1963 The Night Before Christmas....Vacation!

           'Twas the night before "Christmas Vacation" of 1963, and all through the refectory was the stirring “din” of excited boys as we ‘wolfed’ down a good supper, and drank our cups of hot coffee and tea in the dimly lit dining room.  The local boys, from Oxnard to Ventura, had already gone home; but the rest of us, from other areas and other states, were still at SAS.  Our studies were all done for now as exams would not be held until January.  All sports were finished as well, and the winner of the 3 teams would be decided after Christmas;  so all that needed to be done was some final packing up in the dorm after a quick last visit to the rec room.  I had been counting the days since Thanksgiving, as this was my first semester away from home; and here, at last, we were at our final evening!  The Greyhound busses would be waiting tomorrow morning to take us to our many “points beyond!”

     As dinner concluded with our Friday pie, the remaining Choristers of the choir, (about 20 guys) were invited up to the front to sing a few carols.  I remember the windows of the refectory were sort of “fogged over” due to the warmth in the room.  Outside it was cold, dark, and a little drizzly with that ‘Santa Barbara mist.’  I could see the hazy, shimmering reflections of the refectory lights in those windows, and I was thinking about the bus ride back to Phoenix… when suddenly the choir startled me with a loud "Deck the Halls;”  and then they transitioned into one of the most beautiful renditions of "Silent Night" that I had ever heard!  The harmony was perfect; the voices were soft and melodious; and the rhythm was slow and reverent ending with a beautifully elongated  “...heavenly peace."

     After a few more carols, they broke into a rousing chorus of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas!”

     Later that evening, as I drifted off to sleep to the hum of the heaters in the “barn,”      I thought of how I would soon be home!  

This is one of those memories that remains vivid in my mind to this day!   
Steve R. '67
To hear that rendition of  Silent Night,  you can go to:
 www.sasarchive.org/music/1963/franciscan-voices-side-1   (and “cue” the bar to “10:40”)