Las Vegas is where it all began and the American Idol show on Thursday Night is where Taylor Hicks announced that he will be returning to Las Vegas for a summer residency at Bally’s Las Vegas.
From the official press release by Bally’s and taylorhicks.com:
“As announced on ‘American Idol’ last night, Taylor Hicks, winner of the show’s fifth season, will have an eight-week engagement headlining at Bally’s Las Vegas beginning Tuesday, June 26, 2012. Hicks will play in The Indigo at Bally’s Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m.”
“Hicks becomes the first 'American Idol' winner or finalist to secure a residency in Las Vegas, a testament to his talent and staying power as one of the show’s most beloved stars. It is also a sort of homecoming, as Las Vegas is where Hicks’ journey to fame began. He was in New Orleans the night before Hurricane Katrina. With his flight cancelled, he was given a free airplane voucher. Hicks used the ticket to travel to Las Vegas, where coincidentally 'American Idol' auditions were being held.”
The Season Five winner reflected on the great legacy of a residency in Las Vegas:
“Vegas is where Sinatra’s Rat Pack and America’s greatest talents made musical history. To join those ranks is both humbling and thrilling. My goal is to live up to that legacy of live showmanship."
Taylor Hicks joins the host of memorable artists to enjoy a residency engagement on the Las Vegas Strip!
Taylor Hicks hosts an American IdolViewing Party tonight in Birmingham at his own restaurant, Ore. The Season Five IDOL winner should have great insight into the show where he was never in the bottom three, his season garnered the largest viewing audience ever and the finale was the most watched show of the DECADE! The Idol summer tour in 2006 was the largest grossing ever. It was a pretty good year for the franchise and the artists who competed there.
I have a confession to make. I have never admitted this to anyone!
Even though I watched every week, every show, every performance in Season Five, and was cheering for the young man from Alabama...
I never voted for Taylor Hicks!
Let me explain...
I didn't vote for anyone.
I was new to the phenomenon of musical competitions on TV. I had only watched the finales because they were happenings. Voting on a phone? The only voting I had ever done had been in a booth on Election Day!
I have written much about how far I've come since then. It has been much like a "coming out" into the modern world. I learned so much about technology, social media, and the fan world. I learned what following an artist meant.
It all became a part of my life, fitting in along with work, a beautiful family, and a new “connected” life.
Yet, it’s not how far we’ve come.
It’s how far we’re going.
I hope that is what the young people on American Idol this year are looking at—how far they are going!
There was never any doubt how far Taylor Hicks was going. He never gave up. He was the age of many of the Idol performers when he started out performing at a bar in Birmingham where he was too young to be. His first time in Nashville as told in his autobiography was a low point in his struggle to make it. He left without the success he sought.
He didn't give up. He just took a road not going through Nashville. And it would be years before Taylor would return to Nashville on his own tour busses to play the packed Ryman Auditorium in March, 2007, after winning American Idol. Now he lives there, writes music with some of its most talented songwriters, and is writing and recording his new album there.
The road goes through Nashville this time.
In his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul, Taylor's determination to make it is the story's heart and soul. Someone said recently on a music competition that they didn't have a "B" plan. Music was it. Taylor didn't have a "B" plan. He tried a "normal" life but always came back to music.
He did reach a point when he doubted how long he could just go on looking for that big break. When did it just become an exercise in futility? When Katrina hit New Orleans, he caught one of the last taxis out of the city. With his flight cancelled, he had a Southwest voucher to anywhere in the country. He made one more decision to not give up and flew all by himself to Las Vegas for Idol tryouts.
From Heart Full of Soul:
“.. an objective observer would have noted that the way things had been going for me of late, this Idol tryout was likely my last shot at breaking into the big time.
“As time goes by and you continue to go through the painful but often unavoidable process of paying your dues, waiting around for your elusive break in show business comes to seem less an act of reason ad more an act of survival, perhaps even an act of faith. One lingering and lousy question never really goes away: how long can any of us afford to spend finding our way? In our quieter moments we’re left to wonder: at what point does waiting around for a break become simply waiting in vain?”
Very early on the morning of October 10, 2005, Taylor caught a cab to the Idol tryouts.
“I’d requested a 5:00 a.m. wake-up call so I could rise before dawn and get to the auditions at the Las Vegas Convention Center as early as possible. I remember getting into a cab as the sun was still coming up and noticing how incredibly beautiful the brightening desert sky looked. I asked my driver, ‘Does God make these sunrises every day?’ The cabbie just smiled and said, ‘Yes, every day.’
“It was a chilly desert morning, but I remember feeling warmed by the sense that my luck was about to change…”
Perhaps there was a little luck that day in the City of Luck, but it’s really about Taylor’s never giving up.
Social media speaks for a gigantic world where so much can be lost in its sheer volume. Sometimes the relevant goes unnoticed. This didn't.
A young teenaged singer tweeted a video to Taylor for him to see and said that she dreamed of being on American Idol some day. He noticed it and his response was knowing and inspiring:
"Dreams do come true."
American Idol may bring overnight fame. It doesn't bring overnight success. Taylor has often called it a platform. It was a stage from which his voice was heard by millions of people. The rest was up to him. He had been in the business for over ten years. Even after winning, it has taken long hours on the road, work in the studio, making tough decisions and playing the music game to get where he is now. American Idol is not a dream come true. It's an open door. What's on the other side is up to the artist.
To those on American Idol who begin their incredible journey this week:
How far are you going?
Those in the business a long time will say you must pay your dues, practice, write music, tour, and make real music--good music.
Even though Taylor Hicks may have been at a point of questioning his reasoning in continuing to pursue his music, he didn't give up his dream.
Dreams go way beyond reason, and that makes all the difference.
To the American Idol winners this year:
Never give up!
To the American Idol losers this year:
Never give up!
We wish you much happiness in following your dream and finding your voice in music.
Someone's luck is about to change!
~~~ I'm still trying to make up for never dialing the phone and voting, voting, and voting...!
Taylor Hicks chatted with followers tonight about his new album and a plethora of topics.
A new “country soul” recording is expected out later this year although he declined to give a date. He did say he is about half way through writing it and is collaborating with several songwriters.
“I’ve got four – five really great undeniable songs” so far. He called the new work a “pretty bad ass” record!
He answered questions pre-posed by fans on Twitter as well as fly by ones in the UStream chat thread. One took him back to his win on American Idol Season Five in 2006:
If you could go back to the night you won American Idol…would you carve out the same path?
Taylor answered thoughtfully:
“I’m pretty happy where I’m at.”
He talked about traveling to other countries for tours and said Japan and Indonesia were “not out of the question.” He also said he would love to go to Bali.
He complimented “Kat,” his Season Five Idol competitor, Katherine McPhee, on her debut in “Smash.”
A wide range of random questions were fielded by a relaxed Taylor Hicks, including the boundaries for his fans, Celebrity Apprentice, and acting.
Some surprises were announced at the end of the chat revealing an American Idol Viewing Party planned at Ore Drink and Dine, Taylor’s Birmingham restaurant. Details to be announced. He will also be discussing American Idol on local television appearances in Alabama and Tennessee.
“Country and blues, they aren’t just cousins; they’re blood brothers.” –Ray Charles
Taylor Hicks releases new music in 2012. He has called it “country soul”—that mix of two great genres.
I went looking for the genre…the honesty of country, the intensity of soul and closely related, blues.
I found both the expected and unexpected.
Historically, “‘Country Soul’ resulted from the shared genealogy of gospel in both soul and country music;” when white gospel and black gospel styles, first with major stylistic differences, somewhat merged in the 1950s. “…country-soul was in actuality the triumph of country gospel traditions seeping into soul music.
“Although artists like Albert Alexander and Solomon Burke had already begun tentatively exploring this style by 1960, Ray Charles' landmark 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western is often considered the commercial breakthrough of the genre. The style lasted well into the early Seventies, with several spinoff genres like the more gospel-heavy and emotional "Deep Soul," the grittier, bluesier "Southern Soul," and the later, funkier variant known as "Swamp Rock." (Oldies/about.com)
So all of these variants might also play a part in the “country soul” of Taylor Hicks, particularly, and I am guessing here, the bluesier “southern soul” and funkier “swamp rock.”
The randb.about.com site cites R&B as an ancestor of the mixed genre:
“Although they seem like distant relatives now, R&B and Country & Western used to be close cousins back in the day. In the 1960s and '70s many R&B artists, particularly ones from the South, used to remake Country songs and inject them with a healthy dose of R&B. There's even a name for the mixed genre: Country-Soul.” (randb.about.com)
Randb.about.com also defines country soul with a list of who it is—a primarily country singer dueting with a primarily soul or blues singer:
“Rhythm, Country And Blues, Various Artists” This is a collection of duets between Country, R&B and Blues artists. "Funny How Time Slips Away"( Aaron Neville/Trisha Yearwood) and "I Fall To Pieces" (Al Green, Lyle Lovett) won Grammys in 1995.
1. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: Vince Gill/Gladys Knight 2. Funny How Time Slips Away: Al Green/Lyle Lovett 3. I Fall to Pieces: Aaron Neville/Trisha Yearwood 4. Somethin' Else: Little Richard/Tanya Tucker 5. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby: Patti LaBelle/Travis Tritt 6. Rainy Night in Georgia: Sam Moore/Conway Twitty 7. Chain of Fools: Clint Black/The Pointer Sisters 8. Since I Fell For You: Natalie Cole/Reba McEntire 9. Southern Nights: Chet Atkins/Allen Toussaint 10 The Weight: Marty Stuart/The Staple Singers 11 Patches: George Jones/BB King
It was an aha moment as I read the list. I didn’t think I was a country-soul fan, but these were some of my all-time favorite songs: “I Fall to Pieces,” “Rainy Night in Georgia” (and another favorite Georgia song: “Midnight Train to Georgia” is also on some country-soul lists) “Southern Nights” and “The Weight” (“…take a load off”) .
Some of these have also been on the setlist for Taylor Hicks concerts, probably most frequently, “The Weight” with Rick Carter.
From Rateyourmusic.com genre of country+soul:
“Country soul has its roots in Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, and Country music, while musically emphasizing the signatures and textures of country music over the grittier and horn-driven sound of Southern Soul.”
Its list of a few musicians representing Southern Soul: Otis Redding Aretha Franklin Sam Cooke Al Greene Etta James Bobbie Gentry
But everywhere one recording and one artist topped the country-soul list: Ray Charles’ “Modern Sounds in Country and Western” with the amazing sounds of the Genius of Soul.
From “Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western” on YouTube: JazzVideoGuy: “ ‘Modern Sounds’ and its lead single, ‘I Can't Stop Loving You,’ were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962…
“Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music has been considered by several music writers to be a landmark album in American music. The album's integration of soul and country music bent racial barriers in popular music, amid the height of the African-American civil rights struggle. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In 2003, the album was ranked number 104 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.”
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” uploaded by Hkiramijyan:
"'I Can't Stop Loving You' is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 30, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of Oh, Lonesome Me, becoming a double-sided country hit single.
“The song was also recorded by Ray Charles in 1962 and released from Charles' groundbreaking Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album. The Ray Charles cover version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962, as well as the U.S. R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and ranked #161 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #49 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.” (YouTube upload by Hkiramijyan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_7iRVtxui8&feature=related
That was then. This is now:
I found an updated version of country-soul with whom I thought was an unusual artist—the top selling singer in 2011, Adele. With her gospel soul,“Rolling in the Deep,” a top selling single of 2011, tucked away on the b-side, “If It Hadn’t Been for Love,” is a musically lighter track called a “country-soul gem” by covermesongs.com.
Music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, in a glowing review of Adele at The Greek where he describes her as “honest” and with what many other artists are missing—a personality, calls this tune a “surprise” and “genre-hopping.” “The surprise was ‘If It Hadn't Been For Love,’ the cover that is tacked on to "21"[album] as a bonus track. The genre-hopping was mindbending.”
With her unsual honesty, the British pop sensation in her iTunes concert introduced it: “This song is about shooting your wife!”
“Never would have hitchhiked to Birmingham If it hadn’t been for love. Never would have caught the train to Louisian’ If It hadn’t been for love.”
“If It Hadn’t Been for Love:”
“Traditional” country soul and a modern day example of a musically lighter, if not lighter themed “country soul gem.”
Then I lost my trail on genre...
Ray Charles has never been one of my favorite singers. In viewing videos and researching for this piece, I watched several. Then I happened upon this stunning video of Brother Ray later in his career singing “A Song For You.” I fell in love with the song again and with this artist whose music connected with haunting intensity…haunting, because I cannot tell you why it touched me…why I suddenly loved Ray Charles singing this song. It was as if is was MY song! That is the beauty and essence of music….genres be damned!
It didn’t matter at all to me into which pigeonhole—genre--this song might fall.
My search became a contrast between what we may know about genres and what we feel about the song.
It all comes down to the music.
Van Morrison was asked in 1981 if he thought about his audience at all when he was writing. He said:
“Not really, because you can't think about anything when you're writing except that. It's like if you're a carpenter, you can't build a shelf well if you're thinking about who you're going to sell it to. You have to build the shelf first, and then whoever wants to buy it...” (VanMorrisonNews.com)
And another aha moment: I hope Taylor Hicks isn’t thinking about genres…or me. I hope he is thinking about the music he LIKES. The music that is him. When he performs it, it speaks for him, whatever the genre.
It was reported that Ray Charles liked Country and Western Music and that’s why he recorded Modern Sounds.
So, I hope Taylor Hicks is thinking about what he likes, who he is--not what he thinks someone else wants to hear.
We all put ourselves “out there” every day and people respond or they don’t. Music too. He puts HIS music out there—what is HIM and people respond or they don’t, but he remains true to who he is.
That’s what I hope “country-soul” means to Taylor Hicks!
It’s not about genre, folks!!!
Ray Charles proved that to me. Perhaps “genre” means something in the business…where it plays or is listed…
But, I don’t buy a genre. I buy the song, the artist. If it speaks to me, connects with me, I’ll find it…whatever the genre!
~~~
“I love you in a place where's there no space or time.” Ray Charles: “A Song for You”
~~~ P. S. If country soul can be one country singer and one soul singer, there is no better country-soul duet than Willie Nelson and Ray Charles with “Seven Spanish Angels:”
Uploaded By Arnescountry on YouTube:
Just Because …
~~~ P. S. S. “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” is on the setlist of Van Morrison’s current live tour in Great Britian!
Ray Charles quote and “Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music," the landmark 1962 recording by Ray Charles, is featured in this edition of the podcast series, "Ray Charles, Genius," produced by Bret Primack for Concord Records uploaded by jazzvideoguy on YouTube. This is a great podcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwezLSuT4I
Taylor Hicks showcases the videography of fans in his latest YouTube TV Channel “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” released on Friday.
“Thanks, Soul Patrol!” is an eclectic mix from live concerts, artists with whom he shared the stage in 2011, and venues from The Winery in New York City to The Canyon Club in California.
Fans submitted their videos for inclusion in the Riding Shotgun series in which Hicks takes followers along to concerts and appearances with backstage footage, snippets of performances, and glimpses into the life and career of the Season Five American Idol champ.
With a high level of media acumen, fans produced captures of some of the best from 2011—the huge fundraiser for tornado victims in Birmingham, BamaRising, where Hicks “energized” the place with his rowdy “Seven Mile Breakdown” and showcased his dancing acumen. His appearance with the Jamie McLean Band and John Popper at Brooklyn Bowl was caught and proved why his harmonica goes everywhere with him. American Idol “bro,” Elliott Yamin joined him on stage at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.
Other concerts were captured from Beau Rivage, Biloxi, MS to Snoqualmie, WA and on stages in between. The Celebrity Pictures and Videos site, Celob.com, picked up and posted the Riding Shotgun episode with: “Taylor Hicks – New @TaylorRHicks Riding Shotgun video with fan clips; some very nice footage in here!”
This special episode of Riding Shotgun was “In Memory of Carson James Sumpter” a very young Birmingham musician who died of cancer in 2011. Carson appeared with Taylor at WorkPlay, 2010, and was backstage at BamaRising. Footage of their collaboration on “Superstition” at WorkPlay preserved an inspirational moment of the young artist doing what he loved.
Hicks tweeted his appreciation to the fans for their offerings:
@TaylorRHicks: “Hey Yall! Thanks to all of you who submitted footage for Riding Shotgun! Here’s a special episode for you. Cheers! bit.ly/AzjeMG”
We add a special shout out to the fans that travel, tweet, and share great videos!
“Thanks, Soul Patrol” shows again that it was a very good year!
Check out all the episodes of “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” here: TaylorHicksTV-YouTube
10. Making the HuffPo and The New York Times A wrung on the media ladder, positive press including feature in the Huffington Post after Telluride show in an excellent article written by Cicily Janus (@jazzwriterchick) “Taylor Made: How One Man’s Dream Defined the American Idol.”
And it didn’t stop at the HuffPo. The following day it was picked up by The New York Times and 75 other media outlets. There were also several articles in USA Today as Taylor Hicks in the press went national and global.
9. Not Your Father’s Bowl Playing with renowned harp player, John Popper of Blues Traveler, and the Jamie McLean Band at the Brooklyn Bowl.
2011 offered numerous events in which Taylor shared the stage with renowned musicians including Vince Gill and KebMo in Nashville and Jam Cruise. “That American Idol dude kicked ass” was overheard at the Brooklyn Bowl in September for the Jamie McLean Band’s CD Release Party of “Sunday Morning.” Taylor, John Popper and their fired up harmonicas brought down the house with “Fortunate Son!”
8. Tweets and Connecting Engaging fans with Riding Shotgun features including backstage scenes of life on the road and staying connected on Twitter.
Taylor took the fans along as he continued with Riding Shotgun episodes on YouTube including special presentations for Memorial Day and his welcome speech to the Blue Angels for Toys for Tots.
Taylor connects almost daily with followers on Twitter and recently sent special Holiday greetings. The twitter scene itself might warrant a higher placement because it has not only allowed Taylor to connect with followers, but through tweets and pictures from Taylor and fans at concerts and events in real time, it has allowed those not attending to be a part of the experience. This means a lot to many far away from the center of the action. Follow: @TaylorRHicks
7. Jammin! Returning to his jam band roots on Jam Cruise, 2011 sharing the stage with legendary musicians like JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band, Galactic, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, The Robert Randolph Family Band, and Anders Osbourne.
Jam Cruise also started out a year of sharing the stage with legendary musicians and reaffirming that he could play with the best. He once good naturedly responded after someone complimented him on his harmonica playing, “What’d you expect?” We expected that he would receive the stunningly positive reviews from the jam band community that he did.
6. Rocky Mountain High Headlining the Telluride Jazz Celebration and taking jazz scene by storm with a soulful Saturday night concert that played to a new audience in the Rockies.
It might be described as a “sleeper” in the high country. Taylor isn’t known as a jazz singer. He stayed true to his music and wowed the crowd. “Taylor Hicks is killin’ it.” One jazz writer later wrote for the Huffington Post that he was the real live definition of success in being just who he is.
Telluride became a happening for fans everywhere when concerts, including Taylor’s, were streamed live online. And Taylor arrived early for the weekend, attended other concerts, was interviewed and shared his experience via twitter. It truly was a summer celebration! In the course of only a few days after the event, the online stream of his concert had been viewed over 3,000 times!
5. Florabama! Back home on the Gulf Coast in the beloved Florabama, Taylor rocking the old, leaky-roofed roadhouse with Spoonful James and Rollin’ in the Hay.
For sentimental value, this might be Number One. It is one of the early places where Taylor performed, where he might call his musical home, where he learned to work a crowd. He has referred to it often. Fans from all over joined the party and the storm didn’t stop the fun! It was that “one of a kind” concert last year—in the middle of a hurricane!
It was also a rockin’ way to wind down another “kick ass” tour in 2011 that kicked off in February on the Gulf Coast, traveled to the Big Apple and New England, to the West Coast, the Rocky Mountains, Michigan and Midwest, and stops inbetween! It’s the “heart and soul” of any Taylor Hicks year—touring!
4. “Friday” and Going Viral! The viral sensation in a surprise visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for a parody of Rebecca Black’s, “Friday” with Stephen Cobert, Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Hicks, and Roots Crew!
It was recently named one of the Best Covers of 2011 by Rolling Stone Magazine. It racked up over 1 million views in a matter of hours on YouTube before NBC nixed it. A version of it still rolls up the views worldwide. It is a new Friday classic and is expected to be that for a long time! The sheer scope, surprise, and impact globally of this might suggest a higher placement on our list, but we settled for Number Four.
3. Striking Ore Ore Drink and Dine, co-owned by Taylor Hicks, opening in April and becoming a Birmingham hot spot for great cuisine and live music.
It was named Birmingham’s Best New Restaurant by the Birmingham Magazine in 2011. Its dishes have received rave reviews from patrons and Paula Deen endorsed its Crawfish Rolls! For the long term, we feel the opening and success of Ore is a significant event. It may be a way of putting down roots with a nod to the past and looking to the future. It meshes two great joys—good music and good food! It’s easy to picture Taylor slipping in the back door and walking around the kitchen peering over shoulders of sous chefs and wandering around his retro industrial chic restaurant saying hello to diners! Or picking up his guitar and sitting on stage for a few tunes…like a “coming home.”
2. BamaRising and Good Works BamaRising for tornado relief in Alabama and the many charity events to which Taylor always gives his time and talent.
This is always a significant part of the year of Taylor Hicks. The huge BamaRising concert in Birmingham with renowned artists like the legendary group, Alabama, in a four hour show raised millions for storm victims. In other charity events, he supported Life Changing Lives again in Los Angeles, welcomed to Birmingham the Today Show’s Lend a Hand with Al Roker and Paula Deen. He finished the year with ongoing support for the Marines Toys for Tots welcoming the Blue Angels to Birmingham, performing a free acoustic concert at Ore that collected toys, and appearing at a toy marathon at Legacy BBQ to help Toys for Tots reach their goal for the children of Central Alabama.
Many artists make good music, and fans are enamored with the sound, the show, and the artist. Not all artists continually and wholeheartedly support good works and consistently support their home state like Taylor does. He never forgets where he is from.
This is the significant side of Taylor Hicks that makes this artist more than a performer and the music more than sounds. He has said that it is not about how many records you can sell but about how many lives you can touch. His music not only touches lives. His offstage good works touches lives and hearts.
1. All About the Music! A new album in the works and on the way and working with the KebMo.
Working with the soulful musician and longtime mentor, KebMo, and moving to Nashville has opened doors and collaborations with songwriters that promise an exciting new album out early next year. The music is the first focus for everything we do, and it had to be Number One. Taylor has described the new album as “country soul.” He has tweeted much about working with Nashville songwriters and meetings with Nashville movers and shakers.
The music is Number One also because it takes us forward into 2012! Looking back only serves as inspiration in looking forward to gear up, prepare, and, yeeeees, wait!
2012 rings in with promise in the air and new music out there!!!
From Nashville and Taylorized!
Stay tuned… ~~~ We chose one iconic picture of Taylor Hicks in 2011 to represent the intensity with which he performs his music and the intensity with which he reaches out to help others. It had to be this stunning capture by Getty Images from BamaRising:
After our No. 10 event, the article by Cicily Janus, Kern Radio 1180 tweeted a summary: “An interesting read on…” and what I think says much about Taylor:
“…balancing art and humanity.”
Taylor Hicks does indeed balance art and humanity very well. ~~ Our very best wishes for a happy and energized New Year filled with new music and new joys!
There are no real Christmas trees for sale this year in the small town where I work and shop. Not at the SuperWalmart or the Hardware/Home with GardenCenter store. I debated with myself whether or not to have a Christmas tree. My granddaughter had already visited during a snow storm and the snow was all she needed to make her happy. I wondered if it would be okay to break a lifetime tradition and simplify Christmas for one year.
I told a group recently that I had had a Christmas tree every year—a real one.
After I had thought about that, I wasn’t sure it was true. I couldn’t remember them all. Growing up in the country, it was easy to go out and cut one, and I know that we did. But Western Kentucky has hard wood trees, not pine trees. So, I’m not sure what the trees looked like. My older brother wrote once about dragging home a scraggly tree through the mud for Christmas. Christmas isn’t always white in Kentucky either.
When we first moved to the city, our family of five lived in two rooms. I can’t remember trees, but I will never forget one gift my older brother bought me—a little upright piano that had real keys and sounded somewhat like a tingy piano. And there was the year he bought the very latest bubble lights for our tree. We celebrated in whatever modest way we could. We were together, and we were loved.
By the time I was a teenager, we had a small house in the suburbs with a big picture window. Now, I know that after that we had a Christmas tree every year in the front window—a real one. When I had a family of my own, the tree was the center of our celebration. In Michigan, we could go out and cut down one or get a real one on any street corner. In fact, we lived in the middle of an abandoned tree farm—Christmas trees five stories tall!
I treasure my traditions. They are a comforting reminder that some things haven’t changed.
Change is inevitable. But in a changing world, some things shouldn’t. We need to hold on to those things—whatever they are—that say “This is mine, and I am home.”
I’m not very good at accepting change. But to change is to grow. As I sit here writing a Christmas blog, it is a change I could never have seen coming. Change isn’t bad. It’s just different and the way we move forward, grow, evolve and become better, even happier. We can still clutch and drag along that which we can’t let go of and treasure those things we always go back to.
Our traditions are ours forever.
When and why did stores stop selling real trees? With more snow in the forecast and work, I probably won’t have a tree for the first time in a very long time.
That’s okay. I’m not giving up a tradition. I’m remembering it fondly and holding on until next year when I WILL start planning for the holidays earlier!
I do have a tree—a Charlie Brown Christmas tree just outside my front window.
It is exactly that. In the forest with high wildfire danger in the summer, it is required to clear out small trees and underbrush near your home. I left one. When I saw it I said it looked exactly like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and it stays.
As I finish this, the snow is falling and, in the best Charlie Brown tradition, my little tree is looking better all the time!
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!
Treasure your traditions and the loved one with whom you share them!
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