A few weeks ago, Janet’s brother, Steve, called and asked if we’d be interested in joining his family in Manchester for the Holiday Pops concert featuring the Boston Pops at SNHU arena. They’d purchased tickets for all seven to attend without checking all the girls’ schedules. Two weren’t able to make it, so they invited us to take their seats. I’ve loved the Boston Pops since I was a kid. If you’ve read my adventures, you know I’ve traveled to Boston for the past 3 years to stand on the banks of the Charles river and listen to them play for the fireworks celebration. At the 4th of July, I’ve only been able to see them on the Trinitron screen from across the river. This holiday concert would be the first time to see them live and in person.  Before leaving for the concert, we stopped at our clubhouse for some holiday pictures. We treated the evening as a date night with dinner at our favorite Asian restaurant in Manchester before heading to the show.

Like many of my music friends, I don’t always enjoy hearing symphonies play in large arenas, but I was pleasantly surprised. While the chorus was amplified, the orchestra was able to hold their own in less than stellar acoustics. I think Ryan and Katie would have probably enjoyed a hockey game more, but they appeared to enjoy parts of the evening. Lilee enjoyed the whole evening, clapping her hands and directing the orchestra.

I think the best part of the evening was their modified version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Each day included references to a popular piece of classical music such as Beethoven’s 5th symphony for the 5 golden rings, and an excerpt from Swan Lake for the 7 swans a swimming. The audience roared when on the 12th day a chorus member held up a Tom Brady jersey emblazoned with the number 12.

The holidays are a special time when you can experience new things in familiar environments. The Sheppard family aren’t symphony fans like us. I was pleased for them to take a step away from the traditional to try something new. They’re always supportive of our many adventures and invite us over to share pictures of our latest trip. It was fun to share an adventure with them. Thank you Steve and Kim for providing such a wonderful evening.

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller