December 12, 2003
View From Lodi, CA: Christmas Still Alive In Lodi—And
Radio City
By Joe Guzzardi
Christmas—one of the most
comforting words—has come under siege from the
politically correct crowd. Every December, “Merry
Christmas”
fights it out with the offensive, grating
“Happy Holidays” and the insufferable “Season’s
Greetings.”
Whenever I hear one of those
obnoxious phrases, I am quick to reply: “And a Merry
Christmas to you!”
But can Christmas survive the PC
onslaught? That’s a tall order.
Lodi does a better job than most
cities at maintaining Christmas and its traditions.
During the “Parade of Lights,” for example, the Lodi
Fire Department was right out front
wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas.” And every
night the fire trucks roam the city
spreading Christmas cheer.
The Lodi News-Sentinel
sponsored a
“Spirit of Christmas 2003” essay contest for writers
from ages 9 to 19. All of the eight winning
essays—fiction and non-fiction—told stories how each
writer feels about the importance of Christmas.
Our trusty Lodi News-Sentinel
carriers took out a full page ad to wish us all a “Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Ann Kerr, the photo consultant at
the Lodi Family History Center, just completed a two-
year project about nativity scenes that she collected
from all over the world. More than 300 Christmas scenes
arranged by Kerr will be on display
this weekend at Lodi’s Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Kerr assembled a book retelling the
Biblical version of the Christmas story that used
photographs of her 10 grandchildren as the baby Jesus,
the wise men and assorted angels.
Now for you Christmas fans, I am
delighted to report great news from the national front.
The “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” in New
York is completely and totally “uncorrected.” The
show is magnificent in every respect and triumphantly
celebrates Christmas in all of its glory.
Last Christmas when I was in
New York, I went to the show two days after
Christmas as an after-thought. Years had passed since I
had last been to Radio City. Looking back, the Christmas
Spectacular was the highlight of my trip.
The Radio City Christmas
Spectacular has delighted locals and tourists since
1933. Last year, more than 1 million people watched the
90-minute show that featuring a cast of 140 dancers and
singers. Even at ticket prices ranging up to $125, the
show is a “can’t miss” for anyone in Manhattan.
To keep the material fresh, every
year some changes are made. “The Parade of Wooden
Soldiers,” performed by the
Rockettes, is the same as it was 70 years ago. In
“Toyland,” the famous dancers are still dressed as rag
dolls.
But last year, the 35-piece Radio
City orchestra performed a new overture
that introduced a 3-D
film in which Santa Claus and his reindeer guide viewers
on a sleigh ride through New York City. According to the
New York Times, the film is:
“An
eye-popping, gently stomach-flipping 3-D funhouse ride.
The audience, all sporting 3-D glasses, swoops by the
Statue of Liberty, speeds over the Empire State
Building, charges through Central Park, dashes by the
holiday-clad windows of Fifth Avenue, and finally lands
at Radio City Music Hall. Gasps of excitement can be
heard by the audience as they tour the great sites of
New York City as never before.”
[The
Bears Are Human; The Camels Are Camel, BY
Lawrence van Gelder, November 7, 2001]
Other attractions
added in recent years include a revised "Santa's
Workshop"—with the Rockettes as leggy reindeer—and
"White Christmas in New York," in which the
Rockettes appear as dancing snowflakes.
According to John
Bonanni, the show’s production supervisor for the last
nine years,
"The Rockettes are
women who have danced on Broadway, in industrial shows,
at corporate presentations. But to come here gives them
a whole other identity. You have 36 individual women
doing something together, creating a unit that is really
beautiful and unique."
More than 1,300 colorful
costumes are worn in The Radio City Christmas
Spectacular. The Rockettes must change costumes eight
times during each show—-sometimes in as little as 78
seconds.
The highlight of the
Christmas Spectacular is “The Living Nativity,”
unchanged
lo these many years. A parade of live animals
including two donkeys, three camels, five sheep and a
horse surround Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.
"This is an
institution that is honored by a lot of people,"
said Bonanni,
"There are things that have been part of this show for
so many years, and you can't change them."
In recent years,
“The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” has gone on
tour.
Unfortunately for
Lodians, the closest the show will be is Phoenix where
it will run from December 12-31. Should you be in that
area, information is available at 480-784-4444.
And if you don’t have
plans to visit Arizona, “The Christmas Spectacular”
alone would be worth the trip.
[JOENOTE
TO VDARE.COM READERS: I’ll be candid. I was
shocked that “The Christmas Spectacular” was so
untouched by correctness—-and in the super politically
correct and multicultural New York, no less. I called
Radio City Music Hall to ask how the show’s producers
pulled it off.
A
spokesman, Robert Moore, said simply, “Well, this is
Christmas after all.”]
