It’s Holiday Time

The holiday season is officially here! I skipped the crowds at the mall on Black Friday and instead spent the morning dragging the decorations out of the basement and putting up the Christmas tree with the help of my wonderful husband. Now that my house is full of holiday cheer, I decided that it’s time to spread a little bit of it here at Listen & Learn. After all, December begins tomorrow!

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for giving,
Helping others and being kind.
It’s time for sharing,
Which will make you feel good inside.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for music,
Come on and ring your bell.
It’s time for carols,
Silent Night and The First Noel.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for parties,
Spending time with your family and friends.
It’s time for celebration,
Hope the laughter never ends.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

I have lots of traditions to uphold in the coming weeks. Some of these include watching “White Christmas” about six dozen times, making homemade chex mix with my dad, singing along to the Carpenters’ “Christmas Portrait” album, and much more. What are your holiday traditions?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Before Thanksgiving Day officially begins in my house, I wanted to take a second to share a few of the things that I am thankful for this year.

1. My Family
I am so lucky to have such a loving family on both my husband’s side and mine; they never stop supporting me in everything I do, and they truly are my biggest fans.

2. Music
I feel so blessed to have music in my life, and to be able to share it with others. The fact that I get to be musical all day long and get paid for it is just icing on the cake.

3. My Home
Zach and have lived in our house for nearly three years now, and sometimes I just look around and think, “wow, we’ve got it pretty good.” I never take that for granted.

4. You
No, really! I started this blog on a whim, never thinking that people would actually read it. Now I get emails from you, letting me know how you are able to adapt and use my songs in your classroom or with your students, and I truly appreciate each and every one of them. The fact that this has become an educational resource thrills me to no end, and I owe that to each and every reader. So thank you!

I hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving Day just as much as I know I will. See you back here soon!

Thanksgiving Eve

It’s almost here! If you’re like me, you’re probably looking forward to a few days off so that you can relax, spend time with family, and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. I have one more song to share with you that I think really captures the spirit of Thanksgiving in a fun, cheerful, and kid-friendly way.

Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
The day that we give thanks
For the food that’s on our plates and friends with whom we celebrate
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
We sing this joyful song
For all the good things that we have to last the whole year long.

Let’s think about the pilgrims,
Who settled long ago.
They started this tradition
The one that we all know as

Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
The day that we give thanks
For the food that’s on our plates and friends with whom we celebrate
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
We sing this joyful song
For all the good things that we have to last the whole year long.

We’ll all eat lots of turkey,
Mashed potatoes, green beans too
End with a slice of pumpkin pie
And then when we are through, we’ll sing

Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
The day that we give thanks
For the food that’s on our plates and friends with whom we celebrate
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
We sing this joyful song
For all the good things that we have to last the whole year long.

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Mine include LOTS of eating – first with my family, and then with my husband Zach’s family. But hey, I’m not complaining :) I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be dropping in over the weekend to give a little preview of what is to come in December…hope to see you then!

Ten Fat Turkeys

10 Fat Turkeys

I know we’ve already counted turkeys this month, but I just had to tell you about this book that I’ve been reading (well, singing) with my students. You may already know it; it’s called Ten Fat Turkeys and it’s just as silly as the other book I recommended, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.

This story is a new student favorite, which is good enough for me! I especially enjoy the pictures, which are colorful and goofy. Be sure to add this to your bookshelf for next year. I have one more Thanksgiving song for you, so make sure to stop by and take a listen tomorrow. I hope you are enjoying this short week, and gearing up for the official start of the holiday season. I sure am!

Ten Little Scarecrows

Surprise! Here I am, blogging away from Connecticut in the midst of wedding excitement. In just a few hours, Rob and Shannon will tie the knot, and I’m lucky enough to provide the soundtrack (well, the vocals, at least) to the ceremony. But I couldn’t forget about all my faithful readers, so I stopped in to share a counting song with you. This time it’s Scarecrows, which aren’t exactly Thanksgiving-related, but hey, it’s still fall!

Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little scarecrows in a row,
Now let’s count them nice and slow!

One, two, three, four, five,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Again!
One, two, three, four, five,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

How many scarecrows?
Ten little scarecrows!
All lined up in a row.

Be sure to stay tuned for the last few Thanksgiving songs I’ve been waiting to share with you! Have a great weekend, and see you on Monday :)