Ilkeston - Seasonal Songs
w/e 16 December 2012
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

A Lot Like Christmas

It's not that long ago that I was complaining about Christmas starting far too early but here we are more than half way through Advent and Christmas is just around the corner. With decorations in the town centre, on private houses and in shop windows like the Co-Op above, in the words of the seasonal song "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas".
Up The Chimney

That song came to mind when I saw the Co-Op window and set me thinking about other seasonal songs and what I could capture to illustrate them. I didn't have to go far to find another one as this display was in another window at the Co-Op. This suggested several other songs including Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper", the traditional "Deck The Halls" and "O Christmas Tree" or even "The Christmas Song" - you know "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" - but the one I've plumped for is "When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney"!
Silver Bells

Another shop window display, this time in a charity shop in the Albion Centre, featured "Silver Bells" another song usually heard at this time of year and could those smaller blue ones be classed as "Jingle Bells"?
Winter Wonderland

There were some cold frosty days during the week which one particular morning turned the shrubbery near the Erewash Museum into a veritable "Winter Wonderland".
In The Bleak Midwinter

A few steps away at the side of Chalons Way the wonderland was more like "In The Bleak Midwinter" as the low watery sun cast shadows of the leafless trees on the frosty grass.
White Christmas

The frost had covered everything in a pure white coat and suggested another popular song "White Christmas" to me and although the term usually refers to snowfall I think the probability of Ilkeston having snow on December 25th this year is low. If past years can be regarded as a guide, snow at Christmas in this part of the UK is not a common occurrence and a frosty Christmas is much more likely.
Blue Christmas

Whatever the weather for many of the trees lining the Market Place by St Mary's Church, it will be a "Blue Christmas" and that's a song first recorded in 1948 and sung by a range of artists from Elvis Presley to Andrea Bocelli. There are many more versions as well even one by Alvin and the Chipmunks - but we won't go there!
Away In A Manger

We will go however to the tower of St Mary's Church and this illuminated crib seen through the mist and murk of a warmer but wetter day obviously brought to mind the "Away In A Manger" carol.
The Holly And The Ivy

Another song that kept coming into my mind during the week was "The Holly And The Ivy" and there are plenty of examples of both to be found but I did not see any of them together. So for this composite I merged two images taken on the same day together. Although not apparent on the holly, the frost did not let up all day and the images were captured just three hours apart with the holly just before lunch and the ivy just after.
Last Christmas

The were probably many more images to be captured that would illustrate seasonal songs but talking of times when they were captured I have to admit that this one comes from December 2011. That can only mean one thing - Wham's "Last Christmas"!

Home Page
Back to Christmas Pages Index
Special Features Index

Terms & Conditions of Use
This website is copyright but licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence.
Please credit the photographer Garth Newton, or add a link to these pages.