CONCERTS......Did I attend the concerts for Christmas spirit or central heating? You decide, but there were concerts in Rovaniemi Church. (With a name like that, I wondered if there were any other churches in town.) The mural in the front of the sanctuary was painted in blues and purples with a wintery ice scene. Of course, Christ was in the center of the scene. To the left were those who appeared to be the righteous. To the right were the others, and they were in some kind of a fight. Most interesting to me, just beyond the sinners, a pack of wolves had taken down a reindeer.

The performing choir sang in a balcony behind the audience, so I had a lot of time to stare at those carnivorous wolves. There was a songbook of all the Finnish carols so the audience could sing along. I did my best to sing the random syllables, but some were just impossible. Among the random, random sounds there was once (and only once) a familiar "Gloria en excelsis deo". However, twice among those random Finnish syllables I heard "seksi" sung out by the holiday carolers. I had no idea what kind of holiday cheer they were celebrating at that moment.

MARTIN

The second concert involved an orchestra. Usually, I watch the pianist or violinists. They usually use their bodies to show how they feel the music. However, in my mind, the cellist stole the show. Who would have ever thought a cellist could show such feeling? He had long hair and at the beginning of each piece, he pushed it up and parts of it went straight up in the air. But, by the time he finished, it was always back in his eyes. No hair could stay in place when he was inspired by a piece. He moved the cello and the audience. And, audiences in Rovaniemi clap as well as stomp their feet when the music is good.

MARTIN