Stoneage Ramblings

By John R. Stone

Christmas is a special time of year, especially for young children. But for others, too, it is a time to see those young children who have grown up now and bring along some young children of their own.

Of course we now share our kids with in-laws so the grandkids get two Christmases to enjoy.

But maybe the best thing about Christmas is the anticipation. Kids are thinking about seeing their cousins and grandparents, parents and grandparents are thinking about seeing their kids and grandkids and then toss in an aunt or uncle or two.

We spend December decorating with brightly colored decorations, inside and outside. This was a good year for outside decorations, it was nice and warm for putting them up, not the old fashioned finger freezing fumbling around trying to attach strings of lights to the house, trees or something else.

I’m a fan of Christmas music, not the Maria Carey kind of music but the more traditional hymns and songs.

In the past week or two we attended no fewer than three concerts that had a Christmas theme, all of them very good.

The Minnewaska Area High School Choir concert is always a dandy. Those kids are good! The idea that kids aren’t very good at much because they seem to be so tied to their electronic devices isn’t true. The annual choir concert shows us that kids can do a really great job presenting music.

As is a tradition, school alumni join the choirs for the Alleluia Chorus and I do have to admit some pride in seeing a child and grandchild head up to join the choir. This year’s alumni turnout was larger than some years and those slightly more mature voices really added to a rousing chorus.

I kind of wish I had thought to get seats in the center of the center section. It must have been wonderful hearing those voices from all directions.

At any rate a Christmas shoutout to choir director Gordon Moeller and staff not only for providing an excellent concert for the season but for showing us what great things our young people are capable of doing.

Another concert was the Mick Sterling concert at Central Square. That show featured Christmas music and hymns that Elvis Presley had recorded. One doesn’t always think of Elvis as anything but a rock and roller but he did quite a few albums of hymns and Christmas music.

A surprise of that concert was that one of the backup trio singers was Sterling’s wife. The surprise was that for 95 percent of the concert she was dressed in a black suit with a black had pulled down over part of her face. She removed the hat to be introduced and featured in one of the closing numbers.

The third concert was the Medora Christmas program put on by some of the participants in the summer Medora Musical which has put the town of Medora N.D. on the map. The concert was at the Alexandria Area High School auditorium.

There were six musicians who both sang and performed on musical instruments and did both well.

And then last Sunday our church choir performed a cantata that covered most of the service and included the congregation joining the choir in some hymns. Christmas is, after all, celebrating the birth of Christ!

We all have different traditions for Christmas and different hopes and wishes. Christmases change as the years pass because new people join our family circles, those young kids grow and some pass on.

May you have Merry Christmas and may your Christmas wishes and hopes for the New Year come true!