December Greetings!
So here we are, mid-December and here come the holidays. You can feel it in the air.. and see it on our to-do lists. Thus I shall be extra brief.
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Contents of This Newsletter
1. New writing... on Substack, for free
2. Song of the Month: The First Christmas Eve, free to download, stream and share
3. At my website: Ireland 2027 info at https://tomkimmel.com/ireland
4. Recommended: 2 perfect Christmas gifts
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1. Substack: A new way to share my writing
Familiar with Substack? If not, it's a platform for writers, journalists, historians, commentators, entertainers et al. for sharing their work. For me it's a way to share writing aside from songs and poems.
My byline is Notes from Planet Memphis, and I hope you'll find the writing worth reading.
And FYI it's free. You don't need a subscription, though there is the option of a free subscription if you want my new posts mailed to you. And there’s a paid subscription option if you feel to do that.
So far I've posted three pieces, all accessible here on my Substack page:
https://tomkimmel222395.
—If you follow the link, you'll see the pen & ink portrait (courtesy of artist friend James Polk). Click on either Subscribe for Free or No Thanks. Either way, you'll see my posts. Easy.
Three stories so far:
#1 Books… is about To Kill a Mockingbird, banned books and my Alabama hometown.
#2 Football: It's a terrible game. (So why do I watch?)
#3 is My Sister: A Christmas Story. A poem I wrote long ago, set in prose form for Christmas.
2. Song of the Month: The First Christmas Eve
When I lived in Nashville I attended a sweet little chapel on the Vanderbilt campus, and occasionally I'd be asked to sing. This is my one and only Christmas song, a home demo.
Please stream (lossless audio), download and share for free from my website:
https://www.tomkimmel.com
Merry Christmas!
(Scroll down the page, you'll see it.)
3. Ireland 2027 update posted on my website
2027 seems far away, but these tours sell out so far ahead now. It’s crazy, but of course I’m very grateful that people love it. The tour company (Inishfree Tours) will start taking 2027 reservations in February. (I'll mention it again next month.)
All the 2027 info now at my website now: https://tomkimmel.com/ireland
4. The perfect Christmas gifts: a brilliant small book & a worthy charity
a. Small Things Like These, by Irish writer Claire Keegan, is a masterpiece. It's short—closer to a novella—and it’s an exquisite Christmas story any time of the year.
b. A donation to Saint Jude Children Research Hospital, where cancer treatment for all children is always free. https://www.stjude.org/
Till the New Year: Happy Everything to Everybody. Loving Kindness to All. God bless us everyone.
Tom
PS Thanks always to the folks at Elixir Strings for keeping me playing the world's best strings for over 25 years.
