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Book, a few years ago, a friend brought bacon wrapped dates to a Super Bowl party. I kept my consumption to a polite level until I noticed few people were eating them. They were the best dates ever - fresh, moist. Turns out a client of hers was from a Middle Eastern country and brought the office a 10# box. Since non of her co workers liked them, she got the box. I lost count of how many I ate that day....
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A longtime client of mine, Japanese, dropped by today. Every year, around this time, she always delivers a small token of thank you - bean cakes from Japan. She gave my 2 bosses a small box. She gave me the large one. She said that it's a very delicious candy. I reassured her that all her goodies are delicious.... Like all things new and foreign, it will take a while for my taste buds to accept the taste... Last year, I put away the box and didn't open it until weeks later. OMGoodness! It was spoilt. It was one of those boxed goodies that needed to be opened and partaken immediately. I had assumed (you know the saying about that) it was a regular boxed candies that usually are individually wrapped. Typical Japanese style. I was soooo wrong!!! So, this time, when I came home, I opened the box. Just in case.... Every time I learned to like the bean cake, she delivers another kind. I sure miss those other favorites that I've learned to like so much! (ahem.. I never share these treasures with family in all the years clients gifted to me..even when I was in my early 20s.)

On the box is: "Mamador", que contiene leche y mantequilla, es dulce que nos recuerda la suavidad de madres las que cantaban las poesias en los dias de nuestra infancia.... {okay, off to google translate..}
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MsMadge, did you hear the news today? You know that favorite song of yours about the hippopotamus? The young girl who sang it in 1953, Gayla Peevey, age 10. A few days ago, she welcomed another hippo to her city's zoo.
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Dominic The Donkey is a cute one.

Carol of the Bells by Trans Siberian Express is my go to song to pump me up for Christmas shopping, baking, you name it.

Carol of the Bells has to be my favorite.
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Thanks cwillie, I will check it out.

My favorite thing right is eggnog lattes from Starbucks! I'm also loving molasses cookies!
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I have a soft spot for the music of an old Canadian country/folk singer Stompin' Tom Connors, if you like to tap your toes check YouTube for Merry Christmas Everybody, then if you like you can stick around and watch and listen to him Live at the Horseshoe Tavern.
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For a playlist, Countrymouse,
Manheim Steamroller
"Carol of the Bells"
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The hippo song is cute! Dominic the Donkey is a cute song too.
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Found it. Listened. LOL. How cute is that?!? Awwww
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Thanks guys!
Glad to know there’s a song! I will google it later.

I was going to put in a call to the North Pole to see if they could fix MsMadge up!

Katiekay,
I think we’ve all wanted odd things for Christmas as kids.

Baby Hippos are cute!
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When I was a little girl I went through a stage when I actually wanted a real hippopotamus.. I'm not sure why (maybe that song inspired me?)..... I was a strange child
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I have always loved realistic looking dolls. When I had my first summer job, mom said that my money was all mine. (I wasn’t required to use it towards my 4 younger siblings.) Mom took me to a jewelry store and encouraged me that it was okay to spend so much money on something frivolous like jewelry. Next to the jewelry store was a mom/pop store. I found and fell in love with these 2 realistic small (17”) twin brother and sister. Black hair that were soft! I bought it.

For years I had them in my bedroom that I shared with fave sis. She hated those dolls. My family couldn’t stand them, creepy how their eyes followed them. To my regret, I finally caved in and got rid of them. ... As the years went by, I bought 2 more realistic dolls but the grown up version. One is obviously a studious teenager with eye glass. The second one is an young medium brown skin Indian in brown leather outfit with long black hair and eye glass (looks like my people.)

Lastnight, I found the ultimate realistic doll in Amazon. I actually gasped when I first saw it. She’s described as similar to Mexican. I debated for hours because she’s quite expensive. I finally asked myself, “Will I regret not buying her?” Immediately answered yes. And guess what, the shipping cost was only $13 not a ridiculous price of $25 +... I still have some leftover Amazon gift card which I applied to the purchase. I got it!!

FYI, I went to the doll’s official website and was going to buy an oriental dress with matching shoes and a black boots plus $5.50 shipping = $33.00. OMG, when I put my zip code in at payment, the shipping cost went from $6 to $55!!! Heck no! I didn’t buy it.
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I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinkertoy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door
That's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh, what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up
But then teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian
There's lots of room for him in our two car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there
And give him his massage

I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh, what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too
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That Hippo song is sung on a very high pitch. Uhm.. kind of whiny... uhm, one of numerous nieces/nephews went thru that stage... I couldn’t watch the few Hippo song with that whiny sound. I had to watch several YouTube versions before finding one that didn’t sound whiny. Still sung in high pitch. Ohhh, that is a nice song {once the whiny sound is deleted}.
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Here we are!

Lyrics for The Hippopotamus Song by Flanders & Swann
A bold hippopotamus was standing one day
On the banks of the cool Shalimar
He gazed at the bottom as he peacefully lay

By the light of the evening star
Away on the hilltop sat combing her hair
His fair hippopotami maid
The hippopotamus was no ignoramus
And sang her this sweet serenade

Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me follow, down to the hollow
And there let me wallow in glorious mud
The fair hippopotama he aimed to entice
From her seat on that hilltop above
As she hadn't got a ma to give her advice
Came tiptoeing down to her love
Like thunder the forest re-echoed the sound
Of the song that they sang as they met
His inamorata adjusted her garter
And lifted her voice in duet

Mud! Mud! etc.
Now more hippopotami began to convene
On the banks of that river so wide
I wonder now what am I to say of the scene
That ensued by the Shalimar side
They dived all at once with an ear-splitting splosh
Then rose to the surface again
A regular army of hippopotami
All singing this haunting refrain

Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me follow, down to the hollow
And there let us wallow in glorious mud
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There most certainly is a hippo song! One verse of which goes like this approximately...

The fair hippopotama he aimed to entice
With the something something
'Cos she hadn't got a ma to give her advice
Came tip-toeing down to her love.

Like something the something something
Of the song that he sang as they met
His inamorata
Adjusted her garter
And lifted her voice in duet:

[falsetto]

Mud! Mud! Glorious mud!
Nothing quite like it
For cooling the blood!
So follow me, follow
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow
In glooooooorious mud.

From 'The Hippopotamus Song' by Michael Flanders & Donald Swann.
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MsMadge,
A Hippo?!? Is that a song?

If you want a Hippo I hope you have a pool! And a big shovel!
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MsMadge, I read your comment. And I immediately thought - I can make a flat stuffed hippo! Not 3-D, that takes too much thought and talent. I'm not a teenager anymore. I'll go buy the felt, draw a hippo, cut it, stuff it and mail it to you. ..
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I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
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The most famous reindeer of them all.....
How many reindeer does Santa have?
eight reindeer
In traditional lore, Santa Claus's sleigh is led by eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder (variously spelled Donder and Donner), and Blixem (variously spelled Blixen and Blitzen), with Rudolph being a 20th-century inclusion.
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If it helps them not be shy, yes :)
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I imagine that game goes better - well, is much more jovial anyway - after the partaking of a little liquid courage.
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Which reminds me - great party game for anyone in need of party games is "Pick Up Song."

Start playing a recording of your song of choice. E.g. "All I want for Christmas," that's a good one.

To start, the player begins by singing along. Once the player is fully under way, the MC fades the volume of the recording right down so that the player is now singing unaccompanied and must continue full pelt (it does help to have the lyrics to any songs you want to use because it's surprising how hard it can be to remember them), including any la-la-las, repetitions, breaks or instrumental passages.

After a pre-agreed time interval, the MC turns up the volume again; and the object of the game is to see how closely the player has managed to keep to the recording.

Well. That's the object. The fun is listening to grown men whooping uninhibitedly about I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree.
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😁 🎵🎵
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Anyone who wants to get snippy about pitch will just have to throw themselves into the spirit of it, CW!
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I like to sing. I'm not sure anyone else likes to hear me sing, but....

The conversation about christmas songs had me searching youtube for all the advent and christmas music I grew up singing in church and I actually found a playlist somebody had posted from our old hymnbook, so I spent the morning singing the songs nobody seems to sing anymore, not even when I do make it to church. I've also enjoyed a couple of sing-a-longs in the nursing home, nobody there much cares how bad the singing is. (lol)
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Listening to Statler Brothers Christmas Present and Statler Brothers Christmas Card albums on CD or you tube. The songs are unique and traditional. They do beautiful renditions of christmas songs country style in a perfect harmonious pitch.
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Booklvr, I hear you. I was in the store yesterday and walked out sad. The Christmas songs they are playing are horrible, generic and loud. The religious origin of Christmas has been stamped out and replaced by Christmas rock, party or personal romance. The old hymns are gone from the public scene. Even on the radio you are 5 times more likely to hear "fun" Christmas music than O Little Town of Bethlehem. Thanks for the video link.
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Dear luckylu,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you are well.

With the holidays fast approaching, I am looking forward to the Christmas baking. My favorite are ginger cookies. Soft and chewy are my favorite kinds.
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Bookluvr,
As long as there is music!

All I need now to "decorate" is one ornament to hang outside on the distressed potted pine tree, dried out by the low humidity and crazy winds. It will be my very own "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree!
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