Just spent like 10 minutes trying to use an interrobang in a text message. How’s your Christmas going‽

Look at it this way: you’ll never have more time to practice for Christmas 2026 than you do right now.

In my weekly email newsletter: Christmas is a remix world.hey.com/dsinden/chri...

At once a voice arose among The bleak twigs overhead In a full-hearted evensong Of joy illimited; An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, In blast-beruffled plume, Had chosen thus to fling his soul Upon the growing gloom.

Interviews with Daniel Hyde and Rachel Portman on Minnesota Public Radio right now. #9LC

Did #9LC put you in a Christmas mood? Want to keep the carol vibes going? I have a playlist of Christmas Bangers — old favorites and new discoveries. Have a listen and let me know what I need to add! open.spotify.com/playlist/4qK...

"I saw three ships" will never not be on brand for #9LC

I think Dormi Jesu might be my favorite Rutter carol #9LC

I think this Berlioz gets a little cloying if you hear it all the time. But it is hardly ever sung at this service now. Last time was in 2014. #9LC

Two carols by John Rutter in his 80th year. The last time two Rutter carols were sung in the same service was 2021 (The Wexford Carol, and "Silent night"). Before that, it was ... never? #9LC

Latin motets in this service (like the Bruckner Ave Maria being sung now) are a Daniel Hyde innovation since 2021. #9LC These are not carols! This is a big deal! The tradition continues to innovate.

with the thrush and the lamb we have solidly entered the animal section of this year's service #9LC

late organ entry into the mix in this commissioned carol by Rachel Portman. I'm into it. #9LC

Always touching to hear this descant by John Scott to "It came upon the midnight clear." Daniel Hyde, the director of music, followed Scott as director of music at St. Thomas, NYC, after Scott's untimely death. #9LC

Some serious tenor vibrato there. #9LC

This arrangement of the Sussex Carol by Philip Ledger hasn't been sung at this service since 2010. #9LC

FINDEN!! (Archaic spelling of Sinden) #9LC

BREAKING LITURGICAL NEWS: Rachel Portman was commissioned to write a carol for this year’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Kings College, Cambridge. “The Darkling Thrush” will premiere on Christmas Eve.

Today is the day that Donald Trump truly became president.

Nothing says the liturgy has to be “happy” on Gaudete Sunday. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

All of these recipes call for room temperature butter, but everything the grocery store sells is cold!! Hope your Thanksgiving is going better than mine.

In case you’re wondering, the longest Game 7 in World Series history was 12 innings (1924).

Had an alert earlier that Shohei Ohtani was taken out and I immediately thought “what was he even doing on a Venezuelan drug boat?”

Omg I just watched an entire Scorsese movie during the extra innings of this World Series game

Multiple airports are now announcing they will refuse to play Kristi Noem’s government-funded video blaming “Democrats” for the government shutdown. “We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” one airport said.

Within: Katherine Rundell on Diana Wynne Jones; Howell, “Sarabande for the 12th day of any October,” which comes around this year.

I’ve started an email newsletter this year — quick reads on music, spirituality, literature, and other bits of culture I’m loving lately. If that’s your thing, there’s a subscribe box at the bottom of the page. world.hey.com/dsinden/vivi...

“So much of our lives involves seeing fleeting images on screens or encountering disposable, temporary media. Worship books ask us to consider that God and God’s people have a longer story, one that is grounded and available to all.” www.livinglutheran.org/2025/09/some...

What’s more astonishing: 1) that the president clearly believes, and repeatedly suggests, that asylum seekers are people from mental asylums, or 2) that no journalist has ever challenged him on this and no mainstream media outlets have done any deep dives on this story?

Is the University of North Carolina just not paying Bill Belichick enough to win games or what?

I'm quietly (re-)starting my email newsletter: This week: Between Sound and Fire world.hey.com/dsinden/betw...

Let’s all use autocomplete to figure out what Tylenol really causes. Tylenol causes inflammation

Potential business idea: Food delivery service run exclusively by pregnant women called…wait for it… Labor and Delivery Is this anything?

The Magnificat and Nunc dimittis database is growing! Thanks to your help, we are now approaching 350 entries. If you haven't already, please take a look for your favorite settings, and let me know if they're not listed. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

“T. S. Eliot says: ‘Poetry takes something that we know already and turns it into something new.’ Perhaps art is seeing the obvious in such a new light that the old becomes new.” —Madeleine L’Engle

“A vision without a task is but a dream, a task without a vision is drudgery, a vision and a task is the hope of the world” –Sussex, c. 1730

open.spotify.com/track/5Dnflc... Omg what even is this song

Wordle 1,470 2/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

It’s a good thing Congress isn’t alive to see this

If you were too young in 2003 here is what Bush told the American people: 1) The Iraq War won’t cost a lot of money 3) We won’t need a lot of troops 4) We’ll bring peace and freedom to Iraq 5) We’ll find WMDs 6) We’ll be welcomed as liberators 7) It will be easy 8) It won’t take long All lies.

Going to take a page from the late Dean of Canterbury Cathedral and pray the Great Litany with my chickens

Well, I, for one, am glad that unlike in all previous wars of choice this time, we finally have a clear end goal, an exit strategy and meaningful Congressional oversight to make sure our elected leaders don't do some crazy shit

Got a low approval rating as president? Go ahead and BOMB A COUNTRY THAT STARTS WITH I

“a song outlasts a dynasty” –Gerald Finzi