Tuba Christmas

Tuba Christmas 2015

Today was one of our family’s favorite quirky Christmas events…Tuba Christmas!

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We were there early enough to see the calm before the tuba storm:

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We enjoyed the event even more this year, because our pastor was part of the tuba choir!

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You haven’t heard “Carol of the Bells” until you’ve heard it played by tubas!

It’s always nice to see what a large crowd gathers to enjoy the music:

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Thanks to some sound-canceling headphones, Moose was able to enjoy it this year, making this our best Tuba Christmas yet!

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Tuba Christmas 2014

We missed Tuba Christmas last year, because snow closed the top level of the Galleria parking garage, making it impossible to find a parking spot, even after 45 minutes of circling. We didn’t have that problem this year, though, and we were there to hear (and see!), all of the tubas in their Christmas-y glory!

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Tuba Christmas 2012

Attending this event is one of our quirkier Christmas traditions, but that just makes me love it all the more! As usual, we got there early enough to watch them get set up:

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I love seeing the decorated tubas. Some have lights:

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Or bells:

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Or garlands and ornaments:

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And some musicians even come in costume!

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It never ceases to amaze me the sound 80+ tubas and related instruments can make…it’s an incredible event!

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Merry Tuba Christmas 2011

Yesterday, we went to the St. Louis Galleria for what has seemingly become a family tradition: Merry Tuba Christmas.

We got there early, so that we could walk around the mall, and look at all the decorations, (and see it “snow” by the big mall Christmas tree!).

Since we were there so early, we got a good view of the Tuba Christmas setup–Turkey really liked this candy cane tuba.

Seeing all of the empty chairs from above just emphasizes how large this tuba choir is–over 90 tubas and euphoniums!

We finished our walk just in time to enjoy the music–except for Moose. He thought it was too loud! Actually, it was really loud–that many big brass instruments together make a lot of noise!

It’s such a weird, quirky event, but it’s also really fun. I love seeing all of the decorated tubas, and all of the players dressed in the festive garb of the season.

And you just can’t beat the sound of that many tubas playing together!

Merry Tuba Christmas!

I know, it doesn’t sound like a real thing, but it is. We went to the Galleria for the second year in a row to hear a tuba band (orchestra?) play Christmas songs. It’s a little weird and quirky, but it’s also really fun–they have a tuba decorating contest and everything! And it makes the mall feel a lot more Christmas-y with the music in the background. If you haven’t had a chance to check out a Tuba Christmas event, you really should give it a chance–it’s a really fun and different Christmas activity!

They made it snow inside the mall today, too…very weird, but also kind of fun!