Editor's Note: Have a blessed and Merry Christmas, East Cobb!

Well, all that’s left now is to enjoy Christmas.

All the rushing around in busy stores and weaving through East Cobb traffic is over.

I don’t know why, but I’m like many who wait until the last minute to tie up loose ends.

But what’s been a festive season is reaching its peak.

While Christians will be celebrating the birth of Jesus on Wednesday, our Jewish neighbors will begin eight days of Hanukkah as well.

It’s a time for all of us, regardless of our religious views—or whether or not we even have them—to step back and take stock of the many blessings we have in our community.

I write this, on Christmas Eve, shortly before attending a candlelight service.

This day has been difficult personally for the last few years because it’s the day my mother began her final journey after a long battle with lung cancer.

But this was always her favorite time of year, and I know she would have enjoyed the Christmas concert at the church I’ve been attending.

Last Sunday, the Atlanta-based Gate City Brass performed at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, which has magnificent acoustics in its sanctuary.

For several years, they’ve had a group of members organize three or four concerts a year and invited the public. They asked me to help out with publicity, but for someone who can’t carry a tune across the room, I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely.

The talent and dedication it takes to learn to play music, and do it well, has always amazed me.

The Gate City Brass members arranged many of the Christmas classics that we’re familiar with, and I recorded a couple of those tunes for you to enjoy below.

They’re a bit different than what you may be used to hearing, but these renditions certainly added more fun and enjoyment for the Christmas season for me.

We’ll be taking off Christmas Day but will be back later in the week with more holiday coverage, including a Hanukkah Menorah lighting and other festivities to bid farewell to 2024 and say hello to the new year to come.

Merry Christmas East Cobb!

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