Back in May, I wrote about how teachers are farmers of students; planting seeds of learning in them, and then nurturing them to see them grow. There was one particular class and yearly performance that had a huge impact on my high school experience. Every year my high school choir puts on America’s Tallest Singing Christmas Tree, a 67 foot tall tree structure that holds 240 singers with more freshman girls on the ground and a 50 person student orchestra that has been on a national TV program twice and last year made it on news around the world. It always takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving , and for a lot of people it is their start to the Christmas season. And now with the 32^nd annual Tree done, it will be able to influence so many more choir kids, than it already has with everyone who’s already been able to sing in it.

Singing in the Tree every year, was always one of my favorite performances because we were able to bring so much joy to so many people, including ourselves. For those of us who had fun and showed it while we were singing, it was an even more memorable experience.

Yes, we had to learn 15 or more songs each year and start rehearsing them on the first day of school in September, with some of them easier than others, but the music really challenged us and the director made us work harder, than probably most of our other teachers. But this brought out all of our potential and made us work extremely hard to make the show happen, with the rewards being just as fulfilling and amazing.

After seeing pictures and all the posts on the choir Facebook page, as well as the director recording a live behind the scenes video before the Friday night performance made me start to really miss being in high school and getting to sing in the Tree.

Having to wait around in the venue upstairs with everyone in choir before each performance, including the rehearsals, and between the two shows on Saturday, was also a big bonding time for everyone. This is mainly because you’ve got everyone who’s in choir in one large room, just hanging out and talking, or playing games on Saturday.

Being able to be in Tree every year, and get to experience this amazing legacy that my high school has created are memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. I’m so thankful to not only the first choir director who came up with the idea to create something like Tree, but also to our choir director, who inspires so many and brings out the best in all his students. I can’t wait to go back to see it again, probably after I graduate college, and see future generations of choir kids work hard to carry on the tradition and see the reward they receive as a result, as well as singing the Alma Mater and the Lord Bless You and Keep You with all choir kids past and present.

Here you can see 32 really cool pictures from 32 years of the Tree: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/11/must-see_32_moments_from_32_ye.html#0