What do you love most about this time of year? Winter activities? Staying cozy as the winds howl and the snow flies with a good book? Preparing for your favourite traditions?
For me, it’s the music. Granted, it’s mostly Christmas music, but it’s more than just Christmas music. It’s the familiarity of it. For those of us who celebrate Christmas, it’s the one time of the year when we can sing along and pretty much know all the words!
It’s the memories the music invokes … of family gatherings, of last-minute shopping, of what we hear when we’re creating in the kitchen or while making crafts with kids and grandkids.
We had a big ol’ upright piano when we were growing up that used to belong to my grandma. So, singing around it was a staple, especially at this time of year. I can well remember my own school Christmas concerts, and how excited I got when I spotted my parents in the audience.
I was that way with my own kids’ concerts. Whether they were dressed as a snowflake for school or a shepherd for church. And the kids didn’t get all the fun. Our church prepared a Christmas Cantata every year. Rehearsals were fun, and, oh, the nerves when it came time for presentation.
The Christmas concerts were my favourite. Mine, my kids, and now, my grandkids. Three of my grandkids play instruments. The concerts, especially as they got older and better, offered not only Christmas fare, but also winter pieces, or little-known Canadian compositions. There’s nothing like being a part of an audience filled (always filled!) with proud parents and grandparents. We love everything about it. The squeak of clarinets, the odd sour note, a cymbal clanged at the wrong time … and you know it’s the wrong time because the kid is visibly mortified!
My oldest grandson plays the flute. And he would often audition for solos, which he got, because he is good … and because he was dedicated. The band, formally dressed in white shirts and black bottoms, were free to add Santa hats, festive garlands and the like. My daughter bought Josh a garish necklace of large blue and white snowflakes that lit up when you turned it on. When he came out first with the band, the snowflakes were dark. He had a solo in the first piece and when the applause died down, I piped up, “Show us your lights, Josh!”
Most laughed, including my grandson, who turned his lights on, and he got more applause. The rest of my family, shaking their heads, moved to the other side of the room!
He graduated from high school this year, and I don’t know when I’ll get to see and hear him play again. But I have a plan. I’m going to find out when high school concerts will be occurring, and I will just sneak into the back. It might sound sketchy, but I know all the memories will again come to life!
