My Favourite Things #2

Another one of my favourite things at Christmas is to play music.  One year, not too long ago, my husband gave me a stereo which plays 3 CDs at a time.  It also has a 'shuffle' feature, so I can listen to three varieties for over two hours. 

My current modas operandi is to pick one CD with instrumental music, one with peppy music and one with more meaningful music.  It is a nice balance. That way, I never get bored with one type and if I don't like a particular version of a song that the artist does, I figure something better must be coming up next.

There is one caviat to enjoying Christmas music.  I can't play it if I feel the least bit melancholy. Playing well known and such sentimental music can create a kind of a homesickness inside of me and before long, I find myself in a puddle. 

Finding myself in a puddle is not always a bad thing though, especially if my husband is around to see me dissolve.  He is a pretty good rescue hero.  Still, I wouldn't want him to lose his super powers, so I try to limit the amount of carols that play on the days where I feel lonely. 

I also try to add a new book of Christmas music to my collection each year.  It's fun to sightread through the books to see if I could make the songs sound decent enough to play in my sessions.  Today, I scored big time -for 6$ I got three books at a local thrift shop which seemed to have some really nice versions of the carols.  I can't wait to get to work tomorrow to try them out.  If you hear someone playing through songs before the sessions begin, that will be me.  You will probably see a big smile on my face too.

Another addition to music I enjoy during the Christmas season, is the staff choir at my main job.  Each year, we manage to squeeze in a few practices.  We then sing for the clients for a couple of special programs that we plan.  This year, because we have even less time to squeeze, we are recycling songs we have done in years past, as well as singing a few very familiar carols - this time with harmony.  I love this part of my job, because without fail, I see the morale of the workplace pick up after we have sung together.

A new thing for me this years is that for the first time in many, I have joined the church choir.  It's a stab at finding a way to connect with others, and it will help me dust off my skills in being in a group music experience.  We will be singing twice on Christmas Eve - in case you are available and want to come and see it.  One of the songs has a chorus that repeats "Oh how He loves us" and it has echoed through my mind this week.  It isn't just the notes that are running through my head; it is the reminder of the wonderful truth of why we sing Christmas music.  I don't know that we will sound like the angels on Christmas night, but I will be singing my heart out in praise.