I Went a Wassailing

EB was in town this Tuesday, my lovely former bedroommate and brilliant Duke law student. She shot out a mass email to all her D.C. friends suggesting dinner at a nearby restaurant. Of course I'd be there, I said. But when I received a follow-up email suggesting we go caroling instead . . . I was none too thrilled. I envisioned myself among a merry, gay crowd of carolers standing near some metro stop and obnoxiously belting out Christmas tunes. Sounded like a really dumb idea to me. But if it meant seeing EB, I would go.

We met at her friends' home where I was reintroduced to her old college chums as we sat around drinking wine and eating white cheddar corn puffs, holiday music playing in the background. Her friends were delightful, genuinely nice people, and the music and stockings on the mantel were really infusing some Christmas spirit into my bones. So much so that when the sheet music was passed around, I was ready to do some singing!

Rather than sing to passersby at a public place, the idea was to stop by the neighbors' houses and treat them to our little ensemble, an idea I was much more comfortable with. Although not everyone opened their doors at our knocking, we didn't mind singing for the sake of hearing our own voices. There was something neat about walking the streets, laughing, singing, and (I can't believe I'm going to say it) enjoying the bearably cold weather.

Our last stop was the apartment of five girls, friends of one of the carolers. They came out of the lobby in their furry slippers and pajamas and joined in the singing, as the guys all took off their coats for them to wear. After a few songs, they insisted we come upstairs to enjoy the cookies they'd just finished baking. We found ourselves not only eating their treats but also dancing to the ever-popular N'Sync and Mariah Christmas songs. The girls even performed their own interpretive dance which we quickly picked up on. It reminded me so much of my college apartment days and the (four) old roommates I love so much.

The point in all of this is . . caroling is not dumb. Er, no that's not really it. The point is that a good attitude makes a big difference, and anything can be fun when you're with great people. I had such an unexpectedly good time!