December 2021: Singalong Season

My voice is hoarse.  My cheekbones ache.  My heart is full.  No, these aren’t symptoms of Omicron.  They are just the side-effects of a magical Singalong Season. 

This December was special for Jordan and I in so many ways. We made new Holiday memories with the people we love, hosted both of our families on the 25th, and enjoyed the daily entertainment and wonder of Charlie and Jack’s pure Christmas spirit. As I looked through pictures and reflected on unique and singular themes that captured the essence of this Holiday season, one thing became clear: We seemed to be singing the entire time.

The singing began in early December at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) Holiday Party when my buddy Jim and I visited our friend, Chris, in NYC. A cover band from our Penn State days, Country Club Drive, had reunited one last time to rock out to a setlist that included “American Girl,” “Semi Charmed Life,” and “All the Small Things.” Although Jim and I were a couple of washed-up suburban Dads at Chris’ classy Mid-town Manhattan networking event, it didn’t take long for our vocal cords to return to a “Piketoberfest-like” performance from a decade earlier.

A week later, once our kids were nestled all snug in their beds under the careful watch of their Pop, Jordan and I made our way to the Spinelli Christmas Party on the other side of Haddonfield, NJ. After we came away from the White Elephant gift exchange with a highly coveted portable karaoke microphone, another late night of sing-alongs ensued.

I don’t know if it was the veins popping out of my neck and my breathless effort as Spins and I tried to rip the second verse of “Lose Yourself,” or the house-shaking chorus of “Shallow,” or Dani and Jordo’s 10-minute passionate rendition of “All too well (Taylor’s Version),” but I woke up the next morning with a raspy whisper.

A week later, our Cruse Christmas with Aunt Nona and our cousins, Kyle and Carter, brought on another karaoke event. My dreadful performance of “Mr. Brightside” was saved by my “Better Together (Luke Combs)” duet with Charlie. Per usual, Kyle’s Elvis impersonation, the girls’ honkytonk jams, and Carter’s impeccable choreography stole the show.

And a week later, the big event came on Christmas Day when Uncle Joe dusted off the keyboard for a number of off-tune, out of rhythm, and unnecessarily loud Christmas carols. The kids sang “Jingle Bell Rock,” a few of us stumbled through “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” the Bonders belted out “The Christmas Song,” the Janiecs struck back with “Have yourself a Merry little Christmas,” the boys brought the house down with an a capella version of “The Grinch,” and Steve Janiec and Jim Bonder closed us out honoring the always emotional Pop-Pop tradition of “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

These Uncle Joe led Christmas carols have been a big part of Christmas as long as I’ve been alive, and their return was especially cherished after the hiatus in 2020. But once Uncle Joe’s keyboard was packed up and loaded in his truck, none of us ever expected the surprise grand finale of the season- and perhaps our newest Christmas tradition. Jordan rallied her sisters with a Fireball shot, and proceeded to hop on the keys of our baby grand to lead the girls in back-to-back Adele power ballads. It left us all proud, amazed, and confused. Where was this exceptional talent during the other ear-piercing carols? The moment also sparked a family debate- did the passionate performance bring a tear to my Dad’s eye?

Our entire Holiday season was best captured by Buddy the Elf’s famous declaration. “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” So our family sang before school, on the way to school, and after school all month long. We sang loud, we sang proud, and we certainly felt the cheer spread every time we did. The mic will be open in 2022. What will your go-to song be?