Holiday Music Countdown: Number 15, a childhood classic

Continuing my countdown of my twenty-five favorite holiday songs. (Find previous posts here.)

15. Linus and Lucy (Vince Guaraldi Trio)

At about this point each December, I sit myself down at the piano in my living room and pull out a couple of books of music. "Christmas Favorites," "Holiday Classics," "Modern Holiday Classics," "Easy Christmas Piano." I stumble through a few bars of a few songs, squint at the notes and try to remember how they read. ("F-A-C-E," "Every Good Boy Does Fine," and "All Cows Eat Grass," but what’s the other one? "Great Big Dogs Fight Animals"? I think that’s it.)

Then I’ll spend a few minutes with a book of songs by Vince Guaraldi, written
for the Peanuts cartoons. Of course the one I focus on most is "Linus and Lucy." If I spend a concentrated half hour, I can get both hands playing together on the main theme — and playing quickly enough that it’s almost recognizable.

Then I hit the jazzy middle section, and it all goes to pot. I stumble through the treble for a while, try to get at least a couple of bars to swing, fail miserably.

Finally I make it all the way through to the last bit, which repeats the main
theme, and I get swinging along again to the end.

And thus ends my piano adventure for the year. I resolve to start practicing
earlier next year — not just "Linus and Lucy" but a couple of sing-along carols, and maybe "Send in the Clowns" because it’s one of my dad’s favorites.

So far, in the five or so years since I got this piano, I haven’t managed a regular practice schedule. But maybe in 2008….