The lakecity has a special new song to sing celebrating the Christmas season.
Rossetta Paxton has written a song celebrating the lakecity’s Santa Claus Parade and Winter Lights celebration.
The city’s quintessential singer/songwriter, who keeps the price tag on her guitar in honour of one of her country idols Minnie Pearl, sang her song for council on their last meeting of the year Dec. 17.
Councillor Ivan Bonnell said they should start off all their meetings with song.
Paxton says she wrote the song as part of an eight-week song-writing course that she had been taking through the Berklee College of Music out of Boston.
She wrote about eight songs during the course and a few more exercises.
The deadline for this particular song came about as they were preparing for the Santa Claus Parade and Winter Lights festival so she thought why not write a song about it.
“I wrote approximately eight songs in eight weeks,” Paxton says. “I was quite happy with the program.”
She was hoping for a better mark but given that she missed one of the deadlines she is happy with her 82 per cent score on the course.
“I was an experience.”
Paxton’s birthday is on Christmas Eve which for her has been a blessing, not something to grumble about.
“My birthday just wouldn’t be the same if it was any other time of year. I don’t have to have a party because of all the Christmas lights and excitement happening around me at this time of year.”
She says she’s also had some funny birthday/Christmases over the years to add to the fun. For instance she says people might give her part of a gift on Christmas Eve for her birthday and the other part of the gift on Christmas Day.
In one case she received one shoe on Christmas Eve and the other one on Christmas Day which she thought was quite funny.
Paxton is also pretty good at sharing around her own Christmas cheer with others.
All year long you will find her and many of her musical friends performing for seniors at the Seniors Village, at Deni House, at Sunset Manor and for other special occasions such as Stampede, Harvest Fair and the Winter Lights festival.
She says other musicians and singers are invited to join them at the Seniors’ Village for jam sessions held on the third Tuesday of each month starting at 10:30 a.m.
Residents join in singing the songs.
Musicians and singers also meet at Deni House every third Thursday of the month starting at 10:30 a.m. to entertain residents there.
People are also invited to join Paxton and her musical friends for jam sessions held every third Thursday of the month from noon to 3 p.m. at Alley Katz Bistro.
The Winter Lights song follows:
Winter Lights
Winter Lights festival and the Santa Claus parade
In town square waiting there with the children at play
Will they hear Sleigh bells ringing before they see the sleigh?
As we gather there’s lots of chatter all about to-day
Chorus
Santa’s on his way in his red sleigh
Oh! It will be a beautiful sight
To see the tree decked out in “winter lights”
Santa lights the Christmas tree for everyone in town to see
Wagon rides if that’s your pleasure or a play by studio theatre
Hot chocolate, and hot cider, popcorn and laughter
Music for all to hear it’s the best time of the year
Chorus
Santa’s on his way in his red sleigh
Oh! It will be a beautiful sight
To see the tree decked out in “winter lights”
Winter lights upon the tree shines in perfect harmony
Standing tall in town square in a crisp winter’s air
Music for one and all as snowflakes begin to fall
Bundled warm for the night to see the winter lights
Vocal Tag: just to see the winter lights
Rossetta Paxton
November, 2013