This year seemed more festive at work for some reason. I think part of it was because I was convinced to play in the traveling Christmas Band, and the other part is because my boss is trying to make a conscious effort to do more fun things at work, and that involved Christmas as well.
So first, the traveling Christmas Band. That occurred a week ago Friday. It has been in existence for more than 50 years now I believe. Basically about 15 employees in the company get together, practice twice in the week beforehand, and travel around to about 7 different buildings the company owns in the area. The band plays about a 30 minute set in each place. It plays some of the traditional ones like Silver Bells, Silent Night, Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bell Rock, Feliz Navidad, etc. And then we do a couple ones that are only marginally related to Christmas like Linus and Lucy and one called Just Because.
Just Because is Charlie's favorite. Let's talk about Charlie. Charlie is a company retiree who comes back once a year to play in the Christmas Band. He's been in it since about one year after it started. We estimate his age to be somewhere between 70 and 90. If you ask him he'll tell you, but we forgot to ask him. Anyway, Charlie is a fixture, and he stars in the song "Just Because". When I gave him a ride to lunch, he told me the way to keep your lips from dying (for a saxophone player) is to soak your reeds in whiskey and then let them dry. Then you use them later to play, and the whiskey numbs your lips so you can play longer. I think he was serious, but it was somewhat difficult to tell.
The band had about 3 trumpet players, 1 trombonist, 2 saxophones (including Charlie), a flutist, a clarinetist, a bass guitarist, two lead guitarists, a drummer, three singers, and an elf. Some members (not me) also participate in some imbibing throughout the day, particularly at lunch. So it's a little bit goofy, but kind of fun. As one person said to whom I described this, they said it was old working people playing their high school instruments. That's right. Except the drummer and guitarists. They actually play in obscure local bands that sometimes do real gigs and stuff.
The band's last place to play was one of the nursing home / assisted living places in the area. It kind of reminded me of this. There's something uplifting about playing music and watching some of the older people sitting there singing along and enjoying it. It's also amusing to watch them all turn down their hearing aids. I laughed as I watched one lady sing along with "Just Because". Here are a couple pictures.
 |
| The brass and woodwind section. |
 |
| The drummer and the infamous Charlie. Rumor has it Charlie even came to play one year when he had Bell's Palsy. He taped the paralyzed half of his mouth shut. Oh, and the drummer's T-shirt that looked like a Santa suit had a button on it that said, "Does this suit make me look fat?" |
On to the department festivities. The department lunch activity yesterday included an ugly sweater contest and a Secret Santa activity. Both were voluntary, but I figured I'd participate in the spirit of keeping work fun. There was a $10 limit, so the engineer's name that I drew got two children's coloring books and a large box of crayons (gag gifts were allowed). He seemed kind of pleased with that. I was given two dish towels. Very useful.
And the ugly sweaters.....maybe one third of the engineers participated. I made an attempt, but it wasn't super great. And everybody's first reaction (typical of engineers) when we were told about it was, "I don't have an ugly sweater." Some convincing was done about how you could make an ugly sweater or find one at a thrift store. And we were also given a how-to guide, which helped. Work this week and next week will be very quiet. I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and I did not win the ugly sweater contest.
 |
| Guide to making an ugly sweater. |
 |
| My attempt at an ugly sweater. |
