A Night at the Ballet. Christimas Can Come Now.

Let Christimas time in Bloomington officially begin. For some people,the holiday season begins with the flipping of the switch on the canopy of lights on the Bloomington courthouse square. But for me, it's the Mother-Daughter night at the yearly debut of the Nutcracker ballet at the IU Jacobs School of Music. Last night was the ninth year my mother and I have seen the holiday spectacular and in some cases, watched the community young dancers grow from small candle fairies to important dancers in the company. We've also been fortunate to sit next to parents' from as far away as California who come to see their daughters dance on point to a complete, live orchestra with the direction of some of the world's finest choreographers, costume designers and stage managers.

But for me, its an evening and a holiday tradition my mother and I share like so many other mothers and daughters (and fathers) in the audience. Many times over the years, I've been tired from a stressful week at work, saddened by events out of my control or just wanting to be somewhere else. But then, once I see the towering Nutcracker in the theatre's lobby and see my mother waiting patiently, dressed for a night out, I realize, the evening is about the beautiful music, the wonderful dancers and most of all the Mother-Daughter holiday tradition. I'm so fortunate to be able to share it with my mommy.