold’s Song
(Fun and list-worthy, but not necessarily top 10. I bumped it up too much.)
*You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch
(Ditto. Though it would still be higher than Griswold’s Song.)
SONGS THAT I WOULD MOVE UP:
*The First Noel
(It should have been in the top 5.)
*The Christmas Song
(I don’t necessarily like every version, but Nat King Cole’s take is so brilliant that it should have been considerably higher.)
*All I Want For Christmas
(It should’ve been higher, but only to the 18-19 range max.)
I feel better with that off my chest. Now two questions for you:
1. Is it obvious what the number 1 song will be?
2. What would be your single, greatest song? …no hedging…
Merry Christmas Eve! In my childhood Christmases of yore, this day was almost better than the real thing, because the giddy anticipation and build up is what I remember now more than anything that actually happened on the 25th. As the list winds to a close, we return to the type of song that had made many an appearance on this list, born out of the movie industry boon in the first half of the last century. The list of artists who have covered it is a mile long, but, obviously, this list must include the original artist…the indominable spirit herself.
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Those who have been following know that there is still one Senate race yet to be decided…dragging on the last month and a half since election day in Minnesota. For most of that time, Sen. Norm Coleman was up by a handful of votes and appeared to be clinging on to re-election. However, satirist turned politician Al Franken had been inching closer after the ridiculously complex re-count procedures and now maintains a 48 vote lead. Things are nowhere near finished just yet, but available challenges are winding down. Odds are steadily increasing that Al Franken will be the first person to go from SNL to the Senate.
If you are interested, THIS blog has provided the best coverage of the re-count.
And for those paying very close attention, you’ll note that I both picked that Senate seat to be the closest in the country AND picked Franken to win by a nose. If this shakes out, I’ll have to readjustment my post-election self-scoring. It’s a proud day for me. My plan to one-day become the most accurate (but still inaccurate) worthless talking head takes a baby step forward.
We’ve hit the top 3. In my work creating this list, this song started off lower and then kept moving up as I was finalizing it. I have compared other songs to a ‘warm blanket,’ and that simile is just as apt here. The more you listen to it, the more it sticks to you. It’s another personal choice to have it this high, considering it isn’t the national/worlwide classic of many others. However, even if you’ve just heard a snippet of it during the classic ‘attic scene’ of Christmas Vacation, it still probably means something to you.
The LA Times profiled two couples in CA. Each advocating for opposing sides in the Prop 8 struggle . Each believing that they have a personal stake in the outcome. The author of each story painted the picture of “Rich white family v. Poor gay couple” a little too neatly. However, it still provides a clear contrast, I think, to the arguments being bandied about.
“The thing that affected me the most was knowing that my grandkids are going to be taught this ungodly and sinful act as if it’s OK,” Robbie said. “I thought from that point on, ‘No. I will fight for them. I don’t have them yet, but I’m going to fight for them.’ “
“In a lifetime we both spent with no support for any of our relationships . . . it is so great to stand up in front of your friends and family, the state of California and the Pacific Ocean, and have somebody recognize it, appreciate it and celebrate it,” Lewis said. “That’s a huge deal for people like us.”
