Places to go during Advent and Christmas -- recommendations by Peter Menkin

Introduction to Advent & Christmas events

The Christmas season has an ethos of joy and celebration, an ethos of well-being in its statement of goodwill to men, and peace on earth. What an odd celebration, and so popular in California and the United States, throughout the Western World, too, of course. Who does not know this? Everyone likes the winter festival Christmas in some sense or another. It is about love, after all, and so the Christian believes. The music celebrates this love of mankind by the great God of history through the birth of his son Jesus Christ.

Writing in her recent book, Camaldoli Benedictine Oblate Paula Huston says of the kind of love Christmas and its ethos of spirit offers: €Jesus puts it very simply; And though not specifically about Christmas, per se, the words speak to the spirit. They will know we are Christians by our love. C.S. Lewis insists that we are almost never converted through log ic but instead €infected by a love that moves us so powerfully we can€t help but succumb. A modern spiritual writer, Donald Nichols, reiterates the central importance of love to evangelization when he refers to the €theology of faces,€ or the look of love that says everything about the faith behind it. Our society, however, is characterized instead by its hyperindividualism and its intense need for €personal space€ and privacy. We feel that we are doing well simply by avoiding conflict. The notion of actually loving one another sounds either idealistic or uncomfortably communal. We much prefer our separateness, even as Christians€hence our many sects and denominations. Though her book is titled, "forgiveness: following Jesus into radical loving," Paraclete Press, the theme of the book is an indirect remark on God€s willingness to offer man a New Testament, a new covenant of which a part is the old-new idea of forgiveness. This is a season when we can forgive one another, wh en the heart warms, when the brightness is brought into the darkness of winter.

These various events around the area give testimony and celebration, entertainment and festivity and even fun to the season of charity and good will to all. Come enjoy this wonderful season, this Holiday, this gift of the winter celebration in various places: mostly through music and some through dance.The Jewish year, too, in its winter, hasthe celebration of Hanukkah. Note the YouTube video below of Pacific BoyChoir€s singing a Hanukkah song in this article. Nonetheless, for the record, one noted member of Jewish Reform Temple El-Emanuel€s staff recommends a comedy event whichKung Paospokeswoman says of the comedy Kung Pao event in describing it, €That's what my event is all about. Escaping Christmas, enjoying comedy, a sense of belonging at a time that is alienating for many...€ Please find these paragraph€s of text recommending places to go worthwhile and helpful in the season this year, Christmas 2009.

San Francisco Theological Seminary

In a Press Notice, this writer learned of an excellent place for musical celebration, San Francisco Theological Seminary€s (SFTS) 35th annual Lessons & Carols service Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. inStewart Memorial Chapel on the San Anselmo campus. The candlelight service observes Advent's time of preparation and the coming of the Christ Child. It is not only a longstanding tradition among SFTS faculty, staff and students. The Notice continues: This year€s theme comes from Luke 1:30-31: The angel said, €Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High €€ Admission is free, but there will be a freewill offering. Everyone is welcome, but seating is limited, so SFTS encourages those planning to attend to arrive early. Shuttle van service will be available.

Doctor Daniel Hoggatt, Musical Director of the program, speaks to this year€s event: €This Lessons &Carols used to be more a seminary community event, but in the last 13 years it has been more the Seminary€s gift to the community. €There are 8 lessons and accompanied Carols by the congregation and choir. €There is also the wonderful Dobbins Memorial Pipe Organ (Balcom Vaughan) that is in Stewart Chapel. Stewart Chapel is usually used for services four times a week. I am very, very fortunate here to be the musician at SFTS because we have two beautiful chapels." Doctor Hoggatt explains: It is a service that people come to whether Christian or not because it is a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season with a warm evening. I have Jewish friends, Buddhist friends, and it is a wonderful, magical evening for all. It is a choi r of 30 voices that come from the seminary community, and the community at large in southern Marin County. We do a variety of Carols from over 2,000 year history. Doctor. Daniel Hoggatt made the choices.

Nutcracker at San Francisco Ballet

Nutcracker comes alive one hour prior to curtain as costumed characters greet and have their pictures taken with children and families. Plus, the first 500 children to arrive receive a special gift! At intermission, everyone will be treated to juice and cookies. So says San Francisco Ballet website. The Ballet touts: A wonderful Christmas event, Create Magical Memories This holiday season, you and your loved ones deservesomething special € a wondrous experience that evokesjoy & elevates your spirit to new heights.Whether continuing a valued tradition or discovering the magic of this beloved holiday classic for the first time€San Francisco Ballet€s Nutcracker is sure to leave you witha sense of warmth and treasured memories that will lasta lifetime.

Nutcracker Story ACT 1 In his shop on a foggy Christmas Eve, a toy maker, Drosselmeyer, puts the finishing touches on a magical nutcracker, a gift for his relatives, the Stahlbaum family, whose home he will visit that evening. Customers drop by, searching for last-minute Christmas gifts. Outside the Stahlbaum house, as people hurry home to their Christmas revelries, Drosselmeyer arrives with his beautifully wrapped gift. In the sitting room of the Stahlbaum house, a tree trimming is under way. Clara and Fritz, followed by their friends, arrive downstairs to see the tree lighted, for the very first time in their lives, by electric lights! The children dance with glee. Soon it is time to open gifts. As the children settle down to play with their presents, Dr. Stahlbaum invites his guests to dance. Clara joins the adults. Drosselmeyer€"Uncle Drosselmeyer" to the Stahlbaums€arrives and entertains the families with magic. While Clara remains captivated by the dolls, Fritz makes a pest of himself. Uncle Drosselmeyer opens his specially wrapped gift for the family and presents to them the magical nutcracker doll. Clara, delighted, dances with the nutcracker. Fritz looks on with envy, then grabs the nutcracker, which falls and breaks. Uncle Drosselmeyer bandages the doll and returns it to Clara, who plays with it quietly. As a close to the evening's festivities, the revered Stahlbaum Grandparents begin their annual holiday dance. All join in. The hour is late, and the guests begin their goodbyes. Fritz and Clara go upstairs to their bedrooms, and the house quiets down. Soon, Clara descends the steps, searching for her nutcracker doll. As the clock strikes 12, she settles on the sofa and falls asleep with the doll in her arms. As Clara dreams, her mind whirls with the memories of the evening. Deep within her dream, Uncle Drosselmeyer appears and mends the nutcracker doll. Clara wakens into her dream, and her house begins to change around her. The Christmas tree grows large and wondrous. Then mice appear, frightening Clara. But magically, her nutcracker doll fends off the mice. The Nutcracker summons the toy soldiers from the cupboard, and a battle ensues. The fierce Mouse King arrives and engages in a duel with the Nutcracker. Clara bravely aids the Nutcracker, who, though victorious, is overcome by exhaustion from the battle. Clara is worried, but Uncle Drosselmeyer consoles her, then transforms the Nutcracker into a dashing Prince. Clara and the Prince embark together on a magical journey through the Land of Snow. The Snow King and Snow Queen arrive and welcome Clara and the Prince. As snow continues to fall, snowflakes begin to dance. The King and Queen invite Clara and the Prince into the sleigh and send them off to th eir next adventure. ACT 2 The scene opens in the garden of a Crystal Palace where ladybugs, dragonflies, and butterflies dance. The Sugar Plum Fairy welcomes Clara and the Prince and asks them to tell her about their adventure that brought them to her world. The Prince recounts his tale of war with the Mouse King and describes Clara's bravery. The Sugar Plum Fairy commands a festival, filled with dancing, to honor her guests. The celebration begins with Spanish flair. Exotic Arabians, whirling dancers from China, and lovely French Mirlitons perform for the guests. Sharing in the festivities are Russian entertainers and the famous Madame Du Cirque, who reveals many small surprises, including a dancing bear! In the final celebratory dance, the Sugar Plum Fairy joins in a glorious waltz with her court of flowers, dazzling Clara and the Prince. As the festivities draw to a close, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Uncle Drosselmeyer grant Clara her greatest Christmas wish and transform her into a beautiful woman to dance in the arms of her Prince. It is Christmas morning. Clara awakens, the nutcracker safe in her arms. SF Ballet (Courtesy of San Francisco Ballet).

Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco Bach Choir

The San Francisco Bach Choir website offers this welcome: Welcome the season with our traditional blend of charming carols and majestic works from early German masters Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schtz. Multiple choirs will surround you with glorious music€both ancient and familiar€and brighten the winter darkness with candlelight, processions and joyful singing. Invite your friends and order early! with Erica Schuller, soprano Saturday, December 5, 8PM / Sunday, December 6, 4PM
Calvery Presbyterian Church, Fillmore & Jackson, SF

Sharon Gustavson of the San Francisco Bach Choir, calls this an evening of "majestic music." She sta tes the defining element of the choir's work this way,and inso doing emphasizes howspecific this evening is to the kind of music San Francisco Bach Choir performs: "This is our niche work." She adds, "This is one of our traditional concerts."

Grace Cathedral Christmas

Grace Cathedralannounces on their website: €Bring the whole family for a merry sing-along at Grace Cathedral! Join the festive Pacific Boychoir in singing your favorite carols of the holiday season. There will also be a special surprise guest in red velvet!€ Spokeswoman for Grace Cathedral tells, Pacific Boychoirplayed at last year€s Family sing-along. So the ensemble is back after 2008, and the Spokeswoman adds, €The event sold out in 2008, so we added a second show in 2009, on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. I did not take an audience poll, so can€t say for sure whether the choir made it a hit or what the favorite song was. I suspect it was the format of the event that made it success ful € it is one-hour in length; it features songs that everyone knows at least the first verse to (& printed lyrics are provided for all songs & verses); and it starts at the family-friendly time of 11 a.m. (before kids€ afternoon naps).€

This quote on the Boychoir: Based in Oakland, the Pacific Boychoir participates in a very old tradition, as boychoirs have been around for hundreds of years, dating back at least to the fourth century. The chorus was formed in 1998 with 6 boys, and it now includes more than 100 singers from ages 7 to 17. The Pacific Boychoir's reputation for excellence has earned performances with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the UC Berkeley and Davis Symphonies, American Bach Soloists, and many others.

Dates and Times
Saturday, December 12, 11:00 am
Saturday, December 19, 11:00 am

St. Mark€s Episcopal Church, Berkeley, Ca lifornia Bach Society

Be sure to arrive early to get a good seat, so it is recommended by one Church member of St. Mark€s Episcopal Church, Berkeley, who has attended the California Bach Society event. This year€s event will take place at the Church on December 6, 2009 at 4 p.m, located at 2300 Bancroft Way (at Ellsworth), Berkeley. (Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.) Wieneke Gorter Spokeswoman for the Society reports, €St. Mark's is a pretty church with absolutely wonderful acoustics. We love performing in there. Our concerts at this church attract music lovers of every age and background, but especially people who are interested in choral music and/or early music.€ . The Bach Society website says of the program: The California Bach Society welcomes the holidays with a program from 17th century Northern Germany.Performed in the order prescribed for Advent Vespers, the 30-voice chamber choir will present a richly varied pr ogram of intricate polyphony, hymns, and splendid double choruses. Artistic Director Paul Flight explains: €The beauty of this program lies in the contrast between the simple and the complex. On the one hand, we will sing a number of well-known Lutheran hymns.By contrast, the majority of the pieces we will perform are elaborately worked out renditions of these hymn tunes. One can only marvel at the skills of the North German composers, Schtz, Schein, Scheidt, and Praetorius, as they develop every musical possibility inherent in the tune." A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Also coming up at St. Mark€s, Berkeley is a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Sunday, December 20, 2009, 4:30 p.m. This service was originally instituted at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England, based on a medieval vigil service. It was modified in the early twentieth century by the Very Rev. E.M. Millner-White, dean of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England. Since then, it has been sung annually in King's College Chapel on Christmas Eve, and here at St. Mark's since 1942. The service opens with the traditional carol €Once in royal David's city,€ a bidding prayer, and the Lord's Prayer. The story continues with the promise to Abraham, the assurance of the prophet Isaiah, the calling of Mary, the birth of Jesus, and ends with St. John's unfolding of the great mystery of the Incarnation. Carols, familiar and unfamiliar, are sung throughout the service. The service is held in candlelight and a festive reception follows in Hodgkin Hall. Kosher Comedy at Christmas in San Francisco The official press release says of Kung Pao Christmas event, and here it is in part: Come celebrate Christmas the Jewish Way€in a Chinese restaurant with Jewish comedy. Now celebrating its 17th year, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy continues to provide an answer to the age-old question, €What are Jews supposed to do on Christmas?€ What started o ut as a joke by San Francisco-based Jewish stand-up comic, Lisa Geduldig, has become an institution in San Franciscoannually giving 3000 comedy aficionados and those escaping €Christmas-mania€ an alternative to Jingle Bells. It€s the Bar Mitzvah you never had€and you don€t have to be Jewish to enjoy it. Kung Pao Kosher Comedy was created in 1993 by accident by comedian Lisa Geduldig, who went to perform outside Northampton, Massachusetts at what she thought was going to be a comedy club. She arrived only to discover that The Peking Garden Club was actually a Chinese Restaurant, not a comedy club. Her ironic experience of telling Jewish jokes at a Chinese restaurant led to the idea behind and creation of Kung Pao. The event began as a community service for Jews who have been stuck on Christmas with nothing to do but hide under the covers or go to a Chinese restaurant. The audience has expanded to include Chinese-Jewish couples, interfaith ones, singles, fam ilies, gays, straights, those far from home, and generally those who not only are seeking an alternative to Christmas alienation but who also like comedy mixed with Chinese food. One of Kung Pao€s claims to fame is that Henny Youngman performed his last shows there, in 1997. Celebrate Christmas with Chinese food and Jewish comedy. So the website of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy offers. The dates for performance are December 24 through the 27, 2009.

Two of the comedians commented for this writer via email: Brian Malow was asked:

Why are you doing this at Christmas time?

Well, I'm not a Christian nor have I ever been so you won't find me celebrating Christmas in any sort of traditional manner (for example, frantic last-minute guilt-inspired shopping sprees). I am Jewish. What's a Jew to do on Christmas? If there's not a new Woody Allen movie playing in theaters, what better or more appropriate way to celebrate the s eason than with copious amounts of Chinese food and Jewish comedy? Plus, I've never worked with Jonathan Katz so I'm really looking forward to it!

Hilary Schwartz was asked: Why are you doing this at Christmas time?

I'm doing this at Christmas time because my Christian friends asked me to
make other plans. Anyhow, who else but a Jew would work on Christmas?

Images: (1) Outside Calvary Presbyterian Church Photos of Calvary courtesy of Calvary Presbyterian Church; (2) Official poster San Francisco Theological Seminary Lessons & Carols. Picture courtesy San Francisco Theological Seminary. (3) Doctor. Daniel Hoggatt. (4) Group dancersVanessa Zahorian in Tomasson's Nutcracker. Erik Tomasson. (5) Mouse San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Nutcracker. Erik Tomasson. (6) Sanctuary Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco. (7) Paul Flight, Courtesy California Bach Society. (8) St. Mark's Episcopal Church Choir. (9)Lis a Geduldig of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy,Kent Taylor Photography (10) Comedian Brian Malow. (11) Comedian Hilary Schwartz.