Christmastime is Here

December 20, 2019

 

Christmastime is Here

Once my mother Marta was stable and I was comfortable that she would be heading to the next step of her recovery from her heart issues and the stroke she suffered, I was clear to head back home to arrive in time for Kathy’s birthday and the Christmas holiday, a couple of joyous occasions that would be a welcome change from the stress and worry that the past few weeks had wrought.

 

It is a pretty decent drive from Winston-Salem to Key West and takes the better part of two days of driving. To break things up and also because there was a gift that I wanted to get for Kathy, I decided to make a couple of short stops along the way that were both fun, in very different ways.

The first stop was in Orlando at Epcot. I was there last month while in town for a convention and at the time I saw a beautiful Mikimoto pearl necklace that I wanted to get Kathy. At the time I saw it, on display in the Japanese department store that is included in the Japan pavilion at Epcot, I didn’t pull the trigger and I had it in the back of my mind that I should have ever since.

 

Now circumstances had me passing pretty close to Epcot and since I had purchased an annual pass, I was able to go back and visit the park again with no real issues. Kathy has been so amazing and wonderful in helping us out with my mother, I really wanted to get her something a little extra special, so I headed to Epcot to find the gift I had seen last month.

  

Wow what a difference a month makes, Epcot, which last month had been hosting their annual Food and Wime Festival had been transformed and was in full holiday mode. I would normally tend to avoid Disney during the crazy holiday season as we prefer to visit when there are not so many crowds everywhere. It has been a number of years since I visited during the height of the holiday season.

 

It was packed, as expected, but since I was only there for a quick visit and was not really interested in the rides and attractions, I was able to really enjoy just wandering around taking in the holiday spirit and not worry about the massive lines for everything. It really was beautiful, Disney really knows how to do the holidays up right and the park felt beautiful and magical in spite of the throngs of people.

 

I made my way over and found the necklace and purchased it and did a little additional holiday shopping, then walked around taking in the holiday decorations for a bit before hitting the road again and heading south. My next stop was a totally different but still pretty interesting holiday experience when I opted at the last minute to stop at Santa’s Enchanted Forest in Miami as I passed by the mass of Christmas lights just off the turnpike.

 

As classy and perfect as Epcot is, Santa’s Enchanted Forest is about the opposite. The long running family attraction focused on Christmas is tacky and more like a cheap carnival or county fair with all sorts of crazy carnival rides and games, side shows and carny food consisting of corn dogs, elephant ears and fried foods. It is a slice of Americana that certainly would not appeal to many, but I find somehow interesting in spite of its tacky nature.

There are many Christmas themed displays that range from amusing, to quaint to just godawful. The coolest part though are the massive trees all light up with Christmas lights. It is really impressive and something that draws me to want to visit each year, even though I know I won’t really enjoy most of the attractions and rides. It is a crazy place and one that I would suggest only to true holiday light fanatics or fans of county fairs and carnivals.

 

“When it's Christmas in Carolina It's Christmas all over the place.”- Squirrel Nut Zippers

December 17, 2019

Squirrel Nut Zippers

 

“When it's Christmas in Carolina
It's Christmas all over the place.”- Squirrel Nut Zippers

In spite of all the trauma and tension that came with spending long days in the hospital with my mother Marta while she began her recovery, or perhaps because if it, Kathy and I needed a little break and found it at the RamKat nightclub in Winston-Salem in the form of a special Christmas concert by the high energy swing revival band and local North Carolinians, the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

The show was part of their annual mini-tours of North Carolina during each holiday season, The Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan with special guests the Firecracker Jazz Band. The tour lasted only ten shows, the majority of the shows in the state of North Carolina and the band played all the songs from their beloved holiday Christmas album, “Christmas Caravan” as well as many of their hits.

 

The Ramkat is in downtown Winston, just next to one of my favorite local craft beer joints, Wise Men Brewing where Kathy and I headed for a few beers before walking over to catch the show. The opening band was a jazzy outfit from Asheville that was similar in many respects to the style of the Zippers, and while they had some excellent musicians, I just did not get into it that much. I would have thought perhaps my mood had something to do with it, but that feeling was erased once the headliners took over.

 

They did indeed play the whole 10-song “Christmas Caravan” album — including standards and originals — plus two more recent Christmas songs, “Mardi Gras for Christmas” and “Alone at Christmas,” which were released on a 45 in 2018, and some of their biggest hits such as “Hell” and “Got My Own Thing Now.” The show was awesome. High energy, fun and way better than the show I caught of theirs a couple of years ago at the Hi-Fi in Indianapolis.

The fun Christmas spirit was contagious as the band fed off the riled-up crowd and vice-versa. There is nothing quite like the style that the Zippers play, they came out of the swing jazz revival that spawned such bands as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the early 90s, but they have a distinct sound that is really all their own and their shows are a ton of fun.

Lead singer Jimbo Mathus has surrounded himself with a fun and talented group of musicians that play a fusion of Delta blues, gypsy jazz, 1930s–era swing, klezmer, and other styles. It is a unique and wonderful sound and they play with an energy and enthusiasm that not a lot of bands can match. The Christmasy theme only added to the fun as the stage was decorated and the band dressed in festive holiday garb.

Kathy and I loved the show, loved the venue and loved that we were able to get out and have a little fun in the midst of what has been a difficult trip to North Carolina.