As a child, I was always very involved with music. I was only seven years old when my parents enrolled me in an operetta club as a member of the chorus. My brother John was four at that time and they took him on too; the reason was - they were short of boys. During the year, the club was involved with one major operetta and numerous choir concerts. John and I frequently had minor roles, either as page boys to kings and queens who dwelt in operetta land, or as sinister characters of the underworld who were always present in the land of elves and princes. I remember most of the operettas and choir concerts, but I shall never forget the Christmas concerts.

There was always something magical about , Christmas. Perhaps it was the time of the year; the weather turned colder, emphasizing the comfort and the safety of one's house. Perhaps it was the fact that all the aspects of a child's world dealt with one thing at the same time - Christmas was prepared for at home; at school we waited for Christmas holidays; at Sunday School we studied for our Christmas program in church; at the operetta club we rehearsed for our annual

Christmas concert; and the stores, oh yes the stores were full of one's wildest imaginations of happiness.

Everyone, it seemed, was preparing for Christmas. And I was a part of it. I was to sing at the Christmas concert; I had a major role - after all, Santa Claus can't just be played by anyone; they had to pick the best. Christmas was a time when everyone put their best foot forward to try and make it extra good.

Most of the Christmas carols we have today were written to fit into a special service of Advent or Christmas itself. Handel's wondrous "Messiah", Gruber's haunting "Silent Night", and Brook's "O Little Town of Bethlehem", all these have been written for one purpose only - to heighten the joyfulness of Christmas.

Bach and his contemporaries wrote diligently for the Christmas season, knowing that the church would be packed at that time of year. Churches have always been to a point of overflow at Christmas. This is the time of year when the organist tries one more time to outplay the overly large congregation, where the choir pulls out all the stops and sings those extra beautiful anthems, where the minister attempts to relay the most beloved story of Christians all over the world in his best version yet. Everyone, it seems, is involved with Christmas.

As I reflect on the Christmases past I always remember the special music I as involved with or the Christmas concerts I attended. At no time during the year can one attend more concerts. Make Christmas memorable for yourself and for your dependent; start attending Christmas concerts and special Christmas services. Go to candle light services and participate during the carol sing-a-longs. Sing until every fibre in your body can feel the true Christmas spirit. Participate with your spouse and your children and make Christmas a family affair. Remember that memories are created in the present. Everyone, it seems, is involved with Christmas - make sure that you are a working part of it.