Last week I attended our granddaughter's annual choir concert. Though jazz never has been my favourite musical style, the harmonies and instrumentations that came from the hands and mouths of those teens were jaw-dropping. It was evident that every one of them loved music as much as does our Sarah. The thing I really missed about this December performance, however, was the absence of any mention of Christmas.
I love the music of Christmas: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire", "I'll be home for Christmas," and "Blue Christmas" are the perfect accompaniment to a search for the delectable recipes that I will bake and serve to friends and family. And who could resist some toe-tapping along with a hearty rendition of "Little Drummer Boy"? By the time this goes to press I will already have been on my winter get-a-way and my longed for "White Christmas". Jingle bells and Salvation Army Kettle Campaign bells add harmony to the song in my heart while the serenity of "Silent Night" soothes my soul at the end of a busy day. In spite of the annual too-early arrival of canned music in the malls, I have never lost the thrill of hearing songs that celebrate the coming of Christ to earth.
Over the past several weeks I've received a number of emails sharing a choir presentation of Handel's Messiah. Unsuspecting shoppers, seated in food courts in a number of malls across North America, got far more than they bargained for when they grabbed that cheese burger and fries. I wonder if that's how the shepherds reacted when they heard angelic voices echo through the Judean hills.
It's interesting, though, how the music we loved before December 25 loses its appeal before the end of the next week. Those songs may be seasonal but the reason for them, eternal.
