SEASONAL SONGS, SINGERS, & SPICE
How Do You Spell Hanukkah?, The Christmas Jew, Dolly Parton & Brenda Lee are #1, Wasabi is Good for the Brain
Hiya Friends,
Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish peeps! ⬅️ Is that even the right way to spell Hanukkah? Does anyone actually know? The word’s spelling eludes so many of us, it inspired the song, "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?” by The LeeVees — a Hanukkah supergroup of sorts, featuring Adam Gardner from the indie rock band, Guster and Dave Schneider of The Zambonis. I came across their gemütlich Tiny Desk Concert on NPR the other day and chuckled at these lyrics: “Is is with a C or H? I am confused. What about those Ns and Ks? Do you use one or two?”
Gardner and Schneider formed The LeeVees eighteen years ago with the intention of writing some cool and memorable songs for the Festival Of Lights to fill the void. After listening to their happy and toe-tappy tunes, I say naches to them for pulling it off. Their ode to kugel, which is really about Schneider’s parents divorce and the changing times, got me all verklempt. Click here to watch the band nosh and sing.
And if you’re in search of more great Hanukkah music, check out this segment on NPR about a group of musicians in Milwaukee called Latkes Con Salsa that mix traditional Jewish melodies with Latin rhythms like bomba, salsa, and merengue. My dad played conga drums and timbales in Latin percussion groups and he would’ve flipped for this band.
THE CHRISTMAS JEW
Though I am of Jewish descent (23andMe says I’m 99.5% Ashkenazi Jewish and .5% Italian), I grew up celebrating Christmas (it’s complicated.) And because of my Santa-loving upbringing and yearly tradition of decorating a tree while listening to Lou Rawls’ Merry Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho! record, Jared calls me, “The Christmas Jew.”
I only know what I know as Chet Baker so sweetly sang, and yet, I do feel guilty for ignoring a part of my heritage and likely offending the ghosts of my Orthodox Jewish ancestors. Granted, guilt is my birthright, but it did help to discover that there was a person much more deserving than I of the title, “The Christmas Jew.”
A couple of years ago, I read an article in the New York Times about Si Spiegel, a 99-year-old Jewish bomber pilot who fought Nazis in World War II and, revolutionized the artificial Christmas tree.
In the 1950s, Spiegel worked for a brush company that tried, unsuccessfully, to enter the fake tree racket. To make the manufactured conifers look more realistic, Spiegel studied real trees, adjusted the machines, and churned out high-quality artificial Scotch Pines. Business took off. He sold his company, American Tree and Wreath in the 90s and retired a multimillionaire.
Spiegel raised his children to be proud of their Jewish heritage and also put up a tree every December. Asked how this jibed with his Jewish beliefs, he said, “Do you really think Christmas trees were a religious symbol? They were pagan symbols. My kids liked them.”
Me too, Si!
For the record, I purchased a menorah a couple of years ago, and now I celebrate Chrismakkah . . . if that’s how you spell it.
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN OF THE WEEK
DOLLY PARTON
Earlier this week, I heard Dolly Parton on the radio talking about her very first rock album Rock Star. That album just hit #1 on the Billboard charts. It’s the first time in the chart’s 32 years of existence that Dolly has rocketed to the top.
The 77-year-old singer was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year despite her protests that she didn’t deserve the honor due to a lack of rock songs in her oeuvre. She never expected to get in, she said, “But if I do, I’ll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock ’n’ roll album — which I’ve wanted to do for years, like a Linda Ronstadt or Heart kind of thing. So this may have been just a God-wink for me to go ahead and do that.”
Well, she got in, and far be it from Dolly Parton to not pull off something big. ICYMI, she started a nonprofit called the Imagination Library, that has distributed 200 Million FREE books to kids around the world. Last year, she started offering free college tuition, plus books and fees to every employee (11,000 people) at Dollywood Parks and Resorts in Tennessee.
“If you’ve got the money and you’ve got the heart and you’re not too selfish, you can do a lot of good,” she said.
Can you imagine how wonderful the world would be if every uber rich person had Dolly’s heart? I’m looking at you, Bryan Johnson.
Following her induction, Dolly committed to making good on her promise and asked a bunch of legendary musicians if they wanted to collaborate on some numbers. The list included people like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry, Elton John, Lizzo, and Simon Le Bon, to name a few.
“I just sent them a love note through their managers, and I just said what I was doing. And I said, I didn't want to put you on the spot, but I'd love to have you sing with me on my rock album. And if you're interested, call me at this number. And all the people I reached out to said, yes, we'd love to, and I was very honored and very proud and very humbled by that.
As if anyone would say no to Dolly.
The first week of its release, the record sold 118,500 units and most of those sales were (insert drum roll) physical products! 78,000 CDs, 18,000 vinyl records, and 22,000 downloads. My inner Luddite is downright giddy about those 18,000 vinyl records.
When asked if, at this stage of her career, she felt freer to take risks, Dolly said, “There’s a whole lotta freedom that comes from getting older. You don’t have to answer to other people.” Words to live by.
BRENDA LEE
And while we’re on the topic of notable petite singers with a country twang, Little Brenda Lee, who turned 79-year-old today, is celebrating week 3 at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 with her seasonal hit from 1960, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”
A child prodigy with a powerful voice, Lee originally recorded the song at age 13. Back then, it didn’t cause much of a frenzy. But after she released one of my favorite tunes from her songbook, “I’m Sorry,” and it blew up, her label re-released “Rockin,” and the rest is herstory.
Fun fact: The songwriter, Johnny Marks, who wrote “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” was Jewish. ✡🎄
Find out more about Lee’s storied career in this New York Times article.
TIP OF THE WEEK: EAT WASABI
A new study revealed that eating wasabi can strengthen memory retention in older adults. Seventy-two adults (over 60-years-old) participated in the study and were given 100 milligrams of wasabi a day, then tested on episodic memory.
This sounds like great news for sushi lovers, but there’s a wrinkle. Allegedly, most of the “wasabi” served at sushi joints is really horseradish dyed green. “The pure plant, Wasabia japonica, is native to Japan and is not overabundant.”
If you do manage to get your hands on the real stuff, there are tons of benefits to be had.
Who knew?
Okay, that’s a wrap for today. If you enjoyed reading this post, hit the ❤️ button or leave a comment. I always love hearing from you. xo H2
Fun read Hilary.....and...where can I get some real Wasabi from that Wasabia japonica plant? Cheers!
Oooh! I didn't know that about wasabi, even though I lived in Japan for many years. Honestly, I never ate hon wasabi even there. I think it's quite rare. I recommend trying something else that's extremely healthy and from Japan: natto. It's an acquired taste but it is very good for you.