CHRISTMAS STROLL

This time of the year many towns around the area have a Christmas Stroll, our little town included. Each business donated "something" to the stroll. Most businesses served some sort of snack or beverage and some gave away little "things." Our business provided the music. Imagine that. Initially, we thought we would have a band.... Troy & Amanda with their guitars, Tim with his bass, me with the keyboard, etc. All we had to do was find a drummer. Time got away from me and we ended up not having a drummer, then Amanda decided that strumming Christmas carols was not her favorite thing, Troy only wanted to sing, and the last to go was Tim who decided just bass and piano wouldn't sound very good. So.... it was just me and my very old keyboard... The keyboard I play at church has spoiled me to the point I really don't like to play my keyboard, but it was much easier to make do with it then try to borrow the one from church. It has all of the new fun technology including PADS which are VERY FORGIVING if you ever hit a wrong note - which I don't (LOL) - you know I'm joking, right? If you only want "piano" mine does just fine.... it has weighted keys, it doesn't lose it's pitch on the high and low ends, it's full size... so hey... it's really nothing to complain about... and here it is.

One nice thing about going solo is that I didn't have to practice (LOL)! Anyone who has been around me long knows I LOVE sticky notes... preferably color coded ones, but I didn't see any need to color code these songs since there was to be no particular order, they are all the same, etc... so sorry to disappoint those who count on me to color code EVERYTHING, but these are only BLUE sticky notes.

We played Christmas & sang Christmas carols throughout the night and when we weren't playing/singing we put on a Christmas CD. The music was piped outside with speakers we put on top of my brothers car. It sounded BETTER outside in the crisp cold air than in the building.

Troy sang the carols and Amanda sang a special. She sang "Grown Up Christmas List."

I'm pretty good at playing and listening to little ones after 4 kids (LOL).

Each person was given a passport which had to be stamped at each business. After your passport was completely stamped, you put it in the drawing basket for prizes to be given away at the end of the night in the building where we were singing. Here Josh and Tim are stamping passports at our business stop.

Santa arrived in our little town and stayed about an hour. Nathan wasn't too thrilled about sitting on his lap so Amanda and Libby decided they would sit on Santa's lap hoping Nathan would follow suit. He didn't.

However, after Santa left he wandered around the stage (small though it is) talking to the little ornamental Santa.

I didn't see any mistletoe around, but Nathan was in a "kissing" mood!

My grandma even braved the weather to come out for a bit.... just in time to hear Amanda sing.

In a small town, everyone knows everyone. Here Tim's folks are hanging out with Nathan for awhile.