Christmas Classics

I was in college in 1953 before I ever heard of the Nutcracker Suite. It was in a music appreciation class that I heard this beautiful music and the story behind it. It is one of my most favorite Christmas stories and I love the ballet. I've seen it on stage a few times in my lifetime, but the most memorable was in 1998 when I left the farm and flew to Austin, TX to see our granddaughter Allison, age 10, dance in the Austin Nutcracker Ballet. I think she was on stage a total of 5-6 minutes and she was absolutely beautiful and I loved every minute of her performance as a dancing flower.

It was on this particular night that Michael Dell (of Dell computer fame) was Mother Ginger . Each night a different person played that part.

The ballet was beautiful and I was so happy to be able to be there to see Allison dancing.

I enjoyed my week-end, despite the rain and icy conditions. The planes left from Austin on time, despite the icy conditions, and I arrived back at the Dothan airport to much wamer weather and sunshine.

The Nutcracker always brings a bit of sadness to mind for me also. In November, 1996, our daughter in law Barbara was very ill and I was spending some time in Florence, SC with them. She had tickets to take the two older children (ages 6 and 4) to see the Nutcracker ballet and asked if I would take them for her. They would get so excited when they recognized some of the performers on the stage. I remember it was a long evening, trying to keep them quiet. She was so happy that her little girls enjoyed the ballet. She had read the story to them. Then that following Sunday, the day after I returned home to Alabama, our daughter-in-law died after a short illness.

Alabama Public TV has beautiful Christmas programs each year. I just finished watching the San Francisco Nutcracker Ballet and now I'm watching the St. Olaf College singers from Minneapolis singing carols in an old cathedral in Norway, and it's just breathtaking.

Each year on the Sunday before Christmas, one of our male choir members, Kenneth Baker,  sings "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" and everybody waits in anticipation on that Sunday to hear this traditional message of Christmas.

Last Sunday was our Christmas Cantata and included in it were some Christmas carols. I noticed that our mentally handicapped son singing along (quietly thank goodness) when he knew the words of some of the carols. My husband Jim always enjoys singing in the Christmas cantata at Elba United Methodist Church which is usually on the 2nd Sunday morning in Dec. This year the church was beautifully decorated with candles burning in the windows and 60 large red poinsettias at the front rail at the altar.