Have to give you some background….

One of the many groups in our Probus Club ( a group of retired couples) has a sing a long group.  They meet at one of the member’s houses and they sing together from a songlist.  Three of the leaders play guitar and that helps.

Now understand… just short of going to the dentist for root canal… I do not want to join this group.  Apparently 15 – 20 women show up every month and by reports in our regular Probus meetings, they have a great time singing oldies and folk songs (but not a lot of husbands make it).

The December meeting was scheduled for our good friends Harry and Marie’s house.  Lots of pressure on husbands to show up because this would be Christmas Carol session.  The organizer, Rae convinced her husband Howard to show up and he convinced me on the agreement that Harry (the husband of the hostess for the evening) would also make it.  Mary-Kate (or as we call her MK)  said her husband Ross (my golfing buddy) would make it so I said it to the guys  “Lets Do It” because it looks like there will be lots of us.  I mean how bad can be a Christmas Carol evening be?.

So we show up last night and..Howard is there because his wife Rae is the organizer… Ross is there because.. well he just cannot say no to MK   and there is me.  Harry, my buddy whose wife is hosting the party has chosen to fly off to spend a couple of days in Outlook Saskatchewan rather than experience the evening.  All the other guys found something more important to do.

No big problem.  22 women and three of us guys sitting at the back on stools joining in on Christmas Carols.  The three leaders that play guitars picked some typical carols that included traditional and some modern songs that no one knew the words to if you did not have the song sheet in front of you.  They were in a key that none of us guys could reach unless we had been .. well lets say squeezed in the private region.

I tried my best but as I looked over at Howard and Ross I realized they were at best mouthing the words and waiting for the break in the evening where we hoped there would be some wine.  Bad call as there was only tea and cookies.

So we come to the end of the evening and I am stunned.  They did not play Good King Wenceslas even though it was in the play book, which I consider the best Christmas Carol.  The three guitar leaders apparently did not have the printed music for this (although they had printed music for obscure Christmas tunes).  In the end we had ended with We Wish You a Merry Christmas but at the urging of Howard and possibly Ross, I called for an encore of Good King Wenceslas and lead off the group.

Now despite their previous support, Howard and Ross were not that great in joining me but most of the women did.  A rousting version.  Then the party broke up.

As we were gathering our coats and shoes, two ladies came up to me to thank me for leading this particular carol.  One 85 year old told me she sang the page lines at her school recital when she was a little girl and just loved that I had insisted on the song.  I am pretty sure no one in 70 years will say the same thing about some of the new carols we sang last night.

The best part was that as we walked home Pat did not tell me I had gone too bossy and said I had done a good thing.  Marie, our hostess thanked me as well.

Harry,  who ducked the evening, will owe me a good bottle of wine when we have New Year’s eve together.