Bruckner Vs. Bing

I remember being in college and wanting desperately to go Christmas shopping, decorate a tree and listen to Bing Crosby.  The only problem was, I had to listen to Bruckner symphonies instead because finals were looming and some of the finals were "drop the needle" tests.  "Here is a random snippet of a five-hour symphony.  Tell what section of what movement it is, what key and instrumentation, talk about the development of the piece and the political climate in which it was composed and the effect that had on the structure of the music."  That's agonizing anyway, but when "I'll be Home for Christmas" is stuck in your head, it's even worse.  There's nothing like a big pile of textbooks to make the mall seem like nirvana in comparison. 

The good thing about college, though, was that finals ended with time to spare for holiday cheer, being home for Christmas and wandering the stores with the sense that you had been released from prison.  Now my obligations, unlike familiarizing myself with Wagner and Bruckner, all relate to my actual life.  When your obligations are all about your actual life rather than studying obscure musical passages, the work tends never to end.  I sort of long for the feeling of being free and absolved of everything for those two weeks surrounding Christmas.  I just want to walk into the winter wonderland of my youth;  the home my mom prepared while I was studying for finals.  The tree, the beautifully wrapped gifts underneath, the pantry and fridge stocked with ham, rolls and goodies, the table overflowing with gourmet nuts, cookies and fruit brought by neighbors.  I just don't want to go through finals to get there!

My grown-up form of holiday satisfaction comes from preparing all the merriment myself, and I do enjoy it. With no four-part harmonies to write, no scores to study, no Shakespeare plays to analyze, I can go to as many holiday concerts as there are, make as many cookies as my kitchen can fit and listen to fluffy, familiar Christmas music everywhere I go.  If my music degree taught me nothing else, it taught me gratitude for the simplicity of Bing Crosby and life without finals.  Hooray!