CAROLING MOB REPORT 2006

Carol Mob 1: Boston, December 17

This year we met at Jackson Square T stop and meandered our way up to the Milky Way in Hyde Square. Props to the owners of the Milky Way who provided us with hot cocoa and quesadillas! Hooha!

We went into Stop and Shop and sang in the fruit and veggies section... that scene appeared in the Boston Globe article that Christine Junge wrote about us. There were seventy of us in there... Sadly, despite my bilingual poster and ad in the Banner and so forth, it was pretty much a white group (I'd be happy for some more help in the outreach department! hint hint!) but it made for a pretty funny moment when a guy started leading us around the store saying, "I'm the black Moses!" I'm not sure, actually, looking back, why it was so funny, but we all (including Moses) laughed a lot.

After we let the Stop and Shop, we sang in a courtyard that had some nice decorations and a bunch of people listening. After we were done a guy came up and told us that we had totally made his Christmas- he'd been in the country for 26 years and this was the first time that Chriistmas wasn't depressing for him. Aw! But he was not, contrary to the Globe article, an old man. He was 50ish. I hope he didn't read that and retroactively repeal his warm fuzzies.

JP's Paul Daigle also led a caroling excursion the same night, and it turned out we were both near the Milky Way at the same time, so we hooked up and sang together a little. Then we went inside and they continued. I really liked the character of that group... they had drums and jingle bells and a girl being pushed around in a shopping cart. Very cute! Very cool!

After quaffing a few at the Milky Way, we decided to go up and see if the Cranston block party was still going on- by a coincidence, their party has...errr. coincided... with the Mob outing for the past 2 years. They had invited us to come and sing; I had thought that there might not be any interest after a few hours in the cold, but lo and behold, about 30 of us made it up the haill and- and------ the party was over! but! a guy saw us coming and banged on everone's door and they all brought leftover cookies for us anyways. And we sang a mini concert out there on the street- 4 songs or more- after we thought we didn't have any energy left. Ho ho ho! and we'd a kept going too!

Testimonial from Shawn

Joel,

I wanted to share with you some of the experiences I have encountered while singing at Christmas time. I've participated in the Caroling Mob twice, and on the second time I brought an old friend and his girlfriend. Now his girlfriend happens to be the sister of my girlfriend, and my old friend and his girlfriend just got engaged which now makes my old friend my brother-in-law, which is strange but clearly beside the point. Anyways, his girlfriend is a very shy person amongst big crowds, and would never think of opening her mouth to sing in public. We basically had to drag her to the first meeting spot of the Mob, telling her that if she hates singing that much, we'd all leave after giving it a try. Three hours later we were all tired and wanted to stop but she was urging us to continue on and sing until the very end.

Needless to say she must have felt very comfortable with some part of the dynamics of the Mob. Perhaps it was because you were really nurturing to every single person that was there, helping people find they're spot without being demanding or expecting. Or perhaps it was because you instinctly knew when to move on or when to stop and let us sing our hearts out to the totally unexpected and overly joyed listeners. Remember when we went into the JP Project Housing and we sang to about 25 people listening to us in the cold out on their porches, and the one gentleman came down and told us that "this is what Christmas is really about".

Or perhaps my friend just had straight up fun. It's really important to let go and hear yourself sing, even if you don't have a classically trained voice or even if you think that you have the worst voice in the whole wide world. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we all had a lot of fun singing with you and I'd definitely do it again, soon.

Shawn Morrissey

Carol Mini Mob 2: Idyllwild, CA, 12/23/06

I went to visit my girlfriend's parents in California this Holiday, and we decided to see if the idea would play on the West Coast. Well, friends of Jovi's family came- numbering about eight at the height of it- but no one responded to the ad in the paper. I hear Dolly Parton has a house there and I was definitely expecting her to come out. Oh well. Anyway, we had a jolly time... and the owner of the organic store gave us the best hot cocoa!-... but the pizza place, they didn't give us any pizza at all. And we musta sang 3 verses of "now bring us a piece-a-Pizza! "... ;)

CAROLING MOB REPORT 2005

Carol Mob 1- Downtown

Secret Plan: everyone got on the last car of the 1:15 inbound Orange Line train and started singing all at once. Performance art, yassir. We got a few ladies in the car singing with us, though they would not join us to carol. We got off at the New England Medical Center stop and got the "White Christmas" crowd coming out of the Wang center. I think they thought we were part of the show.

We went up past the opera house where the Nutcracker was playing and we sang in their entryway- nice acoustics!- ... Overheard comment: "...they look like real people!..." (as opposed to ...? I think they meant as opposed to paid actors and so forth, but it was funny out of context). Next we got on the Red Line to Harvard.

Harvard Square wasn't so interesting from a caroling standpoint, but then we went to Burdick's for hot cocoa. Whoa! yoiks! Rich!

Carol Mob 2- Sheridan Street in JP

This was a nice time full of warm fuzzies. No real great stories, just the kind of generous warmth that's the reason I started this event. People came out to listen; some people had their families and kids around; it was great. Some people took pictures, and if you were one of those, please send them to me. I'd love to update this site a little.

2004 mobs

About half of the 12/18/04 mob poses at Downtown Crossing at sundown.

CAROLING MOB REPORT 2004

Carol Mob 0.5, led by Andrea Condit, Friday, Dec. 17 2004

Andrea talked to me at the JP social club meeting about adding this auxiliary JP date to the itinerary, for those out of town on, or wanting more caroling action than just, the 22nd. It was small (8-10 of us?) but fun! A highlight for me was breaking in on a Domino game to carol some folks, and having one of them completely outcarol us with "Noche de Paz" in a powerful baritone. Ha ha ha! Then we sang at a bar and got free hot cocoa and cookies, that was nice. A guy in the bar had us sing to his daughter's voice mail. That was sweet too.

Carol Mob 1.0, Saturday, Dec. 18, Back Bay

We had 30-40 people in this mob. Memorable Moments:

a) The Three Scrooges Routine or, How they Kicked Us Out of the Copley Mall

Our first stop, after warming up in Back Bay Station, was to go to the mall across the street. We sang Joy To the World in the first space we came to, and then realized that there was a brass quintet playing in the middle space of the mall (this is a very upscale mall, complete with marble floors, a waterfall, etc.) We went to the middle and asked them if it was ok if we sang another tune- they said, sure!- so we sang Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" (which was only subtly subversive, I thought).

We finish. Security guard 1: Are you the leader?
me: Maybe. Why?
SG1: Could I see some ID?
me: We were just leaving. (pats shoulder. Probably a bad move)
SG1: don't touch me.
Me: Sorry.
2 seconds pass:
Security Guard 2: Are you the leader?
me: Maybe. Why?
SG1: Could I see some ID?
me: We were just leaving. We've already been asked to leave. (note that this time I do not pat his shoulder)
SG2: OK.
2 seconds pass. We are almost at the downward escalator.
Security Manager-type woman: Are you the leader?
me: maybe. Why?
We step onto the down escalator.
SMTW: Would you come downstairs with me?
me: Um. Ok. (we're already going downstairs)
SMTW: Could I see some ID?
me: May I ask Why you want to see my ID?
...and so on. I didn't give anyone my ID. I found out later that there are elements of the world who have gone into that very mall to sing anti-corperate christmas carols, which might explain the rather hostile reception. Crazy. Well. People.

b) Highlight for me (it was so beautiful): humming Silent Night in the BPL. The security guard THERE smiled and waved. Heh heh. Sorry to all my librarian friends, but well, we did only hum.

Carol Mob 3.0, Weds., Dec 22, in JP

We left Green street station with 62 people! ha ha! And, I left my jacket in the station, and a guy on a bicycle caught up to us 15 minutes later and brought them to me! Aw! And, well, we really sounded especially good on Joy to the World, Dona Nobis Pacem... It was a great time. One person wrote this:

"My best memory (Joe, make note for JP neighbors!) is of standing at the corner of Chestnut and Boylston, singing to one lonely lighted floor in one house set back from the road, thinking we were on our last legs. Did we even know if anyone was in there to hear us? And by the end of the first song there were people at the windows of at least 8 buildings along the two streets, sharing in the mysterious joyful noisemaking taking place in the down below. What a great way to spread holiday cheer and true spirit! "