Yesterday, I was at the CSO holiday concert – what a delight! It was a last-minute decision; I was not sure I would fit it into my schedule comfortably. I decided just a couple of days before the concert, and I also invited one of my friends with her daughter. It was their first time for both of them in the CSO, and I like to take people to the CSO for the first time almost as much as I like to teach people to skate!
It was a very good concert, very festive, the one which helps to feel the holiday magic. I can recall a couple of more exciting shows, which would tell a story (like the one based on O’Henry’s The Gifts of the Magi or the one about the Christmas truce during WWI), but this one was still very good.
The best thing was that the CSO returned to the holiday tradition and presented “Christmas in Chicago” at the end (and as it ought to be, it was not on the program). I think it was in 2018 when they did not sing this song, and I was so upset with it that I ended up not going in 2019!
SO this year, the concert is back, and Christmas in Chicago is back!
And for those who for some reason never heard this song, here ae official lyrics:
Christmas in Chicago – lyrics
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
Snowflakes fill the frosty air, skaters frolic on the square
And on State Street dazzling windows are a beautiful sight to see
Christmas in Chicago, as hearts fill with wonder
Lights sparkle all along Magnificent Mile
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
At Christmas all Chicago wears a smile
The City of Big Shoulders wears a robe of winter white
The lion statues wear their wreaths of green
Picasso’s sculpture wears a cheerful multicolored glow
Reflected from the city’s Christmas tree
Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter
And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
We’ll make a trip to carol at the zoo in Lincoln Park
We’ll sing for kangaroo and chimpanzee
We’ll warm up with hot chocolate there and then we’ll go downtown
To Marshall Field’s and sit on Santa’s knee
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
Sleigh bells ring on horsedrawn cabs near Water Tower Place
Church bells peal from steeples ’round the town
Salvation Army Santas add a joyful ring-a-ling
The Loop is filled with happy Christmas sounds
Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter
And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all
Chicago’s kind of Christmas is a magic kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all
Yesterday, I was at the CSO holiday concert – what a delight! It was a last-minute decision; I was not sure I would fit it into my schedule comfortably. I decided just a couple of days before the concert, and I also invited one of my friends with her daughter. It was their first time for both of them in the CSO, and I like to take people to the CSO for the first time almost as much as I like to teach people to skate!
It was a very good concert, very festive, the one which helps to feel the holiday magic. I can recall a couple of more exciting shows, which would tell a story (like the one based on O’Henry’s The Gifts of the Magi or the one about the Christmas truce during WWI), but this one was still very good.
The best thing was that the CSO returned to the holiday tradition and presented “Christmas in Chicago” at the end (and as it ought to be, it was not on the program). I think it was in 2018 when they did not sing this song, and I was so upset with it that I ended up not going in 2019!
SO this year, the concert is back, and Christmas in Chicago is back!
And for those who for some reason never heard this song, here are official lyrics:
Christmas in Chicago – lyrics
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
Snowflakes fill the frosty air, skaters frolic on the square
And on State Street dazzling windows are a beautiful sight to see
Christmas in Chicago, as hearts fill with wonder
Lights sparkle all along Magnificent Mile
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
At Christmas all Chicago wears a smile
The City of Big Shoulders wears a robe of winter white
The lion statues wear their wreaths of green
Picasso’s sculpture wears a cheerful multicolored glow
Reflected from the city’s Christmas tree
Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter
And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
We’ll make a trip to carol at the zoo in Lincoln Park
We’ll sing for kangaroo and chimpanzee
We’ll warm up with hot chocolate there and then we’ll go downtown
To Marshall Field’s and sit on Santa’s knee
Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas
It’s just what Christmas ought to be
Sleigh bells ring on horsedrawn cabs near Water Tower Place
Church bells peal from steeples ’round the town
Salvation Army Santas add a joyful ring-a-ling
The Loop is filled with happy Christmas sounds
Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter
And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall
I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all
Chicago’s kind of Christmas is a magic kind of Christmas
It’s like no other Christmas at all!
And that’s exactly how we felt!
Hettie's Reflections 