Christmas 2025

Dark season is in full swing in December.  Night rules the skies, but there is a short period of sunlight in the middle of the day.  However, it’s more like dusk or sunset, with the physical sun nowhere to be seen.  I take vitamin D pills and eat foods containing vitamin D to make up for the lack of sunlight.  Arctic marine animals and fish are good choices too.  The Inuit have relied on these food sources for vitamin d for millennia.

Another way for the people of Arctic Bay to take their minds off dark season is getting ready for the Christmas holidays and New Years.  Inuujaq School’s hallways were decorated by staff & students.  They also made decorations for the Christmas concert.

Planning the school’s annual Christmas concert began in late November.  The committee booked the local community hall, invited classes to make decorations, and placed a sign-up list in the main office.  The list would be turned into a program.  Classes practiced their planned performances in the lead up to the dress rehearsal.  My drummers & I worked hard preparing our set.

The dress rehearsal was held at the community hall the day before the concert.  Students & teachers headed over after lunch with their props.  I borrowed a pickup truck and transported the drums & equipment.  My students helped me.  Every class went on stage and practiced their prepared acts to the delight of the student body.  Students were dismissed from the hall.  I left the drums & hardware at the hall but brought back the sticks & music. Classes reviewed & practiced their performances again the next day at school.  Everyone was excited for the concert later that evening.

Doors opened at the community hall 30 minutes before the start of the concert.  People arrived wearing formal clothes.  The hall was decorated and filled with chairs.  The seats quickly filled and anticipation was in the air. 

The concert began at 7pm with the principal & I welcoming everyone.  We then invited the Kindergarteners to begin the festivities with their performance of Jingle Bells.  Grade 1 sang The Little Drummer Boy.  Grade 2 did a song and dance routine.  Grades 3, 4, & 5 also did Christmas themed dance numbers.  Grade 6 took it a step further with their dance performance by having one of the students dress up as Santa Claus.  Grade 7 students dance to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. 

My drummers & I set up our drums in the main foyer during the Grade 7 set so that everything would be ready when it was our turn.  You don’t want to keep the audience waiting. 

Grade 8 did a short Nativity Scene play and Grade 9 danced to the song “You Raise Me Up”.  The moment had finally come.  The high school drumline was next.  The drummers & I carried our drums on stage and set up behind the closed curtains.  I gave a quick pep talk once everything was ready.  I stood behind my drum and gave the signal to draw the curtains.  We were greeted by a packed hall.  I raised my sticks, clicked 4 times, and the first drum piece began. 

My drummers & I played 3 pieces as a group.  Each piece was a minute or less long.  The snare drummers played with snares off to keep the volume down.  A few drummers & I then entertained the audience with short solos.  Each performance was applauded.  And just like that, our set was over.  Five minutes had come & gone.  We bowed and the curtains closed.  We quickly got everything off stage so that the final act could proceed.

The last group to perform was the staff of Inuujaq School.  They sang a Christmas song in Inuktitut.  They wished everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year at the end of their performance.

Overall, the school’s Christmas concert was a success.  The audience enjoyed the performances and the students & teachers had fun. 

December 18 was the last day of school before the Christmas break.  It was an easy day for everyone.  Santa came to visit with his elves in the afternoon to give out presents to all the students.  A corner of the gym was turned into a photo area for Santa.  Classes were called down, starting from kindergarten.  Parents & guardians were invited to attend & take photos of their children with Santa.  Students were dismissed after receiving their gifts.  School Administration thanked Santa for taking the time out of his busy schedule to bring joy to the students in Inuujaq School.  We also thanked his elves for assisting him.  (Don’t tell the students, but Santa was a local resident, and the elves were staff members).

I’ll be taking a short break from my blogging duties for the remainder of 2025.  Happy Holidays, New Year, and see you all in 2026!