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can be a particularly contentious arena. Oftenone hears the seasonal plea, in part a reactionto the commercialization of the holiday, to“keep Christ in Christmas.” And yet many ofthe most familiar tropes of Christmas — holly,trees, gifts, the midwinter date of the celebration— are borrowed and appropriated frompre-Christian pantheistic worship, popularlyknown as paganism.One might reasonably argue that many of theapparently non-religious aspects of Christmasthat are often deplored — the saturnalia ofgift-giving, decoration, parties and indulgencein food and drink — have actually returnedChristmas to its pre-Christian roots, a midwintersolstice celebration of companionshipand warmth in the midst of cold and darkness.Muse on this when next you hear the greatcarol, The Holly and the Ivy, redolent withpagan imagery.The above is only one of many great carols,and one of the delights of this time of year isthe chance to indulge in many concerts andhear the many and varied approaches to carols,Paul Halley.songs and extended Christmas-themed works. I am told that ameasure of eggnog can add to this delight, though this column takesno responsibility Canadianfor the health or safety of those who over-indulgein either carols or festive drinks.Men’sFINALLY, some upcoming seasonal concerts of noteThe Kyiv Chamber Chorus Choir, on tour of Canada from the Ukraine,sings in Waterloo, St. Catherines and Toronto between November 25and 27.The Mohawk College Community Choir includes Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio in a concert onDecember 3.On the same night, Cantores Celestes performsCanadian choral icon Derek Holman’sSir Christemas in a concert that benefits, inpart, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline.In Guelph on November 26, the GuelphChamber Choir performs “Voices of Light:An Advent Festival of Music and Poetry,”including English-born Canadian Paul Halley’sVoices of Light and works by American choralcomposers Daniel Pinkham and Eric Whitacre.I am always advocating for BenjaminBritten’s St. Nicholas to evolve into a seasonalfavourite on par with Messiah, ChristmasOratorio, etc. The Pax Christi Choraleperforms this wonderful work on December 3and 4.Also on December 3, the TorontoChoral Society performs in a ScarboroughPhilharmonic Orchestra concert with theintriguing title of “Howard Cable’s CowboyChristmas.” Composer Cable, a genuineCanadian institution, hosts and conducts.For those who are not quite ready to embrace the winter choralseason in all its frosty exuberance, Isabel Bernaus’ Jubilate Singersperforms “Music of the Mediterranean” on November 26. A concertthat focuses on music from warmer climes might be just the thing tofeed the spirit as the cold weather descends and the autumn recedesinto memory.Ben Stein is a Toronto tenor and theorbist.He can be contacted at choralscene@thewholenote.com.Visit his website at http://benjaminstein.ca.CanadianMen’sChorusA Gentlemen’s Christmas:Winter’s ChillCanadian Men’s ChorusGreg Rainville, Artistic DirectorSaturday, December 10, 2011, 8:00 PMGlenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W, TorontoFeaturing the world premiere performanceof the song cycle “A New Star”by Toronto composer, Avalon Rusk.Also including works by Canada’s best:Willan, Loomer, Ramsay and Luengen.Tickets $30Available from the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office(416-872-4255) or online at www.canadianmenschorus.ca24 thewholenote.comNovember 1 – December 7, 2011