It was late last night while enjoying a nitecap under leaden skies heralding the arrival of a series of winter storms that I thought of one of my favorite Christmas songs. The mood was so perfect: my aluminum Christmas tree’s blue-green lights cast a lovely glow on the patio, and looking up the palm trees branches stood dark green against the cloud cover. A soft cool breeze stirred the wind chimes ever so lightly, their soft tinkles creating the most peaceful place for thinking about Decembers past and present. I certainly wouldn’t be wearing shorts and a t-shirt back in Massachusetts!

Anyways, I came across this lovely YouTube video set to Loreena McKennitt’s “In The Bleak Midwinter”. The photography is a beautiful accompaniment to the music, and, while at times I long for the kind of snow-covered fields in the deep chill of a mid-winter New England shown in the video, the quiet, happy patio with the palm trees against an Arizona December night is not too bad at all – in fact, I think I prefer it!

McKennitt’s version is instrumental, but I find the lyrics quite interesting:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

Of course, with a tune and lyrics like that, you just knew Shawn Colvin would hit a tune like this out of the park, and she does.