Monday, February 27, 2012

The 292nd good thing about Lagos: Christmas Caroling by candlelight

I got a real Christmas bonus in Lagos in December when I was in town for what I hope will become a holiday tradition here -- Caroling by Candlelight at the US Consul General's residence.  The Staffords were so generous to host an American Women's Club gathering for eating of goodies and carol singing.  I helped organize the music and played the piano for the event.  There was a great turnout.  I got pictures of various people eating, but decided it wasn't good to post them without permission here, so I just posted the picture of Brent and I below.  After some snacking, we gathered around their grand piano and sang some fun songs -- the group especially got into "The Nigerian 12 Days of Christmas."  "On the first day of Christmas, my mama gave to me, fufu with egusi...."  We then had some carols to settle the group down while we handed out candles in cups and sang some religious carols accompanying the narration of the Christmas story from the Bible.  There was a beautiful spirit in the room.  Even when it's hot outside, the Christmas spirit can be present when music invites it in. 

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