NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER, 2005

We hope that every one survived the Thanksgiving holidays and have some strength left to endure the commercial excess of the Christmas season. There is, however, nothing excessive about our December performance schedule because it is as great as usual full of old friends and some new ones:

DECEMBER 1 – TOM EURE. NC-based singer/songwriter.

DECEMBER 3 – JON TEAGUE. Yet another great singer/songwriter from NC.

DECEMBER 8 – BOOGIEDOK. “Funky, gypsy rock meets jazz-grass” as this Brevard ensemble makes its first appearance at the café.

DECEMBER 9 – SALUDA HOME TOWN CHRISTMAS. See below.

DECEMBER 10 – DROVERS OLD TIME MEDICINE SHOW. Great bluegrass from one of our favorite groups.

DECEMBER 15 – DAVE TURNER. Asheville piano-vocalist joining us for the first time.

DECEMBER 17 – ELLEN TRNKA & WALT WHITNEY. Wonderful jazz stylings from this returning local duo.

DECEMBER 22 - UPTOWN JAZZ QUARTET. More mellow jazz standards from this group making its debut at the café.

DECEMBER 24 – MERRY CHRISTMAS. NO MUSIC.

DECEMBER 29 – LAURA BLACKLEY. “Country heartbreak, Southern Comfort-soaked blues and backwater gospel soul” singer/songwriter.

DECEMBER 31 – ROCKING NEW YEARS EVE PARTY WITH JACKSON CROSSING. Reservations required. Call the café at 828-749-1179.

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The Christmas season is normally not one of my favorites because of the endless barrage of messages that assure us that our lives will not be complete until we have (fill in the blank). This is especially distressing because it starts in October nowadays. There is just something depressing about this pandering to our normal tendency to “want what we want when we want it”. Then, just as I am settling into my typical Grinch-like behavior, I experience or remember some of the things that I like about the season.

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First, this is the season of Advent (not Christmas which begins on December 25) and the beginning of the church calendar year. It is a time of hope, expectation, yearning and preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Regardless of how you feel about that from a religious perspective, it generates some of the same excitement as the new birth of nature that occurs in the spring. It is an awakening to mystery and possibilities of a more vital and meaningful life.

Many Episcopal churches inaugurate this new year with a service of Lessons and Carols. This service includes Bible readings (lessons) from the Old and New Testaments generally followed by the singing of a hymn or anthem (carols) by the congregation and/or choir. In our church, we also have a group of bagpipers and drums in full Scottish regalia to add their glorious sound to the proceedings. It is all very festive and uplifting and a wonderful start to the season.

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Second, it is a time for families, one when we all seem to make more of an effort to be and do things together. We did one of these cool things this past week-end with our son, daughter-in-law, their children, Anna (9 years old) and Kate (3 ½ years old) and friends (which included another 3 year old). We caravanned to a Christmas tree farm the other side of Brevard to find our own tree. The farm is over six miles away from the nearest paved road and is in the middle of a national forest. Its trees are spread over an fields and hillsides that had to encompass at least a square mile. While it was our first time there, the farm is evidently quite popular as several other families were there doing the same thing. Some of us walked the whole area to make sure that we got the “perfect” tree. The 3 year olds had never met before this but had a great time playing with each other and the various animals on the farm.

The best part was seeing how much fun each family was having doing this as a family. If there was a Scrooge in any of these groups, he kept it to himself. We all drove home after a long and satisfying outing (each with our own “perfect” tree).

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Third is Saluda Hometown Christmas which this year is Friday, December 9. All of the stores and restaurants are open with many of them (actually 13 of them) providing music to enhance your enjoyment of being in our wonderful town. Yours truly will be playing the piano at the Purple Onion and I expect to all of you there. What I especially like about the event is that I see people then that I hardly ever encounter at any other time (yes, I know that is hard to believe in a town of only 600 or so people but it is true). Later in the evening there is a community service at the local Presbyterian Church which is only a block off Main Street. It is a wonderful, festive evening. We hope that you can come enjoy it with us.

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The newsletter would not be complete without some bumper stickers that made me smile this month:

Minimalism – the least we can do

What would Scooby-do?

Who’s going to clean up after the elephant?

Feed my sheep. Don’t count them.

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Quote of the month:

“A little too much is just enough for me.”

Carl Van Vechten

20th century writer and photographer

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On behalf of Susan Casey and all of the staff at the Purple Onion, we want to wish you a very happy and thoughtful holiday season.

Robert Seiler

Purple Onion Café

www.purpleonionsaluda.com