Dickens’ Agnostic Christmas

Brian Sibley surveys the creation and many adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Carol is not about the birth of Jesus. Although Scrooge undergoes a conversion, it is not one of religious faith. Regrets of the past and being forced to confront his inevitable death don’t lead Scrooge to a concern about the afterlife; instead, he wants to make amends and improve the lives of others in the present.

Regarding baby Jesus, Sibley has written a thoughtful and sensitive fantasy interpretation of the event, in Joseph and the Three Gifts: An Angel’s Story.

Slipped My Mind

Looking over long-forgotten drafts for posts, I see that I was going to post this nice tune over three years ago. For some reason that I don’t recall, I didn’t click the publish button.

Did I hear it on Pandora? Was it suggested to me by someone? I don’t remember!

Digging the Groove

One of the most familiar pieces in the traditional Classical music repertoire is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, the “Overplayed.” I’m up for listening to it again, thanks to this early stereo recording that should be heard with a decent pair of headphones to best appreciate its sonic splendor (with apologies to the hearing impaired).

And oh, by the way…

Another post that ticks three blog categories!