Oldies but Goodies - Merry Christmas

A few days ago I came home from work and upon entering my kitchen I saw my two lovely sons (19 and 7yr old) dancing to Christmas songs… yes, I did suddenly realize that it is December and that certainly means it is Christmas time… and that means that Christmas songs will follow us around in all supermarkets, elevators and cars. Hence, in honor of those songs which every year so diligently remind us that we must be jolly, I would like to pay a tribute to some of my favorites:

WHITE CHRISTMAS  - old time classic. According to the Guinness Book of Records the version sung by Bing Crosbyis the best - selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. It has been sung by artist such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and even Lady Gaga… but Bing is just one. 

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - known "Carol of the Drum" is a popular Christmas song written by and American classic music composer Katherine Kennicott n 1941 and recorded in 1955 by the Trapp Family Singers – yes the ones from “The Sound of Music.” Yet, the Johnny Cash performance is my favorite.

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE RAINDEER – shall I say anything more…there is a child in all of us

SILENT NIGHT (German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas Carol composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohn in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song has been recorded by a large number of singers from every music genre. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best - selling single of all time. 

and now... get ready because you will hear them over and over and over again. Why? Because (on behalf of all the teachers in EDUCAnet) I would like to:  WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS 

Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is not well known among the younger and most importantly Czech generation yet, in my humble opinion, there should be a maturita question just about them.

Monty Python were a British surreal comedy group who created the sketch comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, that first aired, 1969. The Python phenomenon developed from the television series into something larger in scope and impact, spawning touring stage shows, films, numerous albums, several books, and a stage musical.

The group's influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles' influence on music.

Broadcast by the BBC between 1969 and 1974, Flying Circus was conceived, written, and performed by its members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Loosely structured as a sketch show, but with an innovative stream-of-consciousness approach (aided by Gilliam's animation), it pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content. Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while in North America, it has coloured the work of cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television comedy.

What is more, "Puthonesque" has entered the English lexicon as a result.

This year I decided to introduce this great British classic to our students and invited them to a new re-lease of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail which took place in Svetozor cinema. Without knowing what it was, the students still showed up. Being 17, I think they had no idea what to think of when the movie started. However, with they did manage to crack a smile or two at the absurdity of King Arthur quest to find the Holy Grail.