Princeton Complete

We had a very successful Princeton Tree lighting, at least as far as the public is concerned. As my PS says, "If it ever goes according to the script, it will be a miracle!" So the miracle did not happen this year - try again next year!

This year was different, for me anyway. Usually I wait in the hotel room provided, or try to see the event from the crowd (note the word 'try' - I have not ever been in a good spot to see anything yet). This year my PS convinced me to come down with him and stand in the "VIP" section near the 'stage' entrance. (The 'stage' is actually the patio for the Nassau Inn, which overlooks the quad on Palmer Square.) So did I 'see' anything? Oh, I saw everything - from the back. Still, I got to hear everything and that is more important.

What went "wrong?" According to the script, a family sits next to a fireplace, waiting for Santa, while reading "The Night before Christmas." That was fine, as the 'Mother' and 'Father' actors had that part. But when the little girl was supposed to say her lines, a look came across her face and I really understood what they mean by "a deer in the headlights" look. She looked at the 'father,' opened her mouth and - nothing. She just kept looking at him with her mouth open, appearing to search for help or a way to run off the stage. 'Father' basically said her lines for her, in the form of questions (Do you wonder if Santa is real? Do you wonder if he will arrive soon?)

The audience of a couple of thousand people never knew what was going on, so the recovery was okay. Then my PS arrives and does not know this little girl is oozing flop-sweat, so he says his line, expecting a response (there was none), so now he is filling in her lines. Again, the audience never knows.

Now comes my Santa's moment - lighting the tree. The plan is to get the audience involved, yelling Merry Christmas louder and louder until the third time they yell, the tree lights up - or at least, that is how it works every other year. This year, my PS gets everyone to yell Merry Christmas and tree lights on the first try! Surprise! The guy with the PC controlling everything lost his timing, I guess, so the band and my PS start a rousing chorus of "Oh, Christmas Tree" with the audience. Again, unless the people come every year - and many do - they never knew the timing was wrong. Now the Princeton High School Chorus comes bounding out the door and starts to assemble on stage. Again, not in the script, as they had already entertained the crowd before the vignette. Or, if it was in the script, nobody told my PS! But he recovered, although I heard him say to the choral director "Is there enough room up here?" So the chorus sang two more songs, Santa sang with them and the audience sang along. Again, Surprise!

At this point, I am not sure what is happening. I am standing near the wind ensemble and they were caught off guard by this sudden entrance of the chorus but caught up and played the songs now being sung. The coordinator of this whole thing appears after the two surprise songs, grabs a microphone and announces from behind the chorus that the festivities are over. Surprise again!

The chorus leaves the stage, the musicians pack up and I look to see my PS being overrun by the crowd. They are waving and tugging and hugging and I know he loves it. The coordinator asks me if he will be okay and I told her he will be fine, but I am worried that he could get sick, catch some illness or whatever. So she lunges into the crowd to save my PS after about 20 minutes.

After the ceremonies, there is a little reception inside for the Palmer Square Chamber of Commerce, who sponsor this little soiree. So I go up to the room to wait, as my PS has to "press the flesh."

When he comes back to the room, he is tired, but exhilarated. So I suggest that we walk to one of the restaurants and get dinner - after he removes the Santa suit, of course. As we walk, I see a few people look at my PS as if they know him. Without the suit, he looks like a normal guy with white hair and beard, or as normal as that can be. We had a nice dinner, then come back to the hotel where a young woman is getting her two little children together to go up to the room. Something about the way she looked at my PS, again the recognition of...somebody, but this time the look turned into realization. She knew who he was, she knew he was the guy who just lit the tree, but she did not want to alert her two small children. So she looked at me and without saying a word indicated that she wanted me to help her. I said "Yes, it is." The joy on her face was amazing and she called her husband and was pointing at my PS, saying "Greg, look, just look!" Fortunately, her children never caught on. Adorable.

On the same note, while my PS was waiting to go on 'stage,' many people came up to him and asked for pictures, tell Santa what they want, etc. Those cell phones that take pictures are everywhere! Amazing. Could make a person's head swell, huh?