The Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, among the Western Christian Churches, is the first day of the liturgical year and the start of the season of Advent.
On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians start lighting their Advent wreaths, and praying their Advent daily devotional; believers may also erect their Christmas tree or Chrismon tree, light a Christingle, as well as engage in other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations, a custom that is sometimes done liturgically through a hanging of the greens ceremony.
Every year our little neighbourhood is decorating the Christmas tree, building something with the snow that we don't have, lol.
Well a good neighbour works at the local Ice Hockey Stadium so he brings in some snow. As you can see on the picture is a piece of our creation this year. The home decoration we usally do a few days before Christmas so you don't get totally bored with Christmas.
The acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Grant-Lee Phillips has unwrapped a new gift for the Christmas season: an EP of Americana-crooning holiday tunes, titled "Yuletide". The EP showcases Phillips' original "Winterglow" and some covers that Grant breathes new life into, such as Nat King Cole's "Take Me Back to Toyland" and Frank Sinatra's "An Old-Fashioned Christmas." The holiday doesn't end at Christmas, however, as Grant puts a spin on the New Year's staple "Auld Lang Syne," adding a topical new verse to inspire hope towards days of peace. This is the first time any of these songs have been available on vinyl. Pressed on green vinyl.
Trivia: Grant-Lee Phillips performed “Winterglow” on the Gilmore Girls’ “Year in the Life” winter episode. Fans of the TV show know Grant-Lee Phillips as the beloved Town Troubadour.
Today's tune "Winterglow" is taken from the EP "Yuletide", enjoy it!
Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western Church, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, Lutheran Churches, and other mainline Protestant churches. It can fall on any date from 11 December to 17 December.
Gaudete Sunday is known as the "Sunday of joy"
Today it's also Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to legend brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle lit wreath on her head to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible. Her feast day, which coincided with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms, is widely celebrated as a festival of light. Falling within the Advent season, Saint Lucy's Day is viewed as a precursor of Christmastide, pointing to the arrival of the Light of Christ in the calendar on Christmas Day.
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated most widely in Scandinavia and in Italy, with each emphasising a different aspect of her story. In Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Santa Lucia in Norwegian and Danish and Sankta Lucia in Swedish, she is represented as a lady in a white dress symbolizing a baptismal robe and a red sash symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head.
In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which symbolizes bringing the Light of Christ into the world's darkness. In both Protestant and Catholic churches, boys participate in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmastide, such as that of Saint Stephen. The celebration of Saint Lucy's Day is said to help one live the winter days with enough light.
So for today as a classic we have Eric Clapton along with Luciano Pavarotti and East London Gospel Choir performing the tune "Holy Mother" (Live). "Holy Mother" (August, 1986) – After The Band’s Richard Manuel passed away in 1986, Clapton penned “Holy Mother” as a tribute to his friend. Clapton spoke of his love for Manuel on many occasions. “I was madly in love with Richard… For me, Richard was the true light of The Band… there was something of the holy madman about Richard. He was raw. When he sang in that high falsetto the hair on my neck would stand on end. Not many people can do that.” The tune is taken from "August", the tenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released in 1986 by Duck Records/Warner Bros. Records. Primarily produced by Phil Collins, in association with longtime Clapton associate Tom Dowd. Enjoy!
First Advent, time for the traditional Christmas decorations, light the first candle, cuddle with the family. Gifts are planed and those that have already been bought, will be wrapped with fine paper, a bow and a nice Christmas note with a recipient.
In the distance is the gentle jingle-jangle of bells echoing on all shops, neigbours etc. Record companys releasing Christmas album one after the other, some are good, some are bad, some are fun and some are boring. Mascot Records relasing an "Christmas Rocks E.P.", with pretty cool version of classic tunes eith bands like P.O.D., 10 YEARS, CROBOT, AYREON, OTHERWISE, BLACK STONE CHERRY and DRAGGED UNDER.
For today we have choosen to play the first Christmas tune and it's a real classic, many artists have done thier version of "What Child Is This?", a Christmas carol whose lyrics were written by William Chatterton Dix, in 1865. At the time of composing the carol, Dix worked as an insurance company manager and had been struck by a severe illness. While recovering, he underwent a spiritual renewal that led him to write several hymns, including lyrics to this carol that was subsequently set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song. Although it was written in Great Britain, the carol is more popular in the United States than in its country of origin today.
Only CROBOT could turn a 19th-century hymn into a doomy BLACK SABBATH-esque colossus on "What Child Is This?", so enjoy today's tune taken from "Christmas Rocks E.P.", released November 27 on all streaming apps. Merry Riffmas, Beardos!
We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I wish you all the best and take care of each other with lots of love.
Todays tune "Tänd ett ljus" ("Light a Candle"), written by Niklas Strömstedt and Lasse Lindbom, is a song that was recorded by the Swedish band Triad in 1987. The outro includes Christmas and New Year's greetings in different languages. The song is sung a cappella, with finger-snapping in the background. The theme of the song is that Christmas will light a candle as a symbol of hope for a better world. It has become a Christmas classic in Sweden, and is often included in Christmas music collections.
First out the orginal Video from 1987.
The second video is when they performed at Allsången here in Stockholm a year ago.
Cheers Stones
Listen to "Triad - Tänd ett ljus" on Spotify here!
We at Tune Of The Day wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Have a nice one now.
Todays tune is 'X-M@$' by Corey Taylor - the first solo single from the Stone Sour & Slipknot front man. X-M@$ is available digitally from all the usual places (iTunes, play.com etc...) Proceeds from the sale of this track go to Teenage Cancer Trust.
So what’s the real story behind one of the rock genre’s most revered frontmen and a Christmas single?
Taylor explained that “I wrote this song in my kitchen one winter, listening to people bitch about the holidays. Personally, I love the holidays, but they seem to bring on severe stress in most people. So, I wrote this in honor of crotchety, drunken bastards who don’t know the difference between a yuletide and a tool shed. Plus, I think it’s funny.”
Last month, when a gap arose during the recent Stone Sour UK tour, Taylor hot-footed to Metropolis Studios in London, and tracked the tune in a single afternoon. The lyrics showcase the singer’s sense of humor and irreverence in full force, dispensing a fat dose of jocular stick-poking at those who loathe the holiday season.
However, Taylor’s joviality doesn’t stop with the song words, as he even drops a sneaky ‘Hi Simon!!’ in the single’s fade-out, as a nod to Mr. Cowell and his Xmas-hijacking X-Factor squad in the UK.
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice and he is well reckon for it. A very good description was made by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."
Todays Holiday Tune Of The Day is "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis", a really wonderful tune, Tom at his high class, watch the video below, its great with a Silent Night intro. Originally on Waits' "Blue Valentine" album.
Listen to Tom Waits - Chritmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis
Listen to "Tom Waits - Chritmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis" on Spotify
It's a Bob Dylan Christmas - and it's definitely unique. But it's a classic tune, with a classic man even if this feels a little bizarre, but what the heck its Christmas :)
Todays tune is Bob Dylan's song 'Must Be Santa' directed by Nash Edgerton. The song is taken from his latest album "Christmas in the Heart" It's his 34th studio album and first Christmas album, wonder why he waited so long for this. All of the proceeds from the album are donated to charities.
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album is an album released by Jethro Tull on September 30, 2003. The songs are a mix of new material, re-recordings of Tull's own suitably-themed material and arrangements of traditional Christmas music.
Todays tune for Christmas Eve is "A Christmas Song" with Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson, Enjoy!
Merry Christmas to you all!
Once in Royal David's City stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby. You'd do well to remember the things He later said. When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties, you'll laugh when I tell you to take a running jump. You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making; that Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry and how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong? And if I messed up your thoughtless pleasures, remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
Ian Anderson live 2003 with Jethro Tull's "A Christmas Song" - ("Hey, Santa, pass us that bottle, will you?")
"A Christmas Duel" is a special Christmas duet recorded by the Swedish rock band The Hives and American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. It was made available as a download-only single on November 19, 2008. The song juxtaposes sweet music with nasty lyrics. As for how the collaboration took place "We came up with the song and we figured it was a duet, and we'd always hoped to do a duet with Cyndi Lauper." "A Christmas Duel" also appears on NO HO HO: Alternative Christmas Holiday Anthems released on November 10, 2009
As you probably already figure it out is that "Tune of the day" no goes Christmas, the upcoming days we will focus on some great Christmas tunes and this is the first one, Enjoy!
Listen to "The Hives & Cyndi Lauper - A Christmas Duel" on Spotify
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Listen to "Triad - Tänd ett ljus" on Spotify 
