22nd & 23rd December, 2005

San Sebastian Strings albums now available on CD! Order now!

Photo by Edward McKuen 9/24/2005

A Thought for Today

I wish you Christmas every time you close your eyes. I pray that you will run with deer and soar with eagles, touching ground
only long enough to find that one who’ll love you every bit as much as I do and one you’ll feel the same about.

FROM the¨BOOKS

THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER

In winter we return home again to whatever. Cold comfort. Warmth of friends. Strangeness. Death. We hibernate like bears. Seek private places to stay private in. Ward off colds. Christmas for the children. Contemplation for some, loneliness for others.

There is a purity to winter. A calmness. The young are left alone because their elders dwell on loss and limits. The new year coming gives us excuses for reassessing our lives and attempting to resolve old conflicts. Maybe the purity of winter has more to do with snow than stuff of stronger substance.

-from "A Book of Days", 1981

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ROD McKUEN CONCERTS

ROD McKUEN APPEARANCES

Thursday 22 December

Dame Peggy Ashcroft o Barbara Billingsley o Hector Elizondo o Ralph Fiennes o Steve Garvey o Maurice Gibb o Robin Gibb o Lady Bird Johnson o Andre Kostelanetz o Giacomo Puccini o J. Arthur Rank o Gene Rayburn o Edwin Arlington Robinson o Diane Sawyer o Deems Taylor

Friday 23 December

Chet Baker o Robert Bly o Jose Greco o Harry Guardino o Corey Haim o Tim Hardin o Elizabeth Hartman o Paul Hornung o Floyd Kaiber o Susan Lucci o Connie Mack o Buzz Miller o Ruth Roman o Vincent Sardi, Sr. o Helmut Schmidt o Joan Severance o Harry Shearer o Eddie Vedder o Madame C.J. Walker

It seems to me the other parts contributing to calendars have too little quiet. Though winter can admittedly contain too much.

We gather strength through fidelity.

FOUR SONGS OF THE SEASON

© 1965 by Stanyan Music & Rod McKuen

A Hand To Hold at Christmas

Everybody needs
A Hand To Hold At Christmas
All of us could use
A friendly smile
A pretty holly wreath
With presents underneath
And most of all.
A Hand To Hold At Christmas.

Everybody needs
A Hand To Hold At Christmas
All of us could use
A friendly grim
A word or two of cheer
To finish up the year
But most of all.
A Hand To Hold At Christmas.

When the sidewalk Santa’s
Start their jingle jangle jingle
And all the streets
Are silver and gold
Winter ‘s not a wonderland
unless you feel a tingle
And walking’s only walking
without a hand to hold.

Everybody needs
A Hand To Hold At Christmas
Each of us could use
A happy heart
A tug upon the sleeve
Come Christmas eve
And best of all.
A Hand To Hold At Christmas.

© 1965 by Rod McKuen & Stanyan Music

The Carol of Christmas

refrain
The Carols of Christmas,
Are warming the winter night
And what man among us
Has not seen the star so bright
That shines up above
A symbol of love
And all that is good and right.
The Carols Of Christmas
Float through the air
And warm up the winter night

verse
The wreath of bright holly
That covers the Christmas door
A symbol of union
In things that have gone before
Like hope and a handshake
Ties that will not break
All this and so much more
The Carols Of Christmas
Float through the air
The same as in days of yore.

refrain
The Carols Of Christmas,
Are warming the winter night
And what man among us
Has not seen the star so bright
That shines up above
A symbol of love
And all that is good and right.
The Carols Of Christmas
Float through the air
Are warm up the winter night

©1971 by Rod McKuen & Editions Chanson Music

Thank You For Christmas

Thank You For Christmas
The first one I remember
That was more than just another day
Deep in December.
Back came the holidays
The ones I told goodbye
Until you paused a moment
And looked me in the eye.

And thank you for what I thought
I’d never find
Christmas of a kind
I’d conjured in my mind.

As for the lights of town
Like Christmas down the hill
Off beyond the darkest night
I can see them still.
I suppose that I knew even then
Christmas is for little boys
And not for grown up men

Still for a time in the year
That we’ve just passed
I wanted you to know
You gave me Christmas at last.

© 1970 by Rod McKuen & Editions Chanson Music.