Merry Christmas, Mr. Bowie

When I hear Karen Carpenter at Christmas I am transported to my Mom's home in Oshawa.   There wasn't a crepe paper Santa or Christmas Bell that was safe from hanging.  


Red and green paper streams were strung from the ceiling corners in the kitchen and crisscrossed in the middle where a huge clump of red and green accordion bells were scotch taped to the light fixture.

There were plastic holly & berries adorning anything stationary. On the porch windows were snow stencilled reindeers, snowflakes and Santa's - flying, falling and walking through the glow of multi-coloured lights. Even the bathroom was decorated with a crocheted Mrs. Claus toilet paper cover. (Was that supposed to keep the tissue warm?)


Mom enjoyed her Christmases. Even if she had survived to experience the Martha Stewart era of tasteful DIY decorations, I think she'd still haul out the crêpe paper Frosty and the canned snow each December because that's what Christmas at home was.

These songs take me back there and to her bottomless tin of Christmas cookies.

Was your Mom a Martha Stewart or a Roseanne Barr when it came to Seasonal decor?

David Bowie, Bing Crosby: Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth

Karen Carpenter: Merry Christmas Darling