Holiday-Themed Song of the Day: Song for a Winter's Night:
By Gordon Lightfoot, from
Gord's Gold (Reprise, 1975). This pretty love songs invokes the spirits of winter and all the beauty of the season in that classic, lovely Gordon Lightfoot manner.
Strange Solstice Factoid:
The Roman pagan masters used the Solstice as an opportunity to sit down and share a feast with their slaves. The slaves were permitted for a day to do and say as they pleased. One of them was named King for the day, and would preside over the feast as if he were the master.
Holiday Tradition of the Day: Yule Log:
Traditionally, the Yule log was burned for 12 days, beginning on Solstice night. It was important for the person(s) burning the log to have harvested the log (which was from an Ash tree) from their land, or they had been given it as a gift. The log would be doused with cider and sprinkled with flour before being set ablaze to ward off the spirits of darkness and welcome in warmth and light.
Gift of the Day:
Greg Brown
In the Hills of California. This 2-CD collection of Greg's performances at the Kate Wolf music festival features great songs like "I Want My Country Back," "Poet Game," and "Your Town Now." It's a comprehensive compilation of some of Greg's finest moments, and will make you feel like you're sitting outside listening on a warm summer night.
