Last year when I had more time, I shared some of my favorite Christmas music every day in December. Life is a bit more hectic this year, and I’m only getting to thinking about Christmas this week, and even then, it’s very passive thoughts. If anyone wants to come wrap presents, let me know …

One of my favorite memories of childhood Christmas time is dressing up in our Sunday best, piling in the station wagon with all of our cousins and Grandparents, and driving over to Grady Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, Arizona. Every year Ballet West would come thru town and perform the Nutcracker Ballet. We went every year. Gammage was magical, the Nutcracker was magical, and planted in my childhood heart a love of Russian classical music.

This weekend we’re going to watch the Nutcracker with our kids, on the TV, as we’re far away from Arizona, Gammage and have no station wagon to pile into. Enjoy this performance of the Bolshoi from last year.