In 1972, Barbara Robinson published "The Best Christmas Concert" ever. Over 800,000 copies have been sold, it's been published in script format and made into a television movie due to overwhelming popularity. I guess I'm way behind the times because I never heard of it until the owner of my favorite little book store recommended it to me last weekend. It is a wonderful, and in this busy time of year- short!, read. It's actually aimed at teen readers but the message is universal.
If you have ever experienced the angst of Christmas concert performing either from the perspective of actor, director, or audience - or in my case, all three- you will appreciate this story.
I clearly recall the anxiety surrounding the church Christmas concert. Even as a pretty young child, I remember thinking I could finally relax and enjoy Christmas once the concert was over and the candy canes and tangerines had been handed out! Maybe because my mother and grandmother both taught Sunday School, it was expected that I would be able to memorize vast amounts of biblical phrases to reproduce for an audience. And I guess I could, but not without some personal stress let me tell you!
As I read the book, I considered how much all the characters could have benefited from a bit of Bach therapy.
I would have recommended both Holly and Vine for all the Herdman kids, Larch and Centuary for most of the other kids, and Elm for the director. I think the ladies auxiliary could have used a healthy dose of Beech! And the entire audience might have benefited from a couple of sprays of Rescue Remedy.
Finally, for anyone who has painful memories of concert stress, ironically perhaps, Star of Bethlehem is the Bach Flower Essence of choice!
Even better is the idea of cutting out the Christmas traditions that cause anxiety and stress, and enjoying the peacefulness of the season. I highly recommend sitting at home with your pajamas on, your feet up and Barbara Robinson's book "The Best Christmas Concert Ever", over fighting the crowds, memorizing lines, or straightening out costume disasters!!!
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