Christmas nights around town

Index of Christmas holiday posts

In a previous holiday post I mentioned the carol Gaudete, and linked to a video of Rachel and Hannah’s dance troupe performing it last year. At that time I didn’t realize they would be performing it last night at the city of Norman’s annual Christmas Tree lighting event! What fun! It was too dark in Andrews Park to get a good picture of their dancing, but here’s one of the lighted “tree”:

Standing underneath, the view overhead was filled with multicolored lights shining like the bright winter stars! The stars of winter are my favorites of any season: Orion the Hunter and The Winter Hexagon are now in clear view above the horizon after sunset. And I always enjoy a star on the top of any Christmas tree.

Afterward, many of us went to Borders for the monthly Celtic jam. Fewer musicians than usual turned up, but that left more room for dancing:

Candace, Rachel and Hannah sang a Gaelic lullaby to the Christ child, and a medley of a capella Christmas carols:

The night before, Candace and I made it to the OU combined choirs holiday concert. For several reasons it seemed even more joyous, if possible, than in previous years. The selection of carols included some of Candace’s old favorites from her college days, and audience participation was high — the conductor led the audience in singing during transitions between choirs.

Earlier that evening, “I saw Candace kissing…” not Santa Claus, but Susanna T. Rex:

Susanna got to welcome youngsters to the Natural History Museum’s Christmas event dressed up as Spike, their dinosaur mascot (and later as Slash, another dinosaur costume). As Susanna would get down upon her knees, it was fun to watch little kids overcome their trepidation and dare to walk over to Spike’s outstretched arms for hugs.

Tonight it will be time for our journey to Bethlehem, and afterward maybe catch the finish of the Big 12 title game. Since moving back to Norman we’ve enjoyed the annual Journey to Bethlehem at Forest Hill Christian Church. If it’s just for kids, then I’m a kid, because I love it, hokeyness and all.

We’ve already been out driving around to see Christmas lights. Soon we’ll make the drive up to Joe B. Barnes Regional Park in Midwest City (see pic below), one of the Top 5 Oklahoma City lighting displays; and maybe this year we’ll finally make it down to see the Chickasha Festival of Lights as well.

Meanwhile, some of our dear friends are taking lead roles in the Christmas Traditions festivities in Missouri. Wish we could go visit St. Charles in time to see them!

See also my previous post: Christmas nights at home.