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Open house: Beating back the 'Bah humbug!' holiday music blues [1]

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Date: 2022-12-23

Generally my mood in late December tends toward the indigo end of the spectrum. I look forward to longer, brighter days soon.

Every year at about this time, I get a big case of the “bah humbugs.” Too many deadlines, too few hours (of sunlight!) in the day, too many impossible expectations to meet. Too many memories prompted by the season, the weather, and especially the music.

New here? Longtimer? Feel free to pull up a chair, settle in, hang out. As with an “open house” in real life, the pretext for the gathering matters less than providing the setting for a conversation.

I can only imagine how exhausting and oppressive the relentless ubiquity of ChristmasTM becomes for folks who do not observe the holiday. As a Christian with deep ambivalence toward the institution and its doctrines, I find most of the traditional observances in general circulation tedious and shallow. Lately, after my mother’s death, after COVID disruptions, after the real necessity to reconsider what “celebration” means for me now, I find myself more compelled than ever to reimagine the season and my relationship to it.

Music occupies a central place in my heart and spirit, and as a singer and a spectator I have savored uncountable performances of pieces associated with this holiday season. For me it is critical to consider which music I want to bring forward, and why. Fortunately, many brilliant and creative minds have already applied themselves to the project of reinventing the music typically associated with Christmas. Here I will share a couple of my recent discoveries in the hope that you find them stimulating and rewarding—and also in the hope that you will share your favorites, too.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/23/2143234/-Open-House-Beating-back-the-Bah-Humbug-holiday-music-blues

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