But, back to Christmas Caroling… the most usual time to go was after the school music program.  We were dressed up to perform, but changed shoes, bundled up and sang to all the shut-ins we could think of around town.  There were many people we sang to every year from my 7th grade through 12th grade years.  (Those people seemed so old to me then—and now, I’m one of that older generation… it can’t be.)  The old carols like Silent Night, The First Noel, O Little Town of Bethlehem were what we sang in front of houses.  And, we had fun with White Christmas, Rudolph, Winter Wonderland, Up on the House Top and others while walking from house to house.

It was especially fun if we had a date to hold hands with and, for several of those years, I had the same date.  Jack, my future husband, didn’t necessarily like to sing, but wouldn’t think of not being right there with me.  The Jr. Y-Teen girls and the younger boys liked to watch to make sure we weren’t doing anything improper. 

I’ve recently learned, on our 43rd wedding anniversary, from Dennis Rominger that Jack and I were observed sneaking a kiss or two and he (Dennis) was really disgusted.  He couldn’t believe that the leading Bearcat athlete engaged is such activity.  I wonder if Dennis ever had a girlfriend in the upper grades?   Sure hope so.

Though sometimes we might have been off-key, we had Gelene Eberhart to hit those high notes and Carol Cain the low ones.  Others from the Class of 1962 were Gayle Lowdermilk, Carolyn Noller, Leatrice Kiener, Judy Shoemaker, Paula Smith Doris Vint, Connie Davis, Judy Staley, David Stouffer, Jim Porter, Norval Boehner, Doug McBlair, Darrell Davis, Vernon Hiserote, Albert More, Norval Boehner, Leon Albert and "Pink" LaCroix.   Yes, the boys were always along, but sometimes I think just to let us flirt with them and make us squeal by throwing snowballs. 

Whenever anyone talks about going caroling I remember the fun times we had growing up in Glen Elder and the snow piled high in the middle of the street.