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Christmas Medley performed by Jeff Eardley
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Absent Friends
The Christmas lights are twinkling on the houses all around.
All we need’s a frosting and some snow upon the ground.
But as this old year rattles on, and crashes to its end,
It’s time to raise a glass or two and think of absent friends.
The ones who stood beside us on our days out on the trail,
They stood beside us at the bar whilst spinning out a tale.
We close our eyes and crack a smile as Winter’s dark descends,
Remembering the happy times we had with absent friends.
But now, the light is fading at this dark end of the year.
The drunks are rolling out of pubs, their bellies full of beer.
But as the madness settles down, I hope, some time to spend.
To play a few old Carols, and remember absent friends.
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Jeff Eardley lives in the heart of England near to the Peak District National Park and is a local musician playing guitar, mandolin and piano steeped in the music of America, including the likes of Ry Cooder, Paul Simon, and particularly Hank Williams.
Thank you, Jeff. The music is soothing, and your poem made me smile as I remembered old friends.
Thank you for your kind comment Mary. A happy new year to you.
It’s been a bad day with bad news from the doctor. Jeff, your music calmed my soul and your poem brought a smile to my face as I remember old friends. I like your choices of American musicians. Thank you for ending my day on a perfect note.
Thank you Betty and hope you get some better news in the new year. Yes, old friends hold some happy memories at this reflective time. Your comment is much appreciated.
A beautiful composition that soothes the ears and warms the heart. I love the theme, Jeff. Bidding farewell to a year is incomplete without remembering the graces bestowed upon us in the form of souls who ‘always stood by us’. Thank you for this heartwarming piece.
Thank you Shamik. Your graceful comment has warmed my heart today. Best wishes.
Jeff, I love this Christmas medley which is so peaceful and beautifully performed. The poem is also not only beautiful but deeply moving. Thank you for the melancholy reminder: here’s to absent friends.
Thanks Brian and thank you for all your superb work this year. You are inspirational. Best wishes for the new year.
This is such a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas medley. You play the guitar beautifully Jeff. Thank you.
Thanks Norma. I always recall a remark from a friend some years ago. “If I hadn’t been a guitar player, I could have been good at something.” Best wishes to you.
I was so relaxed I forgot to comment on your poem. It is a lovely poem reminding us about absent friends and family who mean so much to us all. Thank you.
Hi again Norma and thank you for all your scintillating, hilarious pieces that have cheered me up so many times. Best wishes for a happy 2024.
Your poem (and music) helped put time aside to recall those who are no longer with us in an amusing way.
Thanks for that.
Thanks Paul and thanks for all your work this year. Best wishes for a successful 2024.
Jeff, you are both a great musician and writer of poetry. You put a lot of feeling into your musical presentation. I lost a close cousin and some friends this year and your poem really helped set their loss in perspective. They are still loved and remembered always as long as I have memories of them. Christmas carols indeed take me back to former happy times I enjoyed with them throughout our years, but which are particularly sharp and poignant Christmastime. Bless you in the New Year ahead of us.
Roy, thanks for your comment and I hope you have had a joyful Christmas. I have lost several old buddies, and family members, in the depths of Winter and it is always comforting to dwell on the best of memories. My own dad passed away on 23rd December many years ago and my thoughts are always with the old soldier battling through France in WWII to make a better life for my generation. Best wishes for a happy new year Roy.
Jeff, what a treat… a magical Christmas Medley, a lovely, nostalgic poem (I love the mention of those drunks rolling out of British pubs) in honor of absent friends – a combination of your talents that reaches out to warm our hearts and homes this chilly (for some) season. Jeff, thank you very much indeed! Happy New Year to you!
Thanks Susan/Mike and hope you have a great New Year celebration. It’s a little sad that the drunks no longer roll out of pubs due to the incredible price of booze over here. Your kind words are much appreciated and may you keep all of us inspired, educated and amused with all the wordly magic that you weave so well.
Jeff, thanks for the performance. I wish my notes were as clear and distinctively varied as you have made the ones presented here. Your introductory poem gives thought-pathos to the music, as do the words commonly associated with these tunes. And there is as well the knowledge that many of us here are absent friends who have never met. Christmas is still with us, though, and may you enjoy the remaining days to the full!
Oh thank you Margaret. Yes , we are all friends who have never met but this site is an amazing second-best. I hope you have a splendid (sober???) New Year celebration and I look forward to all your work and incisive comment which is so rewarding to read.
You are a real star. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Such lovely music has helped me set my ship aright, for which you have my eternal gratitude. In the universe you create, memory and foresight are the same thing.
Oh, CB, you are too kind. Best wishes to you and yours for a fruitful New Year. Best wishes from over here.