Voices raised in Christmas season

December 23, 2009

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, soon the bells will start; and the thing that will make them ring is the carols that you sing right within your heart.”
Christmas is the only season that has its own music and by Christmas Eve even the worst Scrooges have relented and find themselves singing or humming along to well-known tunes. Some of those songs are centuries old and have been translated into many different languages, but the melodies bring us back to our childhood in an instant.

We have a strict rule at the Christmas Bureau office, no Christmas carols until Dec. 1. This is easy to control with the radio or CD player, but not so easy with Freda our office manger.

As a member of Langley’s Community Chorus, she frequently breaks into song practising for one of their Christmas concerts. But her soft Scottish accent is smooth and soothing, so we make an exception.

Once December arrives, we load five Christmas CDs into the machine and shuffle the songs. One minute Bing is singing White Christmas then a dog is barking Jingle Bells. Right after Anne Murray brings us Silent Night, Dave is yelling at Simon, Theodore and Alvin.

Everyone knows all the words to all the songs and when we take the Langley Christmas Bureau Chorale outside for the parade, it isn’t long until we have attracted a crowd. The words are timeless and set the stage for the season.

There are so many concerts and recitals it is difficult to choose where to go, as the performers are so varied. I always enjoy Dennis Enns at Mark Warawa’s annual concert. I envy his piano skills and I’m sure his fingers leave his hands as they bring a medley of carols to life.

On the other end of the scale, watching the tongue-clenching intensity of a six-year-old fiddler playing Jingle Bells is equally impressive. It is the time of year when we can hear a trained operatic voice implore us to ‘fall on your knees and hear the Angel’s voices’ or a Kindergarten class sing ‘Here comes Santa Claus.’
I can’t pass Belmont School this time of year without hearing ‘Christmas at Belmont,’ a true Jamie Thomas original.

I had the pleasure this year of hearing the Langley Ukulele Ensemble a few times. There is a misconception that Peter Luongo teaches his group how to play the ukulele. They know how to play it when they join the group — he teaches them passion, performance and personality.

He only uses the instrument to turn boys and girls into gracious young ladies and respectful young men. When they plink those first few notes from the Nutcracker, it is instantly Christmas, no matter what month it is.

The First Capital Barbershop Chorus surrounds us with harmony at their annual concert and reminds us that harmony is what this time of year is about. They manage to not only act as ambassadors for Langley wherever they appear, but those voices have also raised close to $100,000 for the Christmas Bureau in the past 12 years.
Sing to your children and grandchildren; teach them the carols of your youth so they can do the same to theirs. Sing along to your car radio, sing in church and sing with your family. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord and have a Merry Christmas! At least, that’s what McGregor says.