Winnie the Pooh once said, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”. He’s absolutely right. Truth be told, I didn’t spend much of my December in the City of Detroit, but by the time I got back from the holidays, I realized I had missed it so much!
You know when you’re at home somewhere when you start comparing it to the other places you’ve been recently; Christmas in New York City is great, but it’s so much more crowded and nobody says hello like in Detroit.
Now, for those of you who don’t know me, December is one of my favorite months of the year because it means catching up with family and loved ones, tasty treats like egg nog and reindeer food, streets are filled with lights and various decorations, there’s holiday music, the list goes on! December is also great month for singers because there are so many holiday concerts to perform in. Last year this time, I was singing a Christmas Concert in one of the major historical churches of Hamburg, Germany. This year, Deutschland invited me back for 2 more Concerts at a venue called Laeiszalle Hamburg. As I dusted off my German language skills and packed my bag to leave, I thought about all the things I’d be missing here in the Motor City. Would there be time to see the Christmas tree at Campus Marcius? Did I miss my chance to relive my childhood with Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo? I missed Detroit Radio stations like WJLB, and all the places along the Grand River Corridor I frequent. I missed the warmth of my Detroit Apartment, as well as the elderly neighbors who blast an array of awesome music from opera, to jazz and classic R&B. There were Holiday Cards to be made at Red Hook Bar, the 8 Mile Holiday Haul, not to mention all the great New Years’ fun.
But when we landed in Hamburg, the city I called home just 5 months ago, I thought, I’m back, yay! I stayed connected to the Detroit holiday festivities through social media, but I was thrilled to reconnect with friends and relatives in Europe. Performance day was especially exciting, as the show featured 2 choirs, an orchestra, and 2 soloists. We all had a blast sharing the stage together.
Now that I’m back in the Detroit, it seems that anywhere you go around the Holidays you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a great time. So as we settle into the New Year, I encourage you to stay in the moment, and remember, “Someone once told me the grass is much greener on the other side”. Macy Gray, As Told By Ginger
