"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Most people who know me at all, know that I take great interest in most things from the Civil War so I guess it should come as no surprise that one of my favorite Christmas songs was written partially in response to the feelings of despair that particular war caused. In 1863, Cambridge, Massachusetts' poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the poem "Christmas Bells" after his son Charles was severely wounded in the Battle of New Hope Church in Virginia during the Mine Run Campaign.

First published in February 1865 in a juvenile magazine entitled Our Young Folks, it wasn't until 1872 that the poem was set to music when the English organist, John Baptiste Calkin, used it in a processional accompanied with a melody he had previously used as early as 1848. The poem was set to several other melodies over the years but it has always remained a song that Ray Bradbury, in his 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, describes as "immensely moving, overwhelming, no matter what day or what month it was sung."

In light of last week's horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the words seem even more moving and overwhelming than they were back in the dark days of the Civil War as people still reel from the shock and grief and despair that was wrought upon a small town with the taking of the lives of 26 innocent people.

"... And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"  

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

If you've got a few free moments, please take the time to watch the embedded video which tells the whole story of Longfellow's epic poem and includes a marvelous performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  If you aren't in need of a tissue by the end, I will be utterly amazed.

Contrary to What Is Probably Popular Belief ...

... I have not exactly fallen off of the edge of the Blogosphere though it almost seems like that when I think about how long it's been since my last blog post!  Suffice it to say that time has been flying by like a witch on a broomstick in October or a fat man wearing a red suit in a sleigh in December but 12-12-12 seemed like as good a day as any to finally pop in and say HI!

After six weeks of wandering around with Claire, I put her back on the plane to England almost a full two weeks ago and since then have not been able to get my act together long enough to do much more than occasionally post on Facebook or think about writing a blog post or two.  Trust me, I've got plenty to write about along with plenty of photos to share but I apparently put my ambition and motivation on the plane with Claire as I can't seem to find them anywhere around the house.  Hopefully if she finds them stashed somewhere in the things she took back with her, she ships them back posthaste but I have the sneaky suspicion she will keep them for her own use!

As for my Google Reader, I have honestly been afraid to even peek at the thing!  I definitely think there will be some "mark all as read" action going on and then hopefully I can get back to visiting the folks who live in my computer (as Claire likes to put it) and see how your lives have been doing since I somehow found myself ridiculously busy!

I started getting my twice-weekly allergy shots last Monday (one in my right arm and two in my left) and have come to the conclusion that they kind of make me feel like I've been hit by a truck for a day after I get them. I'm going to have to talk to the folks at the allergist's tomorrow and let them know that "Yes, I have had increased wheezing, respiratory issues, and flu-like symptoms to report!"  Those questions have to be asked before each injection though I'm not sure what impact it makes if you answer 'yes' versus 'no'.  Guess I'll be finding out!  I'm  not at all sure how long it takes before one notices the benefits of the injections but I do hope it doesn't take too long.

Let's see, what else?  Jamie will be coming back from visiting her Dad in Texas this coming Monday when - naturally - some winter-like weather is being predicted.  I'm hoping it's more rain than anything else but with New England you just never know.  Like they say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute!"  We were fortunate with the weather for most of the time that Claire was visiting though we did get that hurricane and there was snow and rain and fog on occasion but for the most part, we had some pretty good conditions for traveling around the countryside.  I am proud to say that I managed to get her to all five New England states while she was here - along with Pennsylvania and Canada, too!  Wait till she gets the bill in the mail for my "travel guide services"!

This weekend promises to be a busy one as I'll be hosting what's become the annual Christmas party for the Dispatch and Scheduling Department wherein we all get together and drink and eat too much and which means I need to do a little extra cleaning before Saturday night!  On Sunday Amanda and I are heading up to Cambridge to attend Afternoon Tea at Upstairs on the Square with my friend Juli and then from there we're going to a bell ringing concert by the New England Ringers at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.  The plan is to spend the night at Juli's in Salem and then head down to Providence to pick up Jamie on Monday.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate for all of that!

Oh, and just to make things even more interesting, I'm taking Amanda to see "The Hobbit" at the midnight showing on Thursday night and hopefully attending the Canterbury Historical Society's Holiday Potluck on Friday night in my hometown.  Somewhere in between there I'm supposed to work eight hours, too.

I think I have just worn myself out all over again just reading about the upcoming next few days! I think I may have forgotten that I am old and tired and that Christmas is now less than two weeks away!   Yikes.

Let's close this with a YouTube video of the folks that we'll be going to see on Sunday that was filmed at a recent concert here in Connecticut; perhaps I'll get the chance to take a video or two of my own then and then hopefully I'll get a chance to share it with you!

Happy Holidays 2011!

A Distracted Promo With a Tidbit of History That Would Have Made Scrooge Smile!

1937 Photo of The House of the Seven Gables
from the Library of Congress
Photo Credit

Three weeks ago I made my second visit in less than two days back to Salem's House of the Seven Gables since my original visit in 1975 as a high school junior - and no, the picture from above isn't from that original trip!  On my most recent visit I was given a private showing of the property and given permission to take photos inside the houses - something that is not allowed to visitors on the regular tours.  The reason for that was so that I could share both the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion and the Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace House with readers of The Distracted Wanderer.  Finally after several late nights and long hours, both posts are finally up and running so should you wish to see the inside of the house that is believed to have inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his 1851 Gothic Romance novel The House of the Seven Gables, you may do so here.

As an added bonus, the house was decorated for Christmas - a holiday that was illegal in Massachusetts for many, many years following a law passed in 1659 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony that banned Christmas celebrations and required a five-shilling fine from anyone caught "observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way." The law was repealed in 1681 but it wasn't until 1856 that Christmas Day became a state holiday in Massachusetts. Gosh, if Ebeneezer Scrooge had known that, maybe he could have moved to Massachusetts where he would have been within his legal rights to "Bah Humbug" as much as he wanted and no one would have condemned him for it in the least!

Speaking of Christmas, I've got lots to do before Sunday so I'd best get to it!

An Early Christmas Gift for My Cousin - and Me!

Even though it's probably going to rain a bit, my cousin Amy and I are heading up to Boston today so that I can present her with one of her Christmas gifts just a little bit early.  Being a little stumped as to what to get a librarian who also has a love of history like I do, when I heard about The Freedom Trail's Holiday Stroll I thought it sounded like an excellent gift idea - plus I couldn't possibly send Amy by herself so I'm rather giving myself a gift also!


Even though I should probably be staying home working on my post for The Distracted Wanderer on my tour of the House of the Seven Gables or perhaps wrapping a few Christmas packages or maybe even doing laundry, I'm not going to do any of that. Instead I'm going to drive up to Boston with my cousin, spend a little time doing some Christmas shopping, and then take a nice stroll along the Freedom Trail learning all about how Christmas was - and wasn't - celebrated during Colonial Times. As a special treat, the tour ends at Boston's Omni Parker House where we'll indulge in a nice cup of coffee or tea and the pièce de résistance - Boston Cream Pie!

The Omni Parker House is, after all, where Boston Cream Pie originated - not to mention the truly delicious Parker House Rolls. The one time I was there to have breakfast several years ago the hotel was absolutely beautiful and I'm thinking it will probably be made even more so decked out for the holidays! I'm looking forward to finding out firsthand!

I sure hope that Amy will quite enjoy her early Christmas present but if by some strange twist she doesn't, she can't exactly return it!

Five on Friday - The Christmas Version, Part Four

Taking a short break from my posts about our stay at the Hawthorne Hotel and leaving you hanging on the question of "haunted or not?" for just a little longer, I'm wrapping up my four-part series of Christmas music for Travis' Five on Friday meme with my final set of the holiday season.  This is most definitely a somewhat eclectic mix (i.e. hodgepodge!) but that's what's so fun about this meme - you can pick and choose from whatever your little heart desires and then subject your readers to it share it with your readers who will hopefully find at least one song in the mix to like.

Just in case I don't get the chance to say it later - I send to you best wishes for the merriest of Christmases as you enjoy a day filled with wonderful memories and the joy of the season!  And hopefully some good Christmas music to boot!

Scaring Up a Splendid Stay in Salem, Part One

Alright, I daresay that I've kept you waiting more than long enough for a post on our recent stay at Salem's absolutely fantastic Hawthorne Hotel and I guess it's past time for the "reveal" as they call it on Ghost Hunters and the like.  First, though, I have to set the scene, right?

For those of you who've been around the blog for awhile and have kept up with my wordy ramblings, I'm not going to post the whole history of the Hawthorne again but if you'd like a refresher or are new, please feel free to click over here where you'll find history and pictures galore.  It was that post which led us to our recent stay at the Hawthorne so that we could find out firsthand if rooms #325 and #612 were, in fact, haunted.

Our first night had us staying in Room #325 where stories told of the sounds of a child crying, invisible hands touching guests, and the bathroom lights and plumbing turning on seemingly of their own accord. As a matter of fact, when Jamie and I arrived to check in on Wednesday afternoon, the desk clerk who warmly greeted me like family (Elizabeth I believe it was) told us that the couple who had stayed in the room the night before, who had no knowledge of the room reportedly being haunted, told her on check-out that their daughter had mentioned hearing a child crying during the night. Excellent!  I mean, er, spooky!

So what does Room #325 look like you might be asking yourself ... you are asking yourself that, right?  Well, even if you're not, you're going to find out!  Even though it's called Room #325, it's actually two rooms - four if you want to be technical and count the bathroom and the shower closet!

This collage gives you a little bit of an idea of what the room looks like ... when you first enter the door you step into the bigger of the two sleeping areas which also has a nice seating area next to a very large closet where I had Jamie stow all of our stuff until I could get pictures taken!  Actually, she knew the drill without even asking so I suspect she's getting better at this!  See what looks like a closet door in that top left picture? That's not a closet ... that's the shower; hence the reason I call it a "shower closet"!   It might be a bit on the small side but the water pressure was divine and the hot water was abundant!

From the larger of the two bedrooms you walk through the door of the bathroom and then through the door on the other side (I guess you could call it a walk-through bathroom) to reach the smaller of the two bedrooms which also has a nice flat-screen TV of its own, a comfy chair to sit in, and separate temperature controls. Allow me to show you a few more views of the rooms minus the shower closet and bathroom:

The bigger room & sitting area 

The smaller room

Jamie posed in the chair in the smaller bedroom which I think was about the time she told me that she would be sharing the bed with me in the larger of the two rooms and Amanda, who was going to come over from Montserrat and spend a couple nights with us, could have the smaller room all to herself.  Not that she was scared of sleeping by herself in a reportedly haunted room, mind you, but she thought it was the sisterly thing to do.  Uh-huh ... right ... 

One of the things that I absolutely love about the Hawthorne (there are actually many but for now I'll just tell you about one of them!) is that the windows open so that people like myself who like to take pictures of everything can lean out of them and take pictures of the surrounding view minus having the screen in the way.  Granted, having a screen in front of your camera lens can make for some interesting effects but I guess in the big picture of things - no pun intended! - it's better to be able to move the screen up and out of the way.  Which is what I did to take pictures of the "view" from Room #325 - 

Obviously people don't book the room for the view but it was rather comforting to know that if a fire broke out, we'd be all set as we could have easily climbed out the window and made our way to safety.  Well, not that I can picture myself "easily" climbing out of a window or much of anything else but I think you know what I mean!

After getting ourselves situated and determining that dinner was going to be a late one as Amanda wanted to eat with us but she had some obligations to take care of at Montserrat until after 7:00, Jamie and I wandered down to the lobby to check things out and take some pictures.

Another thing I love about the Hawthorne in addition to the windows opening is its beautiful lobby - made even more beautiful when it's decked out for Christmas!

One of the things that Jamie loved about the Hawthorne was the hot apple cider that was available on a table in the corner next to The Hawthorne restaurant.   While she sipped her cider, I wandered around and took some pictures.

The Grand Ballroom at the Hawthorne is a very popular spot for weddings and other meetings and it's quite easy to see why!  When we were there in September there was a wedding going on so I couldn't take any pictures but I was able to this time! 

Have I mentioned that Jamie really, really loved the hot apple cider??

While Jamie continued enjoying her hot cider, I was busy taking pictures of a beautiful Christmas tree made of poinsettia plants in the lobby that I really liked.  I liked it so much that I decided to try to play photographer and shoot it from several angles in a rather futile attempt to be artistic ... 

I'm thinking I need to work on my lighting a bit. Oh, and in that last picture, see that bit of green down there in the right-hand corner?  I don't know what that is but it showed up in more than one picture that I took throughout the hotel and it didn't matter if I was using flash or not ... which in the case of that last picture, I was not.  Insert Twilight Zone theme music here.

In addition to the beautiful poinsettia tree and the other gorgeous poinsettias around the lobby, beautiful wreaths decorate the bookcases that contain "many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore" as our old pal E.A. Poe might have said.  The really quaint thing about these books, though, is that patrons of the Hawthorne are more than welcome to select a book to read and if they've not finished it before checking out, they're invited to take the book with them and then mail it back after it's been finished so that another patron can enjoy it at another time.  Show of hands ... how many other hotels let you do something cool like that? Anyone? Anyone? Yeah ... I didn't think so!

About the time I was starting to think that eating my shoe was a good idea, Amanda finally called and said that she was ready for me to come pick her up in Beverly so while Jamie stayed in our room and kept an eye out for anything unusual, I made the short drive over the bridge to Montserrat and picked up the oldest daughter.  Upon arrival back at the Hawthorne I quickly showed Amanda where she'd be spending the night, made sure that Jamie hadn't had any "visitors" while I was gone, and then we made our way downstairs for a much-anticipated dinner at the Hawthorne's Tavern on the Green.  The name of the restaurant stems from the fact that the Hawthorne is located directly next to Salem Commons which in most New England towns is also known as "the Green" - an area that was often common grassland at the center of a town or village that was used for grazing and sometimes for community events like times of celebration or public ceremonies.  In other words, sort of a park!

Regardless of what you want to call the area next to the Hawthorne, the Tavern can only be called wonderful.  This was my third visit to its warmly wood-paneled interior having first had lunch there way back in October of 2008 and then visiting again for dinner when Jamie and I stayed at the Hawthorne in September.  I was really looking forward to our dinner on Wednesday, though, as I read the Hawthorne Hotel's blog and I knew that the Tavern was offering a three-course Tavern dinner on Wednesday nights for an extremely reasonable price. My mouth had been watering for the Turkey Pot Pie made with roasted turkey, potatoes and vegetables baked in turkey velouté and topped with a puff pastry crust ever since I saw it featured in a blog post!

While the girls mulled over the menu and weighed the pros and cons of a burger versus a sandwich versus seafood, I had already made up my mind!  Jamie finally decided on a BLT with onion rings and Amanda choose a bacon cheeseburger as apparently you can't go wrong with bacon.  We also ordered a warm crab and spinach dip with blue corn tortillas for an appetizer as it just sounded too good not to order!  Unfortunately, I barely got to sample the dip as my sausage and potato soup that came with my meal was too good for me to stop eating and by the time I finished, the girls had made short work of the dip and chips!  I guess we were all hungry!

In addition to my soup and entrée, my Tavern dinner also included a Chef's Choice dessert which turned out to be an absolutely delicious apple-cranberry strudel that was warm and flaky and perfect for a cold winter evening.  I was nice enough to even let Jamie have a few bites as she was too full from her BLT to order her own dessert but apparently mine looked awfully darned good - which it was!

Oh, and don't feel bad for Amanda in the Dessert Department as she ordered a Chocolate Crescendo of her very own -

In addition to the beautiful wood paneling and comfortable seating in the Tavern, there is also an absolutely gorgeous fireplace where a warm fire was crackling away ...

... beneath a mantel that was beautifully decorated for the holidays -

By the way, you may have noticed that in a good number of the pictures I post of the Hawthorne, there are prints of sailing ships like the one above.  If you're wondering why it's because Salem was, at one time, one of the most important ports in the Nation and it's maritime history is much richer than the witchcraft history that so many people think of when anyone mentions Salem, Massachusetts.  America's first millionaires lived in Salem - sea captains who made their wealth in overseas trade and brought their money and precious cargoes home to Salem.  Yes, 19 men and women died during the witchcraft hysteria of 1692 but if you only go to Salem looking for that history, then you're missing out on way too many other good things.  At least in my own history-loving humble opinion!

Following our wonderfully delicious dinner and desserts in the Tavern, the girls and I made our way back upstairs to spend a little time making good use of the hotel's free internet as well as watching some mindless television before finally deciding to call it a night and turning out the lights.  Oh, and would you look at that! ... This blog post seems to have gone on way too long so you'll just have to come back for the next installment to find out if there was anything that went bump in the night! Darn the luck and my overly wordy posts!

Five on Friday - The Christmas Version, Part Three

I know that everyone is anxiously awaiting to hear if we had any "extra guests" with us at the Hawthorne Hotel but first things first and it wouldn't be right to skip over Travis' fun meme, Five on Friday - especially when I'm right in the middle of such lovely Christmas music like that which I'm sharing with you today.  Besides, this gives me more time to go through and figure out which of the many pictures I took to share with you!  So, while I stall, you enjoy some more Christmas music and don't forget to head over to Trav's Thoughts and see what else others are serving up for this week's Five on Friday!

Just a Song Before I Go ...

Jamie and I are heading out the door here in a few minutes to begin our "Ghost Adventure" up at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts today but I thought first I'd leave you with a snappy Christmas tune from back when I was a kid. Honestly, there were not enough O's in the word "smooth" to describe Jim Reeves! He was one of my Mom's very favorites and his Christmas music is as much a part of my Christmases as a kid as was getting to open just one present on Christmas Eve!

Anyhow, there's free internet at the Hawthorne so I will be in touch - provided the ghosts don't interrupt my internet connection!

Five on Friday - The Christmas Version, Part Two

"It's that time of year when the world falls in love,

Every song you hear seems to say

Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true."

Please think about joining us at Trav's Thoughts for Five on Friday when you get to share some of the music you love with those of us who love music.

Five on Friday - The Christmas Version, Part One

Could someone please explain to me how it got to be December already?? Ah well, it is and that's more than enough reason to devote the next few Five on Friday memes to Christmas music as there's a lot of it out there to pick and choose from. For this week's version, I debated going the traditional route and then decided I'd go with songs that aren't exactly traditional per say but still make for good Christmas tuneage.  Chances are good you won't have any carolers at your door breaking out into these songs but it might be kind of fun if they did!

Speaking of breaking out into song, why don't you take a moment to head over to Trav's Thoughts and see who else is offering up some music via Travis' fun Five on Friday meme. You might just find something to make your toes tap!

A Thursday Thought

I've always found it rather sad that a Christmas tree goes from being this in all of its glory -

To this when everything is said and done-

It always gives me a twinge of guilt when the time comes to stick our former tree by the side of the curb and wait for the mulching to begin which may be part of the reason why it took me so long to finally get our Christmas tree out of the house this year.  Well, that and I smacked myself a good one on the top of my head last week during the initial taking-down of the tree and it took me another week to finish the job!  However, the living room is back to just being the living room now and I'm thinking the spot where the Christmas tree was would be an ideal place for a treadmill.  No sense wasting all that space, right?

While I ponder that some more, everyone have a great Thursday but before you do that, please pop over to Captain Picard's Journal and ask the Captain to pass along birthday greetings to his good friend, Graham, who is celebrating - I hope! - over in England today! 

Next Up After the MoMA

I knew that while we were in New York City on New Year's Day that there was another thing I really wanted to see aside from the MoMA ...

Hmmm, now what is that big thing that everyone wants to see when they come into New York City at Christmas time?

I'm pretty sure I've seen it on TV before - especially when we're watching the Today Show at work in the mornings.

Lots and lots of people flock to the City to see it - and I do mean LOTS of people!!

I know! It's the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center! Something that I had never seen in person before the other day and I've got to say that it's very, very impressive!

The girls didn't seem to be quite as impressed as I was but they were nice enough to pose in front of the Today Show studio windows for me as - yes - I can be just as much of a tourist as the next guy even though I try real hard not to act like it!

It's just a good thing that Matt, Meredith, Ann, and Al weren't in attendance at the studios or I probably really would have been acting like a tourist - a goofy one at that!