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Let’s give joy to the world and ring silver
bells (or if you want just jingle bells) as we deck the halls then wish you
a Merry Christmas here in our central-Illinois winter wonderland. Making up silly sentences using
Christmas carol titles and lyrics is a new way I’ve discovered to
pass time. It’s more fun than freezing your bones on a sleigh ride
while screaming “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” as voices from
a faded childhood memory endlessly chant, “I saw Mommy kissing Santa
Claus.” And it’s even better than belting out “Feliz
Navidad” in Chinese at the Beardstown Wal-Mart while having a
blue-Christmas experience the day after Thanksgiving because your kid
whined, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” and
they just sold the last pair to those darn three kings of Orient. See how much fun this can be? Here are some upcoming seasonal music events where
you’ll hear many, many holiday songs with titles and lyrics you can
then proceed to mangle.
The talented Jane Hartman performs Christmas classics
with her esteemed trio-mates Gene Haas and Brian Justison at 4 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 2, for the LLCC Recital Series in the Trutter Center at Lincoln Land
Community College. Her program, titled “Mistletoe and Holly,”
features songs from Hartman’s delightful 2004 Christmas collection, Tidings of Comfort and Joy. To
my knowledge, Ben Bedford is the only other local artist to release a
Christmas CD, not counting the vinyl psycho-surf version of “God Rest
Ye Merry Gentleman” by the Aquavelvets, a local group from the 1990s.
Check out “Sounds of the Season” with the
Land of Lincoln Chorus, featuring special guests Gus Gordon, Mary Jo Curry,
and the Sweet Adelines Sound Celebration Chorus, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec.
1, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts (420 S. Sixth St.). Later that day,
7 to 9 p.m., the Springfield Choral Society, conducted by Marion van der
Loo, presents “Stars in the Night: The Search for Light in
Winter” at
the First Christian Church (Sixth and Cook). One of my favorite holiday concerts is the Bells in
Motion show, this year being held at the First Congregational Church (2100
S. Bates Ave.) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. Come on, what’s more
Christmassy sounding than bells? Plus, it’s so much fun to watch. For one glorious hour, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., on Dec. 16,
come sing along with the carillon in Washington Park at “Christmas
Caroling at the Carillon.” Other attractions, include cookies,
marshmallows, and a big bonfire.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2007.
