For the first time since we've been singing together, my friend Pat and I will not be doing Christmas in Liberal Valley this year.
For the past couple of years, some wonderful Left-leaning friends in Conservative Lake County, Florida have been nice enough to have us over to participate in the sort of barter economy that built this country.
She brings a guitar and I a bodhran and, in exchange for all the food we can eat (along with some excellent beer and wine), we try to entertain our hosts and various guests by singing what our old radio program directors called "sounds of the season".
Unfortunately, simply having the Holiday fall on a Tuesday this year is enough to scuttle everybody's plans.
I myself haven't even begun my shopping, but that's for another post.
Despite our respective radio backgrounds, Pat and I have not always offered music that could be called "radio friendly".
Songs by Steve Earle, The Moody Blues and a beautiful song she wrote for a radio play of hers are usually on the set list. This year we've managed to add "Last Man at the Party" from the Jethro Tull Christmas Album, and a lesser known gem by Stephen Stills.
We are nothing, if not eclectic.
One song we've been playing around with is "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues. It's a genuine duet, with an Irish base that we thought we would take to immediately.
Frankly, it just isn't ready this year.
Like most things written by Shane MacGowan the song is a lot more complex and harder to do than one might imagine. Yet once we get it under the fingers, it will be the kind of song that I call a real crowd pleaser.
That's why I was somewhat surprised to read the article in the The Guardian newspaper Pat sent me, reporting the song was banned by the BBC! Apparently, the lyrics were found to be offensive to some tender ears.
England...Great Britain...the land that brought us the Sex Pistols, quickly followed by the word "Bollocks" seems to be offended by the words of a single drunken Irishman!
(Shane, not that other Irishman, Johnny Lydon.)
It should be pointed out that the song "Fairytale of New York" was on an album released 20 years ago, was the number one Christmas song last year (as chosen by BBC listeners) and nobody seemed the least bit bothered by the lyrics at all.
What's that?
You mean you haven't actually heard the song?
Well, my friend, that's why God created You Tube!
Since you've been really, really good...I picked the original promotional music video.



So I ask you...What's all the fuss about?
Sounds like the usual dysfunctional Irish Christmas to me.
I would have loved to hear Bing Crosby try this one.

!!! UPDATE !!!
Apparently the Beeb has reconsidered it's decision.
Now comes the rioting in Brixton, Notting Hill and Hampstead Village, no doubt.

The cabbage soup has been bubbling on the stove for around an hour.
I'd offer the recipe to you, but I make if differently every time, and I've never actually written it down before.
This time, I've added a ton of mushrooms and some California Merlot to the red cabbage, chopped onions and celery, reducing the whole mess in undiluted vegetable stock.
It's completely vegetarian, has minimal salt and tastes better than it sounds.
It also makes the house smell terrific.
It doesn't smell very Christmasy, since I don't have a tree.
Even with the windows and front door open, it smells more like a third floor walk up in a Polish neighborhood.
Ah-h-h, Winter in Central Florida.
Since before I began blogging, I have called the room I am currently sitting in my "office".
Above the computer desk are three clocks, each set to a different time zone (West Coast, East Coast and England/Ireland). I have friends out west, and listen to RTÉ and the BBC a lot.
There are maps of the World and the US, a cork bulletin board, posters and calendars. There's even a couch for naps or the occasional guest.
Now, my Potemkin Village of an office has turned into the real thing.
I am now actually working from home.
Without going into too many details, I work for the State of Florida and they have discovered what I do can just as easily be done from anywhere through the use of a laptop.
They also needed my office.
Each morning, I get up between 6 and 6:30 to make the coffee.
Working from home requires you get your priorities straight.
With cup in hand, I go through the ritual of turning on the lap top and, using a series of passwords, connect with The GREAT Computer in Tallahassee. By 7:45, the day begins.
It ends anywhere between 5 and 6 pm, depending on what's left to do and how much goofing off I did in the course of the day.
Actually, I do very little goofing off, as I am a social being with no one to talk to.
I get more accomplished here at home than I ever did at the main office. I can really focus, as nobody interrupts me...but me.
I like it.
The only downside, is that, since I work there, I try to spend as little time in the office as possible. With the laptop on one desk, and the PC on the other, this means I've been spending less and less leisure time on the internet.
I also have a better cable package.
The cable people talked me into getting more than 12 channels when they upgraded my internet service to allow the wireless laptop connection. Before, I got the 3 local network affiliates, two PBS channels, two channels in Spanish and another 5 or 6 shilling for Jesus. Now, I no longer have to unplug one computer to plug in another, and I've got a ton of new channels.
Fortunately, the novelty of getting MSNBC, the History Channel, Bravo, Ovation, VH1 Classic, ESPN, TCM and about 50 other channels is beginning to wear off.
This means I can spend more time, in my office, sharing my thoughts on the Blogstream.
With the initial Presidential Primaries coming up in weeks, I have to tell you that...
...wait...the soup is done.
And they're also showing "Wings of the Luftwaffe" on the Military Channel.
Gotta go...but I'll be back soon.