christmas in the room

Oh, just another post about Sufjan Stevens. Are you shocked? Well you shouldn't be. (As I've mentioned before, I utterly adore him.)

Last week we attended the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-a-Long at the Great American Music Hall and, let me tell you, it was an absolute blast. Even Scrooge McDave was smiling, swaying, and singing. It was fantastic.

I mean, this show had all the elements of a classic Christmas concert: Christmas carols, snowmen, elves, standup comedy, a trombone player dressed as a giant hot dog, a bassist in a chicken costume, a Mexican skeleton drummer, a singing glitter nun, bubble machines, paper snow, inflatable unicorns, an encore with 'Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland Illinois,' and of course, Surfjams Stephanopoulos himself as a neon Christmas Unicorn. Naturally.

But it wasn't the elaborate costumes, silly jokes, or even Sufjan Stevens' abounding talent that made this a night to remember. No, it was the crowd. For one night in San Francisco, a bunch of twenty-something hipsters gathered together and sang along to cheesy Christmas songs without a hint of irony or self-consciousness. It was heartfelt and yes, magical. Now that is a Christmas miracle.

As my Christmas gift to you, my favorite song of the night. Perhaps my favorite Christmas love song ever (if that's even a thing):

Is that not the sweetest song you've ever heard?

When we come together and just sing in harmony, in unison - it's a powerful thing.... That's why they call the voice the sacred heart; it's within all of us. Everything else is just white noise. - Sufjan Stevens