I was sort of in the dumps on Saturday night, with weeks to go until my Marine comes home from Afghanistan after almost a year away. Thanksgiving was passable at best, and Christmas without him promises to be busy but what can you say? You simply miss the ones you love, especially knowing they’re having to celebrate for the umpteenth time in an armpit nation, unable to even have a cold beer or a very warm shower.

Then my friend Scott Chadwick sent me this link to a You Tube video of a flash mob, a group of singers who sur-prised shoppers at a mall food court re-cently, not with some funky dance thing (which we see often in college dining halls) but with a magnificent rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

I used to sing alto, a long time ago, and one of the things I miss the most around this time of year is singing this piece. This video put me back into great spirits, bringing tears to my eyes in a good way. I especially thought those who stood, appropriately (the tradition was said to have started at the London premier of Messiah when King George II stood during the entire Hallelujah Chorus, upon which the entire audience stood). The lucky patrons of this food court who were able to join this flash mob must’ve been in shopper heaven this day.

Here is the link to the video. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch, especially if you’re a music lover. It really puts you in the holiday spirit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?vSXh7JR9oKVE