I only have one good Christmas CD left, folks - Christmas at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. I have no idea where it came from, but this CD is a unique collection of superbly sung carols and chant. Come to think of it, this CD may have come free in the mail! Everyone seems to like the music fine, but what is even more fun are the photographs in the liner notes: nuns sledding and ice skating with faces absolutely brimming over with joy. Nuns always look so radiant.
I actually do have three other Christmas CDs in the drawer, but I am not in the mood this year to hear them. One is Amy Grant, the second Charlotte Church and the other Jars of Clay. Oh well, we are still not yet tired of L'Angelus or Katie McMahon. The Relaxing Christmas Piano and Relaxing Christmas String Quartet have been moved to the children's rooms for a calming effect as they fall asleep, excited little ones that they are this week.
We are still singing Advent hymns (Download Advent Songbook) in Circle time and at least one of my children claims that she likes them even more than Christmas songs. For the first time ever, we are singing the appropriate verse of O Come, O Come Emmanuel after we pray the O Antiphon for the day, now that we finally have an O Antiphon house. Sometime I will have to use Sarah's idea of downloading recordings of Advent songs.
*** Oh, one more thing - a disclaimer. I have noticed lately that some bloggers disclose when they do or do not receive any kickback from their recommendations. I read this and feel a little guilty for not having been upfront before. As many bloggers do, I have signed up for something called Amazon Associates which means that if a reader clicks on a link to Amazon and adds that item to their shopping cart, then the blogger gets a tiny tiny percentage of that item as well as whatever else they add to their cart. Usually this(for me and my blog) takes three or four months to accumulate into a small amount that is credited towards my Amazon account. I'm talking like $20-$50. So, not much, but every little bit helps with the book budget. (a BIG thank you to anyone who has ever made these purchases!) Really, though, even if this program did not exist I would still love posting about books and music we love. And it keeps me from being lazy about providing links for your perusal.
That's all. I will try to post one more time before taking a holiday break. Christmas blessings to you and your family!

