#4 - Singing and Celebrating

Last Saturday evening, we had about 30 or so people drop by. It's an Annual Heal Tradition, our Christmast Party. I love our Christmas Party.



But of course, while this year was our 9th Annual, it by no means my 9th Christmas party (big surprise eh?). See celebrating Christmas with family is one thing, but it's just as important to celebrate with friends and neighbours. This is the history....

Dad is very muscial. In our living room is a baby grand and a church organ. It's not a large living room, but they are large pieces. They also played a large roll around Christmas time. I have no idea what year the Dye Sing A Long started, but I have to say it is the fondest of childhood memories.

Each year at Christmas we invited all the neighbours for the sing a long. Ruth Cres is a small cul de sac street with neighbours that knew each other. Dad played the organ, and Mr. Lenord played the piano. We all sang. We sang loud, we sang the classics and we sang with all the Christmas spirit there is.

I remember the smell of the lyric sheets. You see, "old" photocopies had different paper, which had a specific smell to it. I remember thinking that Mom could draw so well with the pretty bow and drawing of Rudolph on those sheets. Songs like Jingle Bells started us off (pretty sure that Frosty was near the beginning too). Silent Night near the end, and if memory is on tonight, then the last song was always "We wish you a Merry Christmas".

The dining room was full of food. The punch as I recall took a lot of work, and wasn't overly child friendly. But Pop Shoppe was always there for the kids, funny how some of these memories are popping up as I write this!

While the Sing A Long ended somewhere in childhood, Richard and I decided somewhere in our young adulthood that it should be brought back. That year, Dad played the organ for our friends. We sat on the living room floor, and us 20 somethings belted out the toons just like the good old days.

While our Christmas party doesn't have any singing, it's still a lot of fun. Family and friends gather together, enjoy some time together, and celebrate the season in fine style.