A Night Of Christmas Songs [12/12/12]

    I walk through the doors to find people buzzing around, trying to find where they're supposed to go. My knee-highs are falling down, and I'm practically stepping on my black skirt. My bra straps are falling down, and my tuxedo shirt is becoming discombobulated and uncomfortable.
      I make my way through the hallway and into the band room, to find my peers aged from fourteen to eighteen putting on their cummerbunds, rosettes, and bow ties. We're all a family, this is our time to shine.
      I ask for some help for my cummerbund and rosette, as I help several other freshman with theirs. I hear the voice and I turn around.
"Here, you two hand out pamphlets at the door, you've got the biggest and best smiles in the chorus." Says the instructor. I take the compliment. (our chorus is around 100 people, so this was a big compliment.)
      I turn to the girl next to me, and we both say goodbye to our peers as we make our way out the door and on to the stage where we will soon be performing on. I awkwardly gallop down the stairs, holding my skirt and trying to make myself presentable for the crowd.
We make it to our destination and I grab a stack of pamphlets out of the box, as does she.
"Ready?" I ask.
      She nods, as they open the door to let in the rush of the crowd. Filled with adults, children, teenagers, elders; people eager to get in. We get several "How are you?" 's and "Thank you" 's and maybe a couple of crabby citizens with a lack of Christmas spirit. No mater what, we keep our smiles glued onto our faces, and hand out the last of the pamphlets as the announcer begins to speak.
      The concert band is on first. The first chords of an unfamiliar Christmas song begin to play, as I get goosebumps down my arms. This was my favorite part. This is what gets everyone in the Christmas spirit. I cheer for my best friend on stage, as the chorus waits to make their performance.
      Several Christmas songs sung by the eight grade later, we make our debut. Not as a chorus, but as a family. I take my place as an alto, and keep my eyes on the conductor as we sing our first notes to "The First Noel"
several songs later the pressure is on as we begin to sing several fast-yet beautiful- Jewish songs. The lights are on you and you feel the pressure, but you pretend it's just practice. You, the instructor, and the chorus, no one else. Not the camera crew, not the audience, not even the two amazingly small diamond microphones that pick up even a plane going overhead. (There are only 3 in the world, the only people who have them are the person who invented them, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, pretty cool if you ask me!)
      We finish with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" And the crowd goes wild. We all bow, and stumble off the stage with a flushed color on our faces from standing for an hour and a half. No breaks in between, no water, just singing.
      I'll always have in my head, that the conductor once said "Never underestimate what you do, because it can be life changing"
And this, this was a life changing experience.