My Donny and Marie Christmas...

One of my most vivid Christmas memories is of the year I asked Santa for Donny and Marie's Make the World Go Away record.  I was so excited when I opened that package and saw my favorite singers smiling at me on the cover.  My joy was short lived when we put the record on my parent's stereo and discovered the elves had made an error.  Instead of putting Donny and Marie in the record cover, they had put in a recording by Lou Rawls.  I cried.  Boy did I cry.  Then amazingly, within a few days, the elves had fixed their error, and I was finally able to listen to my favorite singers.  I didn't find this funny at the time, but now it makes me smile.  I really should have told Donny Osmond this story years later when I met him after one of his concerts.  As I write this I am contemplating searching for Lou Rawls in my Prime Music library.  I have a feeling I have been missing out on some great music because of this experience:)

Christmas also reminds me of my Mom and her love of music.  She sang solos in church, and she loved being part of our church choir.  It was a big deal when we were old enough to sing with the grown ups on Christmas Eve.  Fred Waring made this amazing arrangement of O Holy Night.  When I close my eyes I see lots of candlelight reflecting off our maroon choir robes, and I can hear our part, my favorite part, "Noel, Noel."  To this day, O Holy Night is my favorite carol,  and the sound of it always brings me happy tears.  One of my Mom's last Christmases she surprised me with Fred Waring's recording of O Holy Night.  We both cried as we reflected on that cherished Christmas tradition.  

Now if I need to remember my Donny and Marie days I could turn to YouTube.  If I need to hear O Holy Night, I can put on my Fred Waring cd.  However, I prefer to close my eyes and remember how much my parents loved me, how fortunate I am to be called to teach and how blessed I am with wonderful friends.  

My prayer for all of my teacher friends is that this break recharges you, reminds you of your own Donny and Marie moments and that His perfect peace surrounds you.  Happy Birthday, Jesus!