After 50+ years on this earth, I (EJ) have written my first Christmas song.

"Is it really a Christmas song?"

Hey, HEY, it's got SLEIGH BELLS in there, so it MUST be a Christmas song! (And yes, I really played real sleigh bells throughout the whole thing. Twice in fact, so they could be in stereo.) We're also breaking out the green/red color scheme here, so it must be Christmas!

On a more serious note, I kind of thought I was done making new music. But inspiration, while fleeting, can sneak up at unexpected times. I didn't plan this. I actually wrote and recorded it in a single day, a couple of days before Christmas, seemingly out of nowhere. While the song has some humor, and a positive message, it originally arose from a dark place, and an uphill battle this year.

The JESTS references are kind of a humorous metaphor (the *epitome*, really) for the temporal futile things of life that just never go right, and seemingly never will... but are ultimately not that important, though they seem to be at the time.

Each lyric and picture in the video has personal meaning for me... the pain of loss... the trying to look forward... disappointment... perseverance... survival... Scrooge... disdain of Winter... ;-)

But ultimately, it's about Faith and Family...
and Hope...
and Gratitude...

It isn't a "progrock epic" like much of my music tends to be, but attempts to make it so didn't work. Sometimes the song must be what the song will be, what it kind of wants to be, and this is what I heard in my head, so I went with it. Perhaps the "prog" is in the piano, and in the arrangement.

A lot of love went into it, as did thoughts of friends and family. Some of my friends have had a hard year. Some are grieving at this time of year too. This is for them.

Cheers & Blessings.


"So does this mean the Monthly Offering Thing is back?"

What is this, another FAQ where I ask myself questions?

Seriously, I'm not sure. Probably not. Maybe. I doubt it. Who knows? It dawned on me after I finished this that it's actually the first new piece of music I've completed since Pastor Jim's passing ten (TEN?) years ago. (I can't wrap my brain around the idea that it's been that long.) All of the music that was put out in 2009-2011 in the Monthlies, and the release of "On Broken Wings" in 2009 and "Songs From The Father" in 2014 were completions of material written and/or recorded prior to his passing, and the keeping of a promise to a dear friend and mentor.

Both Kirsten and Meredith have encouraged me to get back in the saddle. However, my prayer life and conscience warn me not to fall back into the self-aggrandizement and "Vanity Rock" ™ that inevitably ensues, which was a primary reason why I stopped doing this. In a way, perhaps this finally completes this endeavor, as I kind of left it hanging in November 2011 (after leaving it in November 2009) without finishing out either year. At any rate...

---