Winter Holiday Thread for 2014

Shanazel

Moderator
Our numbers are so low that our annual holiday sharing thread isn't possible in its usual form this year where everyone signs up for a day and posts something special. So, Shanazel has decided that she will post a goodie daily and welcome all others to join her in doing so.

(HA! I love referring to myself in the third person. Makes me feel much more important than I really am. Ahem.)

[video=youtube;8C4mfpIM7qM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C4mfpIM7qM[/video]
 

Darshiva

Moderator
I'll play along. I'm a bit of a fan of goth bands. And I found this while I was looking for funny & unusual xmas songs. It's neither, but it's sweet and a band I love, so without futher ado...

[video=youtube;Olpr4NDxRIk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olpr4NDxRIk[/video]
 

Darshiva

Moderator
Don't read the comments, the jealously level on there has reached critical.

What an amazing amount of muscle control she has. :)
 

Aniseteph

New member
The boob dance is just amazing. People getting mean about whether they are real or not are clearly idiots.

I am going to raise the cultural tone with one of my fave carols, and done as traditionally as it gets in the UK from the annual Carols from King's service. I remember making mince pies while listening to the broadcast when I was a teenager, in nineteen seventysomething. That would have been on Christmas Eve. Wow. Given the option nowadays, on Christmas Eve my ambition is time to sit down and eat minced pies (with a drop or too of mulled wine). Making them? Not going to happen...

[video=youtube_share;e_pyk3wmHGw]http://youtu.be/e_pyk3wmHGw[/video]

Sorry for not pitching in to the festive thread earlier, but I have been having major problems logging in. Even if I did manage to get in I wasn't able to do anything. Grrrrr. :mad:. Salome has sorted it out now, for which many thanks.
 

Aniseteph

New member
Meh, culture shmulture, it's the boob dance clip that I'm sharing with anyone who isn't going to swoon in horror. :dance:
 

walladah

New member
Hi! i am here

although with serious internet problems so i cannot join regularly!
i will post my winter treats on monday!
i love you all!
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
A festive drink, If you don't drink alcohol try non alcoholic grape wine or Lemonade. The flowers are edible & I believe can be found in quite a lot of countries including Amazon.com, Or if you have your own Hibiscus tree, dry some flowers for use later on. They look great on top of Icecream Sundaes or other deserts, also as a decorative garnish on a plate or salad. For a fabulous drink & to impress guests ...

Place one of the Hibiscus buds in a glass/Champagne flute, add a little of some of the crimson syrup, fill with chosen drink, and wait a moment as the Hibiscus petals slowly begin to unfurl. When the bubbles in the glass settle a pretty flower will be revealed... and your drink turns pink for a little more “exoticness” ! Once you’ve finished your drink you can even eat the raspberry and rhubarb flavoured flower.

Enjoy
~Mosaic


Just found this cute recipe from the Wild Hibiscus website http://wildhibiscus.com/
 

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Shanazel

Moderator
Oh, that is too cool. Gotta try it next time I have access to hibiscus.

A joyful Yule to all my pagan brothers and sisters out there! To quote my husband: "Summer is coming."

At least in our hemisphere. ;) We're getting ready to go to my son's for part of the holidays. My grandson's 5th birthday is Tuesday and tomorrow night I understand that Santa will be arriving at their isolated country place in an ambulance with full lights and sirens. The Powell ambulance service does this for families of all EMTS in Powell but is making a special trip to Aidan who lives 30+ miles out of town. Sweet, huh?

 

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walladah

New member
First treat from Greece!

You may have heard work of his, this is Ross Daly and his band. Ross Daly is an Irish musician who loved Crete island so much in his youth that he relocated here for ever. He speaks Cretan Greek (only), he has established a world class traditional music school, partially funded by the local city councils, where students from all over the world can attend music master classes with the best teacher of Mediterranean ethnic music and singing scene, while paying reduced fees (the school has always in mind underemployed and underpaid musicians who still have a right to high class education).

This is one of my last findings of his work (his work is enormous, he is a story of Mediterranean music himself). Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blE6kTntj-s
 

Shanazel

Moderator
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.








2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip.? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas.!








3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.








4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother.? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.








5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello.?








6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.








7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.



8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert.? Labor Day.?



9. Did someone mention fruitcake.? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.



10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.



Remember this motto to live by: “ Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride.!"



MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.! !
 

Daimona

Moderator
I would like to chime in with the choir wishing you all happy holidays and a happy new year too.

For many, these celebrations are a filled with nostalgia and traditions and we're playing music that appeals to our nostalgic side and a lot of our most traditional and beloved songs are actually getting quite old.

Some months ago I started looking for new (to me) winter songs because I was quite tired of songs like "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", "Frosty the snowman" and "Let it snow". Then I stumbled upon one that got stuck on my brain. I've been humming a lot on this song the past few months, and just looking out on perfect snowy winter conditions made me think of this song again:

[video=youtube;-BOu3IMMzFc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BOu3IMMzFc[/video]

(Link if video don't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BOu3IMMzFc)
 

walladah

New member
Second holiday treat from Greece

Well, i was thinking to post only the "hotshot guy and the elf woman" song here these days, but yesterday someone asked in a FB group to recommend greek music for a friend of hers who is a new bellydance sister, half-greek and with a metal/goth background. As you may imagine, i took advantage of the challenge to create my own list of songs and i think i should better post it here. You may also find it at my blog at http://walladah.wordpress.com/2014/...llydancers-who-search-for-somewhat-dark-bits/

The list is this:

Karagumruk, by Stelios Petrakis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0h7CBilq8

Ishtar, by Ross Daly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw_JgxSLZs0

Thelo na se do [I want to see you], by Dimitris Papadimitriou, singing Eleftheria Arvanitaki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne4s_Ob0Ods
There is also an instrumental version of this song.

To ohi/The “no”, by Nikos Xydakis, singing Eleftheria Arvanitaki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7LqFdp22g

Sabah aman, by Thesia Panayotou, singing Sotiria Leonardou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSPkCbmkoOg

Ah na perasei o pyretos/Ah if only the fever went away, by Stamos Stemsis, singing Melina Kana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NssB2DShyn0
this is the original clip with some hints on community dancing, the sound quality is not that good here though (seems like copied from TV)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p1avCu-UyY

O stylitis/The post monk, by Thanassis Papakonstantinou, singing T.Papakonstantinou & Melina Kana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1XonkVU48

To farmaki/The poison, by Nikos Xydakis, singing Sokratis Malamas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOslmV9YLhA

From the same album,
Stu Durambey/At Durambey’s [taverna], by Nikos Xydakis, singing Sokratis Malamas & Nikos Xydakis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQpeQU0oTeA

This is a dark but funny song, narrating the love and despair of two poor friends (fishes who are eaten by poor people) who love a rich girl (a fish eaten by rich people) and go to the taverna and the taverna owner wishes them courage [for they will never meet in the same plate].

Deserted bodies/Erima kormia, by Thanassis Papakonstantinou, singing Melina Kana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnpdpK4AoGw

Mandragoras/Mandrake, by Nikos Papazoglu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoBiNPE5Df8

O magkas kai i xotikia/The hotshot guy and the elf woman, by Yorgos Mihail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Alv1Lk0Ki4

Bournovalia, by Stavros Xarhakos, singing Sotiria Leonardou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kvki-WfNEs
this has been so popular that there are many versions, this is the original one. Many people mistake it for traditional, but it is not!

Tsifteteli, by Trypes (it is a political song and Trypes is a rock band and this is their only bellydance song- although there are no lyrics, the lyrics are the TV excerpts heard throughout the song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNcVnBWIR4M

Tou Kato Kosmu oi fylakes/The prisons of the underworld, by Thanassis Papakonstantinou, singing Sokratis Malamas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcqHd-QS_R0
 
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