Christmastime Is Here (Almost)

I know what you’re thinking.  This blog must be coming out at the wrong time!!  We’ve barely left the yuletide season and  Easter is nearly upon us.  This guy can’t possibly be thinking about Christmas.

Well, as a matter of fact I am thinking about it.  Truth to tell, I’m not the only one in our group that has reindeer on the brain.  The creative process starts much earlier than you might realize, and we’ve only eight months until we have to be ready with our Radio Holly Days program.  This means selecting the songs, getting copyright permission, arranging the music, picking out the costumes, learning the vocals and all the other assorted activities that go into bringing one of our shows to the stage.

“But,” you say, “there’s plenty of time and surely there’s no need to rush headlong into Christmas when Spring has barely sprung!”

First of all, please don’t call me Shirley.  ( I know, I know!  It’s an oldie, but it’s still a goodie.)  Secondly, time has a way of fooling you.  It has a tendency to be compressed as the deadline draws closer.  I think Einstein was on the right track with his theory of relativity.  There are so many details to take care of and most of the time they take not one or two but many discussions, phone calls and meetings which lead to more meetings and more emails until you begin to wonder what the original question was in the first place.  A seemingly simple hitch suddenly blossoms into a multi-faceted riddle, wrapped in an enigma and surrounded by a conundrum.  All of this is really a long-winded way of saying that putting a show together takes a lot of time and the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll reach the finish line.

Of course, that’s the way way it is with everything in life.  Things don’t get done by themselves.  You may have to take small steps, but as long as you’re moving forward that’s what truly counts.

So, for now we’ll continue taking those baby steps toward next Winter’s shows while at the same time enjoying the warmer weather and the return of Spring to Minnesota.

Terrence Niska