Dr. Girlfriend and I exchanged our Christmas gifts this past Saturday evening, following a little Christmas show my buddy John and I hosted at a local coffee shop. Her gifts were super thoughtful and fun, but one in particular made me guffaw and grin with glee: a “LEGO” knock-off minifigure of our 45th and 47th President.
We’re tantalizingly close to Christmas—just ten days away! Here’s some more Christmas cheer from the past week:
Happy Sunday—and Merry Christmas!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
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Yesterday my students performed their annual Christmas Concert. It was a really fabulous concert, and I am super proud of my students. Other than some very small glitches—for example, the first soloist on “O Holy Night” came in late (no big deal—we just kept vamping a C major chord until he started) and his wireless mic got a little crackly on the first few words—it went very smoothly.
There are essentially two parts to the Christmas Concert. The first part involves the Foreign Language classes, which perform Christmas songs in their respective languages. I always say that it’s not really Christmas until the Latin students sing “Rudolphus” (“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in Latin). That part is fun, but it’s kind of like checking a box to me: the Foreign Language students get a grade for singing in the concert, and it means a lot to a longtime Latin teacher for the students of the various Foreign Language classes to sing.
The second part is the real concert, when my Middle School and High School Music Ensembles get to play. Here is the program for that portion of the concert:
I didn’t get too crazy with our programming this year, and a few repeats from last year (“Jingle Bell Rock,” “Silent Night,” and “O Holy Night” are always perennial picks).
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Tomorrow my students have their annual Christmas concert. Neither of my Ensembles are performing “Joy to the World” this year, but it remains one of my favorites. I love its rollicking and robust melody, which seems to charge forth, first with that delicious downward D major scale, and then it’s jaunty, bouncy return back up the scale in leaps.
I’ll have to dust this one off for next year’s concert, and I will certainly be playing it at church (if I have not already done so by the time this post publishes). It’s one of the best to belt out with a room full of people.
With that, here is 14 December 2023’s “TBT: Joy to the World“:
The Christmas season is upon us! Here are some posts to celebrate this festive season:
Happy Sunday!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
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‘Tis the season, dear readers, for yuletide merriment—and all the related craziness that accompanies this jingle-belled time of year. Yours portly is exactly halfway through the middle of two weeks of arts-based insanity, and all is well.
Last night my school’s Middle School Drama students, as well as students from our Dance and Vocal Ensemble classes, gave their annual Christmas production. They performed a cute little play called And a Groundhog in a Pear Tree, in which some of the less popular holidays—February 29th, April Fool’s Day, and Groundhog Day—attempt to write a new version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in order to save the big annual Christmas ball (the titular Twelve Days of Christmas have gone on strike).
This coming Friday, 13 December 2024, my Middle School and High School Music Ensemble students will give their annual Christmas Concert. We have a great program planned. The Foreign Language classes also get in on the fun, with renditions of various Christmas songs in their respective languages. I always say that it’s not really Christmas until the Latin students sing “Rudolphus” (“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in Latin).
So, here’s a glimpse into the life of a Technical Director for Performing Arts during Christmas, which is crunch time in the performing arts world.
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Back on Epiphany (6 January 2024) I built a Nativity from Nativity Bricks, a company that makes Christian-themed LEGO® knock-offs (I also composed an Epiphany-inspired original piano composition).
The build was very good, and the quality was as close to LEGO® as I’ve seen from knock-off bricks. Seriously, I was blown away with how excellent the pieces were, and how intuitive the instructions were to follow. Most of these cheap copycat building blocks are just that—cheap. But Nativity Bricks’ pieces actually felt like LEGO® bricks. Even Mattel’s attempt to compete with LEGO®, Mega Bloks®, don’t stack up (no pun intended—hey-oh!).
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Yes, yes—we’re already into 2024, and at this point, Christmas 2023 is a distant, fuzzy memory. But as I’ve pointed out in other posts this holiday season, Christmastime traditionally runs through Epiphany, on 6 January. So, why not keep the Christmas spirit alive just a bit longer—eh?
In reading Ponty’s Christmas missive, you’ll get a sense for how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Christmas. Even more, it’s hard to miss how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Tina, his beloved girlfriend/common-law wife/soulmate. Whatever they are, they are meant for each other, just like the characters in the Hallmark movies Ponty endures each December. Nothing says, “I love you” like letting your significant other own a hotel on Boardwalk in Monopoly.
I share something of Ponty’s resigned pessimism for the future. Like Ponty, though, it does not stem from a place of hopelessness, but rather inspires me to dedicate myself more to the people in my life. There’s precious little I can do about national politics (or a bunch of stoner judges in Colorado), but I can do a great deal to help those around me—even if that means losing a few games of Monopoly.
With that, here is Ponty sharing about his and Tina’s wonderful Christmas and New Year’s plans:
The Christmas season is technically still in full swing until Epiphany on 6 January 2024, but I know everyone is now looking ahead to the new year. Still, yours portly isn’t one to let a video go to waste, so here’s my rendition of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
Merry Christmas, everyone! I’ve been in the Christmas spirit far more this year than in recent years, likely due to a number of factors. I will note that the bout of cold weather we’ve in South Carolina this December has really helped—it actually feels like Christmas. We’ve had plenty of Christmas seasons that are hot, humid, rainy, etc., and they really dampen the sense of the season, both literally and figuratively.
It being Christmas, I’m not writing my usual movie review today, but am offering up a reblog of a post from Christmas Day 2019. With that, here is “Christmas and its Symbols“:
The Portly Politico 