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Happy Holidays Everyone!
No matter what your religious persuasion, this is a time of year
that should inspire us all to “give a little”. Whether it’s your
favorite charity or just that neighbor that gets on your nerves, good
cheer and kindness can be expressed in any number of ways.
Since 1980, I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with a large
group singers, both professional and not, who love to get together this
time of year and carol. Every weekend in December we sing at places like
the Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, the Retired Actor’s
Home and the L.A. Mission. Anywhere from 40 to 70 people usually show up
and it’s always great to re-connect with old friends, even if it’s
only this one time every year. You can imagine how great it sounds with
that many voices singing in four-part harmony.
We’ve even been hired in the past for real paying gigs. The most
outrageous was at a Christmas party in 1984 for about 200 people at a huge
house here in SoCal. The host had 20 of us rent Victorian period costumes
from an outlet that supplies the film studios. When we showed up, he had
erected an ice rink in his back yard and brought in skates for all of the
guests. The huge compressor truck in the street, needed for the
refrigeration, was working hard trying to keep the ice frozen in the warm
L.A. weather. The evenings festivities included an outdoor nativity play
complete with professional lighting, staging, sound, and actors, a real
camel and a donkey and a tape of Elvis singing “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”
as the baby Jesus appeared. I kid you not, this was a very surreal
Christmas experience. As I remember, the closest any of us got to the ice
were the cubes in our drinks.
For those of you in the L.A. area that sing, I am listing the dates
and times below along with an invitation to join us. Song books will be
available at the venues. My friends Debbie Pearl and Rosemary Butler have
been organizing this for 25 years now and their hard work every year is a
wonderful gift to the community.
So Merry Christmas to you and yours and pray for peace in 2006.
Bob
Saturday December 10th: Ronald McDonald House - 1PM - 4560
Fountain Ave. L.A.
Children’s Hospital - 3PM- Sunset & Vermont Sts.
L.A.
Sunday December 11th: Motion Picture Home – 10:30AM-
23450 Calabasas Road,Woodland Hills
Saturday December 17th: L.A. Mission – 11AM- 303 E.
5th St. L.A.
Sunday December 18th: Shriner’s Hospital – 10:30
AM- 3160 Geneva St. L.A.
Saturday December 24th: L.A. Mission Big Feed – 12-3
P.M. – 303 E. 5th St. L.A.
L.A. County Holiday Celebration –3:30 PM @ Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion, L.A.
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