Christmas is almost over

Working for a local newspaper, I have been beset with announcements of holiday activities for the past couple of weeks. Not Thanksgiving (the harvest fairs were in September and October), but Christmas. There were a round of holiday fairs this past weekend, and more coming up this weekend and next.

Not to mention holiday performances. Like other groups, our orchestra has to schedule its concert carefully so as not to get lost in the deluge of Christmas/Holiday concerts. Events seem to peak the last weekend in November and the first weekend in December. After that, I guess, we're all too busy shopping.

The Messiah sing-in/play-in is different, taking place the Sunday before Christmas. I went last year as an audience member (one of the few as everyone else was singing or playing) and as a reporter. It was a peaceful respite from the busy-ness of the season. I'm going to attempt to play this year. Anyone can show up to play; there are only a couple of rehearsals. Last year there were about seven string players; this year we expect a lot more, as the orchestra has finished its season, and members seem to want to keep playing. It probably won't be as serene an experience for me this year, as it was last year, but it should be fun, provided I find some time to practice between now and then.

Merry Christmas!

This is one of my favorite Christmas presents this year, a drawing done for me in a "Secret Santa" exchange at Drawspace.com. We each made a list of things we wanted for Christmas, and our Secret Santa chose one to draw for us.

I have always loved toucans. We had a painting of a toucan on the wall when I was growing up, and I have enjoyed drawing them myself. This one is very cheerful, and I like the flowers, leaves and greenery background.

The picture I drew was of a $21,200 electric guitar I found online (the most expensive guitar I could find). My recipient wanted an electric guitar and did in fact receive one for Christmas, so she liked the drawing. I am not so pleased with it myself--the many lines that should be straight are not, and I could not think of a suitable background, so left it blank. But I 'm posting it here anyway. The guitar has a lot of mother-of-pearl, which I tried to duplicate using metallic colored pencils, but I do not have the technique down yet. Onward and upward! We had a great Christmas with my daughter, son, and his girlfriend, playing games, eating, and talking. Hope your holidays are wonderful!