It is Thanksgiving time, and you know what that means. Â Santa arrives at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Â Boxes of ornaments appear from dusty basements. Even the 99% and the 1% put aside their differences, form a circle around the tree, and drink egg nog.
Yes, it is that time of the year again — the announcement of the Sixth Annual Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert!
The online concert this year will take place on December 18, 2011, right here. Â Isn’t this the year when we finally hear YOU SING?! Â Â Sign up in the comments today.
Concert FAQ:
1.  Create an audio file or a video file of you performing a holiday song. If you need technical help, ask me.
2. Â You must be performing in the audio or video. Â Don’t cheat and have your cute kids doing all the work.
3. Â You can sing, play an instrument, recite poetry, dance the Nutcracker, or create music on your iPhone.
4. Â Once completed, you have the choice of posting it on your blog or YouTube and sending me the link, or emailing me the complete multimedia file. Â Try to get me everything by Friday, December 16, 2010, two days before the concert! Â That gives you plenty of time to be creative.
5. Â If you don’t want to sing a song, send me a holiday photo for concert decoration. Â It could be of your tree, menorah, or plain ol’ winter solstice if you are a heathen.
6. Â The comment section is the sign-up sheet. Â Â By signing up, we can see who is performing what, so we can avoid having ten versions of “Frosty the Snowman.”
7. Â Most importantly — don’t be intimidated if you can’t sing. Â Â We like to laugh at you.
8. Â Here are the past blockbuster concerts —
2006Â Â 2007Â Â 2008Â Â 2009Â Â 2010
Join us in the longest-running holiday concert online — The Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert, now in it’s sixth season!
I’m totally gonna do this, Neil. And what I’m gonna do is gonna rock. Whatever it is. I guarantee no one else will do it like I will do it. So here I am, signing up. But I have to hurry . . . the green bean casserole is burning!!!
Sing? Hell no. Picture? Yes, and you’ll find it enchanting.
All right. I will attempt Jingle Bells for you.
After all these years, I might just get my act together to do something for the concert…I finally have SKYPE and a built-in camera and a means to do something. Will let you know if I put something together.
Everyone give a hand for producer Neil Kramer. Woo-hoo [loud applause]!!!!!
Okay, I sent my performance off to Neil today. “Another New Year’s Eve” by Barry Manilow.
You know I’m in.
Because Christmas is never complete with out a little cat in heat singing to ring the season in.
(Have no idea what I’ll be singing, but you know it’ll be AWESOME. And by awesome I mean terribly, horribly, no good bad.)
Maybe I could put together a video of the contributions?
Let’s do this!
I’m either going to do “White Christmas” or “Blue Christmas” or some other Christmas song.
I might make an appearance this year. Got to think about it a bit, but who knows…
I will dredge up some sort of Hanukkah song to contribute – probably “Hanukkah oh Hanukkah” unless I can come up with something better. And I’m warning you: I can’t sing to save my life (in spite of being in choir in Jr. & High School and singing the second soprano part of Hallelujah Chorus for so many years running that I still remember it to this day). So it ain’t gonna be pretty. Plenty of fodder for mocking sure to come.
I MIGHT sing this year. Maybe.
I WILL contribute a photo, as I always do.
Yay! This is one of my favorite things. I can’t wait.
Like I said, I’m making my big come back appearance this year. Already today I’ve been pouring over my holiday CD collection to see what I might want to crank out of recognition on the ol’ accordion.
To keep it simple for you, my dear Neilochka, it will be something rather obscure and “ethnic” so you probably don’t have to worry about 12 versions of it.
And maybe a picture.
Don’t count on any singing. Just saying…
Thanks again for making community.
–NFH
Honk yes! This time with TROMBONES! 🙂 Thank yo for doing this again. Along with Weetabix’s card exchange this makes my holiday.
Oh, God.
Unless I con someone into getting me that iPhone I want, it’ll be a picture. Of some sort.
I’ve never done this.
Crap. I guess once I hit ‘post comment’ it’s a done deal.
Hells yeah.
OK. I got the iPhone.
I’m doing “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.”
And my heavy southern twang will be accompanying me. Like I even have a choice with that.
I’ll do it and get it to you this week.
I’m glad you’re sticking with this, Neil! The Miller Family Singers will attempt “Oh Hanukkah.” (Hope you don’t mind the repeat but it’s the only Hanukkah song my two-year-old knows by heart!)
I’m in. I think I will try to do a New Zealand folk song–maybe “Everything is Kapai”.
i’m making up my own song. 🙂
😛 you’ll have to decide if it’s “appropriate” once you hear it.
Rock on Ingrid!
Holy crap, I am sooo in! I’ve waited all year to jump on this wagon and can’t wait. I will be dragging my irritatingly cute family in with me. HA! Hmmm, now what to sing…perhaps “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”. Yes!
It’s yours!
Signing for another one… hopefully this is fine to provide you with a video that was from past years? because I won’t have time to do otherwise. If yes, it will be either Hanerot Hallalu, or Maoz Tzur, whatever will work for you.
This will be an #OpEleanor for me. Count me in! Probably some old fashioned Carol from my Catholic days of yore.
yep, i’m in
wouldn’t miss it for anything! it was a highlight for us to participate last year! xo
I’m in. No idea what song though.
I’ll be there, of course. Probably a photograph though … I need to think on it! : )
I’m in. Thanks for hosting, Neil!! It is a highlight of the holidays in the blogosphere. 🙂
Neil, I’m in like Flynn.
I think I may have to go for it this year. Fight the power!
So I just sang Silent Night. One take, because I refuse to redo it and look wooden and practiced. Hope it’s okay, even if there are some flat parts. 😉 Will send.
I’m sure it is great.
I’m in. No clue what I’m singing or doing yet.
Wowowowo! My first invite (via FB) – I am totally touched. I may even have to do this…
Hi Neil! I think I contributed years ago … I will put on my creative thinking cap and try for a song this year. Hurray for you!
Oh fun! I think I will give this a try. So I can’t shamelessly use my kids? Oh well, they would probably roll their eyes and declare, “God! No, Mom!” But the grandbabies…I’ll do some Christmas-y song. That narrows it down a bit, right? Let me think on this.
Sarah and I will be embarrassing ourselves together as only we are capable of doing.
I’ll also send a picture or two so you can pick.
Hee! So excited.
I might be able to hum. Or whistle. Or play spoons.
I’m all in. I will sing. Badly. My children might dance and do backup if I pay them. I think we’ll do a bit of the “Candlelight” song that was knocked off last yr by the Maccabeats.
Ciaran, my non-Jewish kids sing the Maccabeats version all the time. We’re flipping latkes in the air – can’t wait to hear your version!
The whole “no hiding behind your cute kids” thing gave me pause. But I may participate nonetheless. My 7 year old plays a mean “Jingle Bells” on the piano and my 9 year old is a guitar rock star. I’m not sure what song we’ll do yet.
One thing I can promise is a nice Christmas photo!
Totally in.. maybe making my own song again
picture for sho but man, singing? i can only do this in drunk in the privacy in my own home. I’ll let you know soon because i’m a total procrastinator.
I’m going to try to get my act together for this. 🙂
Oh what fun! I’m gathering some music industry friends and we will bring either a Newfoundland Christmas song or a rendition of the Pogues. In any case, it is going to be a hoot 🙂
Am I allowed to croon via blue lobster finger puppet?
Absolutely!
I’m in. AND, I may have to be tipsy to do what I’m planning to do. If so, so be it. ‘Tis the season.
If you’ll have me, I’m totally in. Been wanting to do this forever! Okay, so really only since last year. But a year is a damn long time online.
Dude. I cant go and blow my chance for three years in a row, right? So I’ll do sumtin. Maybe Rocking’ Round the Christmas Tree. Will confirm shortly. Thanks as always for organizing this!
Ok. Officially claiming Rockin’. Game on.
Dibs on “Ding Dong Merrily On High”.
😉
You’re such a great holiday concert producer! I can’t wait to watch the entries, your readers are always so talented!
I’m in and will be performing a new carol I found especially for Chrismukkah…sung to the tune of Deck the Halls.
Haven’t sung in public without the help of alcohol in ages. Which means that I probably shouldn’t start now.
What day is the last day to send you the submission?
I am trying to decide on the song still. Contenders include: “Happy Holidays” or “Let it Snow” or “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”. It will probably be none of these.
i’m in & have a few things going around. either a winter-y (non-holiday) song or a made-up song.
whee!!!!!
Count me in!
I’m in. No singing though, probably just a photo. 🙂
Ooh, I really want to do this. But I’m not sure I can get my idea together in time.
Happy Christmahanukwanzaakah either way!
We’re in again (how could we not be?) but haven’t cage-death-matched over what we’ll perform. Stay tuned!
I think I’m in, with my kids. If it works, we’re doing “Christmas is Coming (the goose is getting fat).”
Last year I sang. This year, I was hoping to submit a video of performers from my musical, The Christmas Bride, singing my song, A British Christmas, at a benefit. But that breaks all the rules.
The Christmas Bride, a Dickensian romance, plays December 15-21 at Lucid Stage in Portland Maine.
I will be singing Little Drummer Boy with the kids accompanying me on djembe.
This sounds awesome! I’ll sing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
I cannot believe I didn’t know about this place before the CGC newslettery thing.
I’m in, either something lyrical and Churchy like O Holy Night, or something from my 4 y/o’s preschool song book. Either one.
Have a holly jolly xmas….I think that’s the name.
I’m singing my version of Winter Wonderland. FYI: I am a terrible singer.
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Ives
If I can get it done tonight it will be me and the Boy performing one of our favorite not-actually-a-Christmas-song-but-I-like-to-sing-it-this-time-of-year-anyway songs.
So I think it’s not too late, I’ll get you the video by tonight…Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. 🙂
Yeah, count me in. “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus” or maybe “Grandma got Run Over by a reindeer?”