It's the Christmas season!!! This means I can pull out my favorite Christmas cd's (ok, so I only have two, so out they come!). One of the cd's I have is Harry Conick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas, and the other is by Mannheim Steamroller (pictured at right).
The other day I was looking at the back cover of the Mannheim Steamroller cd and I noticed an interesting little tid bit of information. To one side there was a little write up about the song God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I thought it was interesting and decided to share it. This is what it said;
God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen: This Yuletide phrase is ofen printed- and sung- with this punctuation and the pause it implies. But that's not the way the charming old carol has it. Properly, it's "God rest ye merry, gentlemen." The phrase "rest ye merry", which is older than Shakespeare, who used it in Romeo and Juliet, dates to the beginning of the 15th century. Incidently, the Old English word for 'merry' did not mean gay and lively, but merely pleasant or agreeable. By the 14th century, however, it had acquired its present meaning.
Hows that for a lesson on political correctness? Again, there is nothing new under the sun.
Merry Christmas! Ahem, or should I say, may you have an agreeable holiday season? Nah. Merry Christmas!!!
Friday, December 5
God Rest Ye Politically Correct Gentlemen
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3 comments:
Merry Christmas to you too!
Interesting. I love the stories behind stuff.
Have an agreeable holiday season? Nooooo! THIS is what you say:
Blessed Christmukwamadanza
From me ("the wishor") to you ("the wishee") please accept without obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
Also, I wish you a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but with due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures or sects, and having regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting this greeting you are bound by these terms that:
* This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal.
* This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the wishor are acknowledged.
* This greeting implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement any of the wishes.
* This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor.
* This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first.
* The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor. Any references in this greeting to "The Lord", "Father Christmas", "Our Saviour", "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" or any other festive figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.
* This greeting is made under United States Law.
Dated this sixth day of December, two thousand and five.
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