No, I won’t be presenting any clever parodies of Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas.” But I don’t have to tell you that we will soon be celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Whether you live, work and play in the worship world or the secular world, Dec. 25 is the biggest day of the year for most of us and a busy time for sound crews. This season always causes me to reflect a little more on my life and the world than at any other time of year. Do you ever wonder what was going on at Joseph and Mary’s house during those first birthdays? Historically we know that they traveled to Egypt, but did they have a birthday party at year one, two, three and on? Was everyone invited? I am sure if there was cake there was certainly enough to go around. I am just throwing out a few different things to think about in between working events during this holiday season.
A Wonderful Time of the Year
That said, let’s get to the audio part of the season. This is truly the most wonderful time of the year, but sometimes this can be the most stressful time of the year. So, that’s where I come in. Every year, I have some words of advice for those of us who love mixing audio, love the Lord and love Santa Claus (not necessarily in that order). For me, this time of the year always means both an increase in income and an increase in general insanity.
Keeping that in mind, I know many of you volunteer your audio efforts. You know you are extremely important to your house of worship at this time of year (and all year for that matter). Along with that very important position, most churches need your skills now more than at any other time of the year. Of course if you (like myself) work for multiple houses of worship, you will certainly make some additional Christmas money, but you may find yourself stretched a bit thin.
Most churches put on an annual Christmas show. Some are simple and fun, with the kids choir, Santa Claus, Christmas carols, etc. Then there are those who really put it on with a full-blown, costumed reproduction of the birth of Christ in the original Aramaic. Along with the larger production, there may be the need of a larger sound system or a brand new sound system installation. Wherever you fit in these scenarios, you will need some help and prayer.
Scheduling is Everything
So, here we go. Number one: scheduling is everything. If you are entrusted with the job of making the schedule for the entire event (or all the events you mix), you can remove a whole lot of personal stress. If you can’t make the schedule, get in good with the one who does make it. This is extra important if you are working at more than one house of worship. Try not to have more than one rehearsal a day. I know that this may not always work out. So, if you do have two rehearsals in one day, give yourself more time between churches than you think you may need. You know how rehearsals can go longer than expected. A lot of houses of worship work on God’s time. This is close to actual time with some slight differences. I won’t get into these differences but if you are a church that works on God’s time, you know what I am talking about. Also Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings are prime days for events. If you have a rehearsal during the day, make certain you have enough time for that evening show.
Treats, Sweets and Eats
Tip number two: most houses of worship are notorious for offering lots of holiday treats during the season. Of course you will probably be eating cake and cookies instead of dinner if you have rehearsals in the evening right after your work. I am not going to tell you to pass up all those holiday treats, but I will remind you that sugar can lower your immunity. It is a fact that if you want to avoid catching a cold, a virus or some unknown communicable disease, you will have to have a robust immune system. So if you plan on indulging in those delicious snacks, you will need to counteract the bad with some good. Drink lots of water instead of sodas, coffee or energy drinks. Take your vitamins, especially vitamin C. All those vitamins are good, but C is a natural antibiotic. Take enough and you can protect yourself from a whole lot of germs. I bet you didn’t think you’d be getting health advice along with the audio stuff, but we all have to avoid illness during this fabulous holiday season.
Now that you have your schedule perfectly laid out and you are absolutely sure you will be germ-free and healthy, there is one more very important item to take care of. Well, it’s not an item, it’s a person, and that person is you. We all do a little more during this time of year but at the same time we should be enjoying this time more than at any other time. Right now some of my close audio friends and peers are stressed out. This is really not a great way to go through the Christmas season. It also is not a very good testimony to those individuals’ relationship with God. So, if you fall into this category (or close to it), make an effort to get into the spirit. For myself, I make myself appreciate everybody, everything and every event a little more. I don’t know what God has planned for me and the houses of worship I work with this season, but I am planning on it being absolutely fantastic!
Merry Christmas to all of you, and happy birthday!
