Tis the season

I rushed out of synagogue to attend my son's "holiday" concert yesterday. "I'm going to go listen to my son sing "We Are Santa's Elves," I apologized to a congregant who had just arrived. "That's OK," he said. "In New York, we used to joke that it was the Jews who knew all the words and kept all of the Christmas carols in tune."

I arrived early, securing a seat in the fifth row. I saw on the program that my son's class was third in line to sing and planned an early exit. Then I remembered that one of my fourth-grade Hebrew school students had asked if I was going to the concert. Her class came on right after my son's. "No problem," I thought, just a bit more time.

The third-graders were second in line to sing. I picked out a boy from my son's bus stop. Then I spotted another of my religious school students in the group. I ran through a mental checklist of my students, realizing I should probably stay to hear the kindergarteners too, the next to the last group.

I sat bemused by the irony of being a Jewish school principal proudly listening to her Jewish students sing Christmas songs.

Finally the fifth graders! Knowing my only fifth graders go to schools in Two Harbors and western Duluth, I confidentally stood up to make my "early" exit. Wouldn't you know it. They were the group singing the only Hanukkah song.