The Muppets Rock!

I'm always a little frustrated with the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving. In my book, Thanksgiving kind of kicks off the actual holiday season, or else you get burnt out be New Years Eve (and if you are us, the holiday season gets a serious extension because we make a party out of Valentines Day, and are among the 10 or so people in the U.S. who actually celebrate St. Patrick's Day by doing more than wearing green.) Easter celebrations are a given and by then and I am shot. I'm not even ready for the 4th of July when it comes around. But by Halloween...

Anyway, what do we call this in-betweener time because it definitely feels seasonal, yet I can't quite bring myself to get out the decorations or turn on the Christmas music. I do go so far as to dust off our copy of Muppet Christmas Carol and we start watching it with a vengeance. Last year we got smart and bought the soundtrack as well and rock along to it everywhere we go in the car. As I listened to it this year, I was reminded of this story from last year, which is probably one of my all time favorite JS stories. I'm glad my kids are so entertaining. It's much cheaper than TV, except I can only prove it by recounting it here on the blog because every single one of them is like the Warner Bros. frog that sings and dances until the minute the audience is around. My kids are like that with the video camera. About 99% of our videos of them show stony-faced children and one of us explaining in the background "he was just doing/saying/singing...it was really funny!"

So, we all take turns in the car picking a song and the boys like the one about Marley and also the Scrooge song (only because at one point a little poor mouse says "Please sir, I want some cheese..." and his suffering is hilarious to them for some reason.) However, I am partial to the Tiny Tim song. If you can disregard that it is being sung by a little green frog (although I prefer it actually :-), it is quite beautiful and a good lead in to whatever the pre-thanksgiving season is...

Bless Us All

Life is full of sweet surprises, Every day's a gift.

The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirits.

Fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song.

I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong

Bless us all who gather here

The loving family I hold dear.

No place on earth, compares with home

And every path will lead me back from where I roam.

Bless us all, that as we live

we always comfort and forgive.

We have so much, that we can share

With those in need we see around us everywhere.

Let us always love each other, lead us to the light.

Let us hear the voice of reason, singing in the night.

Let us run from anger, and catch us when we fall

Teach us in our dreams and please, yes please

Bless us one and all...

Bless us all, with playful years

With noisy games and joyful tears

We reach for you, and we stand tall,

And in our prayers and dreams we ask you,

Bless us all...