A Taste of Christmas

By Grace Thurman

Kicking off the holiday season, BGHS’ Taste of Christmas Choir Performance was held on December 8th and 9th at 7:00 PM. Having its 30th anniversary two years ago, the well-awaited choir performance has provided high Christmas spirits for many since 1991, when the Taste of Christmas event was established. Being only a sophomore, my experience with the Taste of Christmas performance isn't expert by any standards, but I’ve observed this festive event, not only as a first-timer, but as someone who finds importance in little events like these. Whatever the event may be, they will always be greatly appreciated and cherished by the Bowling Green community, much like the Taste of Christmas Choir Performance was this school year. 

Walking into Bowling Green High School’s Common Area, I observed how well-decorated the building was. Christmas trees, reefs, bows, and lights added to the festive atmosphere of the area, while performers were greeted by their loved ones with excitement and joy. Considering the event this year was known as “The Taste of Christmas,” plates and displays of food, provided by choir students, were offered for guests to enjoy as they watched the students perform. Chick-fil-A, fruit boards, chips, and multiple unique desserts of many were provided for the two days the event lasted, demonstrating how organized and well planned the event was.  

Also offered was the scheduled list of songs the different choir groups would perform that night, those groups being: Bellissima Choir, A Capella Choir, and AcaPurples. Some of the Christmas performances from that night included: “Up Above My Head” by the Bellissima Choir, “Betelehemu” and “Sleigh Ride” by the A Capella Choir, “This Christmas” by the AcaPurples, and several solo performances. Each performance was well organized and sounded great within the BGHS commons due to the mic placement, structure of the choir upon the social staircase, and extra additions, such as (    ) on the piano for each song. 

Band members Marshall Wiggins and Stone Dieme elevated each production even more through their performance on the congas. 

Stone describes his experience with playing in the Taste of Christmas performance as “a great opportunity offered to me by Ms. Berec that I took, because I enjoy playing the drums.” 

Stone also breaks down what the performance means to him as a junior, saying, “Considering I’m about to graduate high school, the performance as a whole demonstrates my skills as a band member, preparing me for college band, and it is a fun way to bring Christmas spirit into the school.” 

Alongside Stone Dieme, Michael Bunton-Gomez believes the Taste Of Christmas Performance was a successful show, and claims much more people showed up this year than last year, due to better advertising and promotion. 

“Many years before, the Taste of Christmas performance was only advertised through Facebook and Instagram, which was a reason why many people had never heard of the show until now.” 

In addition to this, Michael explains the process of preparing the stage and choir for the performance: “We mainly ran through music as a whole, then for us soloists we picked our own songs and worked with pianists during our own time to prepare… Also, as a first time soloist, I was nervous but super stoked to have this opportunity and see my fellow performers also gain this opportunity to have their own solo.” 

While Stone and Michael each explained what they thought the performance meant to the audience, which was to kick off the holiday season, the audience felt the true meaning behind the music, Christmas, and overall performance by seeing their raw emotions. Some of the audience members were crying, either tears of joy, for the holiday season and their childrens’ opportunity, while others were smiling and filming, excited and joyful for their child to have this wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience.  

This year, the Taste of Christmas choir performance was a great success because of the time, money, and care put into the production as a whole. Viewers left in high spirits, congratulating their loved ones for their performance, feeling like the holiday season was closer than ever before.