This was the first of two sessions of Christmas songs. In attendance were Cris, Tom, Chris, Nathan, Joe, Liz, Vin, Ken and one new person, a young college guy named Dave. He's been playing the uke for awhile, but this is the first time he's played in a group. He did perfectly fine. Welcome, Dave.

Before everyone arrived, a few of us looked over Cris' shoulder at her giant ukulele book and played The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) by Dave Seville and the Chipmunks. Trivia question: Either Simon or Theodore wanted a plane that looped the loop. What present did Alvin want for Christmas? Hint: It was a toy which premiered in the summer of 1958 (the same year this song came out) and became all the rage.

Joy to the World is a fun three-chord number most of us could figure out on the fly, as we waited for Ken to arrive with his laptop computer to plug us into a limitless number of songs. Silent Night is another C F G7 (with the exception of a gorgeous Am at the word peee-eace), and we did that as well without the aid of sheet music. We're a resourceful lot, making do with the barest of necessities.

Joe had sheet music for a more involved and less well-known song, Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake, a comic Irish song written in the late 1800s by a New Yorker of Irish heritage. It concerned a dense, inedible cake. A neighbor of Miss Fogarty was conflicted: should I try a slice so as not to hurt her feelings even though it might kill me to do so? We sang the long list of ingredients, including citrons, cloves, caraway seeds and a crust that was nailed on with glue, and managed to get through pretty well for our first attempt.

Cris had the next two picks: Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, then Elvis' Blue Christmas. I thought some of the chords were a little off on this version, but who among us doesn't like to try and imitate Elvis?

Vin picked Brenda Lee's 1960 hit Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. (Note to group: Let's try her song I'm Sorry after the holidays, if the chords aren't too hard.)

We couldn't leave out Bing's White Christmas.

Chris and Nathan did Hanukkah Blessings by The Barenaked Ladies.

Was it Cris who suggested God Rest Ye Jerry Mandelbaum??? (We didn't do it.)

Then we had Go Tell It On the Mountain, Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano), The Chipmunk Christmas song again, now that everyone was there, and Silent Night again.

O Come All Ye Faithful is an excellent one, sure to please everyone (including lapsed Catholics).

You can't go wrong with Deck the Halls.

I used to know this joke but now remember only the punch line, "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear." It had to do with a man in the Soviet Union arguing with his wife over the consistency of the precipitation outside his window. Well, we played that one, and Jingle Bells too.

Nearing the end we did one that sounds like it's done by one of the early-sixties girl groups, but was actually released in 1994: Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Our last song was Frosty the Snowman.

There are a ton more Christmas songs to plow through, so come to the library Friday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 when we'll do it again. This is the time to practice your chords. You can play for your family on Christmas Eve and shame everyone into singing along.

And now the answer to the trivia question from the second paragraph of these notes: Alvin says, "Me? I want a hula hoop!"

-- Dan.