Originally published in 2018, I brushed it off, made a few revisions and brought it back. An inspiring Holiday Family Story to share at the end of a very challenging year-Enjoy!
Christmas 2018
It was a packed audience. The twenty-eight-hundred seat Paramount Theater had standing room only for the city of Seattle’s premier Christmas Concert to benefit the Pacific Northwest Children’s Foundation. It had become a neighborhood tradition at the Paramount, that opened its doors in 1928 and would eventually become part of the National Register of Historic Places serving as an official city landmark. The majestic Paramount was built expressly for showing films and secondarily, vaudeville acts. Eventually, the Paramount started operating as a performing arts venue, serving a diverse patron base that attends Broadway theatre, concerts, dance, comedy, family engagements, silent films and jazz. It was considered to be one of the busiest theatres in the region and was the first venue to be built with a floor that converted the theater seating into a ball room dance floor.
With the snow falling, together with the chilled patrons dressed in their winter scarves and mittens, it was perfect. As they enjoyed the carolers belting out Joy to The World on the corner of 9th Avenue and Pine Street, the Christmas setting couldn’t have been better. It was as if they were all inside a giant Holiday snow globe.
He peered through the curtains to the theater floor from back stage. Wow, it really is a full house. Twenty-seven-year-old Itsuki Gonzales, known to the world as Itsu was one of the country’s premier concert pianists. He has traveled the globe and appeared as a guest performer with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has given private performances at the White House for Presidents and Kings. But that night’s concert was more important to him than any other. It was his first performance back in his hometown, performing for his friends, neighbors and family.
After watching the people adorned in their formal Christmas apparel fill the theater seats he smiled and laughed after making a final decision. Already dressed in his black tuxedo and formal tails he passed through the hectic backstage activities in search of the dressing room and makeup and costume mistress.
“Hey Mr. Itsuki, it’s a full house out there. Are you ready?”
“I think so Edna, do you have the Christmas sweater that my sister brought over this morning?”
“You mean Annie? Yessir, it’s hanging the in wardrobe, let me get it for you.”
It was an oversized red and green sweater embellished with Holiday decorative horizontal sequined stripes and piano keyboards across the shoulders and hem.
Yeah, that’s the one. He removed his tux coat and changed from the formal white shirt into the ugly sweater. He twirled in front of the full-length mirror with outstretched arms, satisfied and still chuckling, Yup, that’s it.
to be continued