Ancient Christmas Manuscript

Raoul’s 2 Cents

The Little Drummer Boy

I don’t know about you but I enjoy being bombarded by Christmas carols everywhere I go.  These tunes bring back very happy memories of childhood. One of my favorites is the song of The Little Drummer Boy. Like many other songs I fell in love with the melody first. I never really understood what the story was about until I read an article of a puppeteer in an old McCalls magazine (remember them?). I became fascinated by marionettes (not hand puppets but string puppets) and I researched how to make them. I was only in my elementary years so carving wooden puppets was beyond my pay grade. I was further inspired by the puppetry in the classic movie The Sound of Music (ie. The Lonely Goatherd). I did try to make a wooden one but was frustrated because I had no sculpting tools. Then I found a book that showed me how to make marionettes out of cloth … essentially, they were rag dolls turned into puppets. I begged my Mom to teach me how to sew and by summer time I became an expert sewer. I popped out the heads of my GI Joe action figure and the heads of my sister’s Barbie dolls to have more realistic faces. I collected carton boxes and converted them into backdrops.  I produced, set designed, light designed and directed my siblings to my first puppet show. My most ambitious show was the Broadway musical Camelot — where we played the movie recording and acted out the different songs in the movie. To this day, the craft is still in me because I still know how to sew and build these puppets. Indeed, every “pum pa rum pum” channels my thoughts to Christmas with my siblings and puppets.

Thanks to Katherine Davis who wrote that song in 1941. Thanks to the woman puppeteer in McCalls who inspired my love for the performing arts. And thanks to my family who put up with me and gave me a wonderful Christmas childhood.

Where does your imagination bring you when you hear Christmas Carols? Tell me your story. I’d love to hear it.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sharing this joke.

Rodney’s Puns

Sent by Rodney of Manitoba, B.C.

Funny Video

Christmas Parrot

Sent by Mike of New York

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this:

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA who shared this: