The unlikeliest Christmas concert soloist

I’ve been meaning to write this post forever (especially for Auntie J on the West Coast) but the holidays got the better of me. Before the holiday season is completely over (it isn’t over in my house until all the Christmas treats are gone and we still have some of Eleanor’s homemade nuts and bolts AND a big piece of fruitcake in the fridge so I have some time), I wanted to write a brief post about our adventure in early December at the Christmas concert at Grampa Don’s retirement residence. My cousin Krysta and I attended as our mums were indisposed for the evening.

It didn’t start out particularly well. We arrived early (we know from past concerts that you have to get there early to get a good seat) but G-Don was already comfortably seated in an armchair and there weren’t any seats near him with a view of the action. We took a few seats across the room. Then, another larger family came in and we were asked to move. We were moved all right – nearer to G-Don but with absolutely no view of the stage. I actually took a picture of my view to share with you:


Krysta and I didn’t think much of the entertainer, Dominic D’Arcy, but the older folks loved him and the holiday spirit was everywhere. Apparently, he is quite well known around town as “The Singing Policeman”. Here is a link to his site: http://www.dominicdarcy.com/bio.html. My main beef was that there weren’t enough Christmas carols for a Christmas concert in my opinion but he engaged the crowd and showed a lot of affection and respect for the residents.

We enjoyed the show and some old school finger food (e.g. gherkins and cold cuts wrapped in white bread, rolled up, then sliced into rounds). Grampa seemed to really be enjoying himself with the music and the food. Near the end of the show, Dominic approached Grampa and asked him if he would like to join him on stage and play harmonica. Apparently, Dominic had heard Grampa playing earlier in the day. To our complete shock, Grampa grabbed his cane and his harmonica and ambled up to the makeshift stage. He proceeded to play a veritable medley of songs – everything from “Oh Susanna” and “You are my Sunshine” to this Christmas classic:



In the middle of one of his songs, another resident rose to his feet and yelled at the crowd to get clapping. It was a riot. Grampa was quite the hit and Krysta and I were both pretty puffed out with pride. It was definitely one of the coolest G-Don moments in a long, long time. Who knows what will happen at next year’s concert? Krysta and I just may have to make it a holiday tradition.