Merry belated

Image: Katie Baum

The last week has been a whirl and blur of airports, cash registers, gold paper & green ribbon, lemon, chocolate, cinnamon & walnuts, hot ovens & cold turkey, family gossip & a family friend's cancer death, wooden puzzles, toy trains & doll dresses, Bach, Dickens, snow (and snow and snow), treacherous ice, thick wool sweaters, knit hats, shivering outdoors, sweltering in, smiles & laughter & small irritations, paper peace cranes, lit candles, children singing "Joy to the World" awkward and out-of-tune in angel and shepherd costumes like something in a Christmas comedy. And finally, in the last 36 hours -- sleep, blissful sleep.

Stampanasa - Horses Brawl

From Horses Brawl (Amazon, eMusic)

Nowell, Nowell: The Boarees Head - The Orlando Consort

From Food, Wine and Song: Music and Feasting in Renaissance Europe (Amazon)

I remain determined to write a list of my favorite albums of 2007. Not because I think the mp3 blogosphere needs another list (good god, it doesn't!), but because there were so many wonderful albums worth talking about this past year. So I swear I'm posting something before the stroke of midnight Dec. 31!

In the meantime: Eric's 2007 album post is smart and thoughtful and intensely personal, and Charlie writes a lovely series of mini-fictions for his favorite singles.