CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONGS

As we've talked about in earlier stories, the Bakers liked to sing. Over the years we've gotten together at different times. Small groups at Grandma Baker's, Alice's, Lila's, Patsy and Richard's, and Ann's house - - whoever had a piano. The Rileys for a long time had Christmas sing-a-longs at Kenny and Patricia's house. We have a lot of cassette tape recordings from those Riley days. (Patrick, I'll have to find 'Drummer Boy' for you when you're here at my house.)

We decided to get the whole Baker clan in on the singing. For several years we all got together at Kenny and Patricia's church. We ate and sang and had a great time. We even had talent shows a couple of years but then the kids got older and started getting a little stage indifference. But those couple of years were really fun. We had solos and duets, flute trios, trumpet duets and solos, clarinet solos, violin and guitar duets, piano numbers and a recitation or two. Accompaning instruments for Christmas carols were drums, flute, guitar, and of course, piano. I think there's a bit of showmanship in our genes. I hope you bring your singing voices to the reunion. We might do a little singing at Natural Bridge! - Patricia