Holiday Music

Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs!

First up is "Zat you Santa Claus" which was featured in my past post. Love this song!

Another Louis Armstrong song that I talked about in my previous post. Another great one!

How could you forget Frank Sinatra? This is one of my favorites! Makes you want to get into the holiday spirit!

With Love, 

Natasha

Holiday Memories

     Happy Holidays!!!!! I am (hopefully) planning on posting some holiday songs and movies that are apart of my own holiday experience in the next few days. Holidays at my household are always joyful and stressed at the same time. There is always the stress of shopping and decorating. Cards need to be sent, cookies made, and gift baskets bought. Now as I am getting older I keep thinking about Christmases in my past and what impact they have had on me. For me, traditions are very important. Unfortunately, this year we did not have the time to go as an entire family to get a tree. Although at the time I didn't think much of it, now I feel upset that I was not able to go. We always used to go on a cold early December Saturday with plenty of hot chocolate. We all of course listened to Christmas songs and tried to sing along. One of my best Christmas memories is from one of these outings. We lived in France for three years, and the second year in December we all went out to get the Christmas tree. Although this memory was simple, to this day I can clearly remember listening to a Louis Armstrong Christmas cd while we drove in the snow to get our tree. Songs like "Cool Yule" and "Zat you Santa Claus" still stick to my memory. I can promise you that as a meek little 5 year old I thought that Louis Armstrong was some type of Christmas magical beig. Now, over 10 years later, i'm still convinced. I think it was those early car rides that made me love jazz Christmas music so much. I also remember the place where we got our tree. It looked like a greenhouse, somewhat similar to the one that Frosty the Snowman gets trapped in. You can only guess my initial apprehension as we pulled in. I was only 5, and images of Frosty melting still were fresh in my mind: would I melt? What if I found Frosty? Was I going to meet Santa!? This was a lot to take in for a 5 year old! However, once we were in the greenhouse I was mystefied. It was more magical than anything I had ever imagined! While my parents walked around looking at the trees, I wandered around looking at everything bright eyed. It still stands as one of my favorite Christmas memories. All I can say is that the French know how to do Christmas right! I'm convinced still that nothing else will compare to that one greenhouse.
     Every year my school has a "Winter Lights Assembly" where music groups perform and students and teachers share their own holiday experiences. Every year I am entertained by stories of my fellow classmates' holidays. Also, every year I tell myself that none of my Holiday experiences could ever be as funny, witty, or exciting as theirs. However, I have come to the conclusion that maybe my Holidays were also something special- perhaps in that way each person's holiday memories are unique; whether you travel many miles, have cookie competitions, or just stay home. But, what makes the holidays so special is that each person can bring their own unique holiday experience with each other's to create one large holiday experience mixing bowl. And that is what the Holidays are all about.

                                                                With Love, 

Natasha

"this is my winter song to you" Music post!

I love music. Don't you? I feel that it always keeps me so much calmer when I stress.  This song, "Winter Song", by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles, is one of my favorites (especially in the wintertime!) The music video is also brilliantly done. Summer is always there at the end of a winter. Keep your heads up. "This is my winter song to you"

With love,
Natasha

Beginnings...a very good place to start

I stand here alone in my room and think about how my life has treated me so far. I think about the world, so complex, and what I know of it. I am a sixteen year old in the twenty-first century who is somewhat sheltered from the evils of the world. Yet, while I am "just" a teenager I still have many views on life. I can be funny, sad, and thoughtful. I strongly believe that a teenager's mind is able to do far greater things than many people believe possible. This is why I chose to start a blog: to record my thoughts and feelings at this tender age. I also hope to share my writing on this blog because I have not found a suitable place for it yet. While many things I write about will be serious, I do also hope to write about lighter subjects and share music and movies. 

       Anyway, enough with the introductions! I have always hated introductions. I think they are so awkward because each person wants to impress the other, and people are always worried that their true selves will be perceived negatively. For me; however, introductions can either go very well or terribly. I will either stand there in awkward silence or energetically speak to the person. First introductions also scare me because first impressions are almost impossible to shake off. Even if I don't notice it my subconscious mind will always make judgements of the people I meet. I think it may be the mind's way of trying to find people who are safe to associate with. Yet, while it may be hard I do think it is possible to overcome first impressions. Take, for example, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice (one of my favorite movies....I think i'll reserve one blog just for it!). Both seemingly hated each other from the beginning. Yet, they end up marrying each other in the end. Sometimes I think that if the world could just be like Pride and Prejudice people would be so much happier. I can honestly promise you that a girl would have to be insane if she admitted that she didn't want her own Mr. Darcy! Back to the point, perhaps it takes a unmeasurable force like love to shake a first impression. Most people cannot shake first impressions because they can't admit to themselves that they were wrong. It took Elizabeth years to shake of her first impression of Darcy. Mr. Darcy in the end had to confess his undying love to her so that she would admit that she secretly loved him as well. This is why I promise to try to not judge. As Nick's father says in the Great Gatsby, don't judge someone because they may not have the opportunities that you have. So I end my first post with a small favor to ask: try your hardest to not judge people. There is always more to the story, sometimes you just have to look further. 

With love, 

Natasha