"Oh, the weather outside is frightful...”
Actually, it’s not. As I write this, it’s about 65 degrees outside. The grass is still green, and even as they enjoy the sunshine, the neighborhood kids are looking longingly at the snow pants and boots in the closet.
Patience, kids. It will come. (Probably; my son is quick to point out I told him the same thing last year and he barely needed a coat, much less snow pants, all winter.)
Nonetheless, ’tis the season for holiday entertainment. There’s a lot of it this week.
If you like Christmas music, the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra will have its holiday pops concert, and the Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will play its free Christmas concert.
Also this weekend are the Sycamore High School Madrigal Dinners, if you like a little Renaissance costuming and elaborate vocal harmony with your holiday tunes. (As a director with the madrigals choir told our reporter, “You’re not going to hear ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ at a madrigals concert.”)
For those with a more theatrical bent, it doesn’t get much more traditional than “A Christmas Carol.” Ebenezer Scrooge is one of literature’s best-known bad guys. He has been played on the stage by countless actors, and on screen by such notables as George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart and Michael Caine (who gets extra points from me by appearing opposite the Muppets).
This weekend, Don Austin will take the local stage in Stage Coach Players’ production of the holiday classic. He sat down with reporter Curtis Clegg to talk about how you tackle such a well-known and well-defined character. Read his interview here.
It’s also the season for giving back to the community and to those less fortunate than yourself. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this can be a great time of year to find a cause you believe in, simply because so many of them are so visible right now.
Our Facebook friends know that each day between Thanksgiving and the New Year, we post an idea of one way you can give back. Sometimes we want to help, but we don’t know where to start. A few of the ideas we’ve posted so far include:
• Sending holiday cards to troops through the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program;
• Adopting a family in need through Big Brothers Big Sisters or other social service agencies;
• Reading to children at local schools or preschools;
• Taking a tag from the Senior Services giving tree;
• Donating a warm coat to a local coat drive or clothing closet;
• Taking care to recycle and give back to the earth;
• And simply being courteous to people you encounter in stores and public places.
Keep giving back, DeKalb County, whatever the season or your reason.
Enjoy your MidWeek.
