Holiday spirits

Hot on the heels of launching our electronic events newsletter, we bring you a holiday roundup of entertainment options in this week's SE Live.

The holidays always seem to bring out the performers. Churches plan pageants -- logical, given that Christmas is sort of their thing -- schools put on concerts, and musically inclined community members appeal to the festive spirits floating around with a Christmas-themed show.

This roundup is our attempt to show you a quick list of holiday choices so you can know what's coming up. We've highlighted a few events with a little more information. For the most part, these are staples of the holiday season, much like wassail and a manger.

Christmas is about traditions -- starting them and continuing them. Maybe you already make it a tradition to take a ride with Santa on the Iron Mountain Railway or to head to the West Park Mall for Tuba Christmas each year. Maybe you'll take a look at our list and find something to make into a yearly habit.

Jerry Ganiel, who's featured on our front, has made a habit of organizing a Christmas concert with the Heartland Pops for nine years running. He did the same thing in Georgia and Florida. He basically works for free for months to put on this Christmas concert. The shows make only enough money to fund themselves, yet he keeps on planning, rehearsing and wrangling performers for the yearly event.

Jerry told me he does it because he just loves Christmas music. Don't we all?