Are You a December Musician?

I was listening to a sermon by Max Lucado, and he was talking about December Christians. These are the people who will tell you that the reason for the season is Jesus, not the gifts or the decorations. And these are the folks who go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. But the rest of the year (well, except for Easter), you don’t hear or see much from them about their faith.

And as I was listening, my conscience was pricked. No, not about being a December Christian, but about being a December musician. Christmas hymns and the lively holiday tunes are my favorite melodies to play. I get out my Christmas list of the repertoire – I used to be able to play 30 Christmas tunes flawlessly (almost). I begin to practice again faithfully, starting early to mid-November, so I am ready for our Christmas company when they say, “Linda, play something on your dulcimer.”

But the rest of the year, when I don’t have an event looming for which I must play, I slack off some. Just being honest here, friends. Days go by without picking up my hammers, often for a week or two at a time. Aaaarrrgh. I think in my retirement years, I’ve become a December musician! And yet, this is the season of my life when I have more time to practice than ever before, not less.


Well, you know what that means. I need to be thinking about my New Year’s resolution list. Instead of “lose weight” or “exercise more” being the #1 and #2 items on my new to-do list, I need to make a list of resolutions devoted to my music. Also, I’ve got to confess … I’m kinda in a rut. Outside of this season, I tend to play either patriotic tunes or old-time hymns. I need to review old tunes I knew years ago, and spend more time in different genres.

Maybe for New Year’s, I’ll write a goal list, rather than a list of resolutions. Actually, after all these honest confessions, I bet you could write my list for me! What about you? Do you need to review your New Year’s resolutions and include some musical goals on it?

Happy dulcimering,
Linda