Ah, Xmas! I'm a sucker for Christmas. It helps that shopping is second nature to me--in fact, most of my gift buying is done. Other than the excuse to purchase or make gifts for the people in my life, I love that I seem to slow down a bit during the season. Last night I went to hear the Orpheus Singers do another fine few hours of choral music. This time, they chose lots of sacred music perfect for the human voice. There is little more uplifting--even if you're an atheist like me--than voices harmoniously filling that space between your ears and blocking out everything else. Next week: Handel's Messiah.