The Holiday Season is one that thrives off a sentimental overload of glittery traditions.  They help us get through the shorter darker days, as they bring us together with comfort and joy, and way too many cookies.  Add in the hot chocolate.  The sweaters.  The tacky yet stunning ornaments.   And the music.  That’s when we know the holidays are upon us.  Mariah is all I want for Christmas.   Glee is resurrected from late November to the year’s end.  One could argue that Pentatonix’s holiday albums are reason alone to keep TV singing competitions on air.   And it’s amazing how I can hear about 46 versions of the same song, and still love them all!  Hallelujah (for example 😉 )!   For me, the music brings me a warm fire, cuddles under a blanket, the glow of a tree, the sense of home.

So to get into the holiday mood, we attended A Well Strung Christmas concert at the Kimmel Center.  In true holiday fashion, we were so grateful to share this experience with people we love: Thank you to our friends Jared and Brandon who had no idea who or what Well Strung was, yet trusted us anyways to join in on the cheer!

So who or what is Well Strung?  I would describe them as a super talented string quartet boyband who are best defined by their unique mash ups of classical music and pop music (what they call “popsical”).   It’s a refreshing way to bring these 2 musical worlds together.  Mash in some holiday hits, and you’ve got our festive night out!

From beginning to end, I was in a state of awe.  Watching the night’s performance was like watching the first snowfall: familiar but new, a beautiful sight out of my control, each moment a unique spin on the last.  My sole responsibility is to watch and to savor each note.  And with each note, it felt a little more like Christmas. Songs included beautiful renditions of Silent Night, Jingle Bells, Last Christmas, Hallelujah, and Toxic (we’re talking Britney here!).  The upbeat mashup of Call Me Maybe with Brandenburg, along with the rewriting of The Devil Went Down To Georgia to be about a duel between Santa and a kid at Target, were definite highlights.

For me, the moment of the night was a Disney one.  Let It Go brought an unexpected sentimental moment to my evening.  I was brought back to watching the movie for the first time with my family circa Christmas 2014.   To watching it the second time with Derrick in a cushion fort we built at our home in Toronto.  I think hearing it come from a male’s voice connected it to my experience.  The many solo concerts I performed for myself as a secret anthem when I am feeling down (we all have a little Elsa in us don’t we?).  Music has a way of connecting with me and with hidden feelings even when I can’t quite express what they are.   The past is in the past.  The fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all.  It’s time to see what I can do.

At the concert’s end, and we gather our things, I pause to take in the night’s many moments.   Tonight was a night of great company and great music.  A perfect holiday evening.  I think I needed this concert more than I realized.  Tonight was a reminder that magic can exist right in front of us, if we open our hearts and listen.

And hey, if you hang out a little after the show ends-you never know who you’ll meet!

May your music play merry and bright this season!

Is there a group, or performer that you love but the world hasn’t discovered them yet?  What’s your favorite holiday song?!    What song gets you in the holiday mood?   Sound off in the comments!  And let me introduce you to Well Strung in the videos below.  

Song of the Day 1: Do You Want to Build a Snowman/Let It Go (Well Strung)

Song 2 of the Day: Hallelujah (Well Strung)  Note that Kristin Chenoweth stepped aside for this ❤ ) 

Bonus Song of the Day that needs to be in next year’s concert (This video! ❤ )