Christmas, Oh Joy!

Well, we all survived 12/21/12 but the bigger question this year was, would I survive the annual Bryant Family Christmas party?  It's been a long standing tradition that we all get together on the 23rd of December (22nd this year) for some of the most amazing food of our lives, in exchange for small amounts of exploitation.  If we want to eat, we have to put up.  Put our talents on display, that is.  Mom and Dad pull out all of the stops on the meal and expect everyone else to provide the entertainment via our talents.  This is non-negotiable (trust me, I've tried), and it gets harder and harder every year.  For starters, I seriously have the most adorable nieces and nephews.  And the older they get the more talented they get.  It's getting harder to deal with that kind of pressure.  Another problem is, I'm running out of really creative ideas.  Stand up comedy?  Done it.  Music video?  Done it.  Ventriloquist act?  Done it.  Let's face it, the only REAL talent I have is playing the piano, and all of the little ones are surpassing me on that.

Do you understand my desperation?

So this year, I had to pull out the big guns.  Slam poetry.

Don't know what that is?  Neither did I.  Check it out on YouTube and you'll get a good laugh.

I dressed in all (mostly) black, stood under a spotlight, and recited my original Christmas poem while everyone in the audience "snapped" me on.

Needless to say, it wasn't my finest hour.  But I survived.  And the food was amazing.  And everyone else really brought their A game, talent wise.  We had gymnastics, a beautiful craft, piano, violin, cello, guitar, singing, a sun BEAM! song, storytelling, and a family slide show.  All in all, it was a pretty fabulous night!  A great way to kick off the final days until Christmas!  I hope you and yours have a fabulous holiday!

Merry Christmas to all!

(For anyone interested, and for my own, personal record keeping, my slam poem is below.......use your imagination.  After I performed it, Hudson looked at me, smiled, and shyly said, "that was weird."  Ya buddy, I know.)

Christmas, Oh Joy!

Christmas!  Christmas!
Joy to the world, oh joy, oh joy, joy to the joyous world!
There's so much joy.........
Joy in the smiling, in the sledding, the singing, the skiing, and in the shopping.
The shopping!
Shopping and crowds and sales and traffic and chaos.
Buy!  Return!  Buy!  Return!  Buy!  Return!  BUY!  RETURN!!
Exhaustion.
Relax.
Listen......listen......listen.....
Do you hear them?
The Bells!
The bells!  They're ringing and singing and jingling.
Jingle!  Jingle!  Jingle!
He comes.
All red and white and jolly with his belly full of jelly and sack full of toys.
His rosy cheeks and charcoal boots and brass belt.
Who is it?
Ho!  Ho!  Ho!
Santa Clause!  St. Nick!  Kris Kringle!  Papa Noel!
Bringing toys and toys and toys, more toys.
Oh the joyous toys!!
The stockings, the candy, the holly and mistletoe.
And the lights!
SO BRIGHT!
Brightly shinning,
On the rooftops, the housetops, the midnight sky.
They lead the way.
Lead to your house, your tree, your heart, your fam-i-ly.
They bring peace.
Peace and comfort and joy.
Oh Joy!
It's Christmas!  It's Christmas!!  CHRISTMAS!!!
May your days be merry and bright.
Oh joy!
It's Christmas, oh joy, the joy.
Christmas Joy!!!