Sing a New Song

Today was Small Business Saturday and I was privileged to enter many small retail businesses and eateries in our picturesque and historic downtown's retail district.  I am a caroler.  For the past several years, I have strolled with a group of singers, meandering in and out of our downtown establishments, singing holiday music and hopefully adding some holiday cheer to the shoppers' experience.  Annie, our organizer, makes it a fun adventure and Nancy, our music librarian, added to the merriment by selecting some new music for us this year.  Consequently, in addition to our familiar selections, we got to sing some new songs today.  Whether singing new or old songs, it was fun to be part of Small Business Saturday and perhaps contribute in my own some small way to their efforts to help our community thrive, create jobs and boost our local economy.  If you don't normally shop in small businesses, now's the time for a new song.  Shop small and you'll contribute to the preservation of your local retail district and community. 

Fa-La-La

I really love to sing and at this time of year when Christmas music is playing in stores, on the radio, at church and just about anywhere you go, it's nice to be able to hum or sing along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Harry Connick, Jr., Steve Lawrence and the gang.  With my cold dragging on for so long, I've not only had a husky speaking voice, my singing voice has been in its basement range at best.  Gratefully, my singing voice is coming back and I've been able to carol and sing and hum along with Bing to my heart's content.  Whether we're great singers or just singers in the shower, isn't it lovely to have a song on your lips and one in your heart?  And what better time to be able to sing joyfully than at Christmas when there are so many great pieces of secular and sacred music?  Whether it's "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" or "O Holy Night," now is the time to sing with gladness and Joy to the World.

Singing' in the Rain

I was singin' in the rain today -- not Gene Kelly style, but with a group of sopping wet, though jolly carolers attempting to add to the festive atmosphere of our local downtown's holiday shopping experience.  It was an unseasonably warm 50 degrees and drizzling (sometimes out and out raining) -- not our typical late-November Wisconsin weather.  But, with Santa hats and umbrellas, we sang the likes of "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and "Jingle Bells" anyway.  Music and memories are so integral to Christmas that it can be difficult to separate one from another.  Not surprisingly, it's harder for me to get into the merriment this season, having just experienced the loss of my beloved mom in September.  Perhaps "Singin' in the Rain" is an apt description of my Christmas experience this year.  I'll admittedly be in kind of a rainy state of grieving but I'll welcome a little fa-la-la mixed in.  For, as the song goes, "We need a little Christmas...right this very minute."  I know that I do.  Perhaps more than ever.