Ring A Ling

Something about staying in town for Thanksgiving actually put me in the holiday spirit earlier than in recent years. Without the rushed, hectic nature of traveling, I could settle in to watch Elf the night of Thanksgiving, and make time on Sunday to decorate my Christmas tree instead of sitting in traffic. In no time flat, I'd programmed my DVR to program all of my favorite holiday movies (White Christmas, Holiday Inn, A Christmas Story, Charlie Brown Christmas), and switched my Pandora station to Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Nothing puts a swing in my step like listening to their rendition of Jingle Bells. 

Music is a huge part of my life despite the season, but the nostalgic nature of Christmas bring it to the forefront during this time of year. I absolutely love to sing. I actually had my first solo on Christmas Eve when I was just 6 years old, and was very involved in choirs, show choirs, and musicals until I graduated from college. Unless you've done karaoke with me recently (Madonna's Like A Prayer is my staple number), many people I know now aren't familiar with this part of me.

During the holidays, one of the things I look forward to the most is singing. While occasionally it's breaking into a hilarious version of Silver Bells with my friends, music is a major part of why the holidays are so special to me. 

For the past few years, my two best friends from high school would join me in singing for the holiday party at my grandma's nursing home. We would dust off some of our favorites from our choir days, as well as trying out some new numbers. Because my grandma was in a Memory Care/Alzheimer's program, it was always amazing to me to see the effect that music would have on these older folks. They joyfully sang along with almost everything, even if other words (and faces) were harder to recognize. My grandma passed away earlier this year, so we won't be singing there, but I'm still looking forward to getting together with my dear friends and huddling around the piano. It's one of the traditions that I look forward to the most every year. 

I'm also looking forward to joining voices with two other close friends and singing Gesu Bambino at church on Christmas Eve. We've lost count of how many years we've sung this together, but it really wouldn't be Christmas without it. It's fitting that the building where I had my first solo 24 years ago is still the place I raise my voice every year.

One of my goals in the New Year is to find a way to sing more regularly -- all suggestions welcome! Do you have any special holiday traditions that could be a bigger part year round?

{Image via Pinterest}