This is the eve of Christmas, and a Saturnday to boot. This will be a different year. Our daughter has gone off to college, and while she’s back for the holidays, it’s a different dynamic. I think she’s stopped believing in Santa Claus, but I’m not positive.
Every year, I threaten to write a Christmas letter, and each year it fails to happen. Not that much happened in 2022. My wife retired from teaching. The three of us all got COVID, delaying said entry into college.
Our car got stuck in the ice in front of our house for a week.
We saw several plays and musicals this year, at Mac-Haydn and Barrington Stage in the summer and Proctors in Schenectady and Capital Rep in the spring and fall.
I’ve been writing in my blog about the events of 1972.
Well, I guess no Christmas letter this year either.
The music
These are the pieces I decided on for this year. Or maybe they decided for me.
Shepherd’s Hey by Percy Grainger, “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band
Gloria by John Rutter. I have sung this.
O Holy Night – Carols from King’s Chorale
Wexford Carol – Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma. This is from a compilation album my wife owns. Alison Krauss is one of her favorite artists.
What Child Is This? · Vanessa Williams. This is from A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992), one of the best tracks on the album.
Star Carol · Simon and Garfunkel. This appears in the Simon and Garfunkel box set from 1997, though it was recorded 30 years earlier.
Away in a Manger – Pentatonix. My daughter was really into this group for a couple of years before being into BTS.
Silent Night – Sarah McLachlan. One of my favorites.
O Holy Night – Trombone Shorty. Yes, a second version of this song, but a very different read.