So far we’ve had the privilege of celebrating Christmas with two parts of my family. On Saturday we went down to Midlothian to see Jenny’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law. We mixed it up with a Mexican Christmas. Well, I suppose only the food was Mexican, because we were still white as snow, and Jim’s attempt at praying in Spanish didn’t quite work. The food was great, though – enchiladas, tamales, homemade salsa, rice and beans, and Jenny’s sopapilla cheesecake. Sunday we had Christmas lunch with my dad’s side of the family. My cousins Jeff and Lisa just welcomed a new daughter, so we stopped to see them beforehand. After lunch we did a Chinese gift exchange (why is it called Chinese, anyway?) and played 80s Trivial Pursuit and family favorite Taboo. FYI, never play Taboo against Lisa. We plan to spend Christmas Eve at church and having dinner with friends and then Christmas Day with my parents, sis, bro-in-law, and mom’s parents.

Right now my car’s CD player is pumping the London Philharmonic’s magnificent recording of Handel’s Messiah. Many of you know my enthusiasm for and history with “Hallelujah,” its most famous song. But the entire 2+ hour work is a true masterpiece and a great soundtrack for this Christmas season. It tells the story of the predictions of Jesus, the state of man, Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection, and finally the glory of his eternal reign. Although often sung at Christmastime, “Hallelujah” is actually in the resurrection/eternal reign section. Messiah requires an orchestra, a large four-part choir, and four strong soloists, generally soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. I saw one performance that replaced the tenor with a countertenor (higher than a regular tenor), which actually worked quite well. The songs are not easy to sing and require great agility, range, and control. I’ve been trying to sing along in the car, which just made me appreciate the soloists’ skill even more.

Merry Christmas, everyone!