The other night I was catching up with Nancy Porter, a talented musician and friend, and we were talking about making it through the holidays. She mentioned to me that she classifies people in two categories when it comes to the Christmas season: people who go to things and people who are in things. Those "things" I'm referring to are the many cultural events that surround this season and, for many, help to define it.
The people who go to things have a virtual smorgasbord of options when it comes to holiday entertainment. They are those who can say "Let's go to this concert on Friday," or "Hey, why don't we check out that performance?" Then they happily attend said event where they listen to great holiday music and have the chance to really soak in the season and infuse themselves with the Christmas spirit.
The people who are in things have quite a different holiday experience. Their holiday season usually starts around October. What? October, you say? Yes, because none of those wonderful Christmas programs would be quite so wonderful without hours, nay, even months of rehearsal. So while everyone else is gearing up for Halloween, here we are (yes, I fall into this latter category) pounding away at notes for another jazzed-up rendition of "Jingle Bells."
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, necessarily. We love the holidays just as much as the "go to things" people do. It's just more of a love/dread situation...
What's more, people who are in things tend to be "in" a lot of things. I don't know exactly how this happens. I'm fairly certain that every year we all resolve to say "no" to at least five invitations/requests to perform. But somehow we always end up doing more than we intend to. I feel completely authorized to speak in behalf of all of us "in thing-ers" on this point. Whether it be because of our love for performing, a desire to share our talents, adoration of all things Christmas, or need for some serious ego-enhancement, I can't say. My suspicion is that all of these play a factor. Add in the fact that all musicians are at least a little crazy, and you've got a recipe for holiday exhaustion.
For my part this holiday season, I'm only participating in 4 Christmas concerts (all on the same weekend). This is actually a huge step back for me, compared to my college days. I'm only in charge of directing 2 choirs and only singing 1 solo, 1 small group number, and accompanying 1 song. This is light work, trust me! In fact, I may even be able to go see a few concerts myself this holiday season! What a novel idea...
As much as I talk about being busy, I really do love this time of year. And I love to attend, but I'd so much rather perform in these myriads of holiday celebrations. Yes, I've resigned myself to Christmas in October. And hey, I usually do get at least a few days before Christmas to relax and soak it all in before we have to start rehearsing Easter music...
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2 comments:
PLEASE let me know when your concerts are..I'm one of those who goes to things and want to take my kids to things!
I agree with the cardalls. You should post a list of the concerts so we can come see your smiling face. Unless it's one you're directing. Then we'll come only to see the back of your lovely head. Definately a strong feature! I heard that there is a free Messiah concert at UNLV this Sunday night. Do you know anything about that? Is it just a nasty rumor? YOu know all the happenings this time of year right?
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