The Cotter choir Christmas season is now officially in full swing.

This school year is  Ms. Snyder’s 27th year at Cotter High School, she will begin the Christmas season in the same traditional way as each year prior; with the Christmas choir concert in the chapel and caroling at various places like St. Mary’s Press, the First Congregational church, and the always popular Merchant’s Bank stop.

Ms. Snyder explained that her favorite part of the Christmas season would have to be a combination of three different things. “First,” she stated, “would definitely have to be seeing faces in the audience that we’ve been seeing for many years. Whether it’s parents of past students, or just familiar faces in the crowd.” A second annual moment of  truth in the Christmas season for Ms. Snyder is the challenge of seeinf if the whole show choir can squeeze into the space at the first show at St. Mary’s Press.  A third factor for a good Christmas season, says Ms. Snyder, is what a joy it is to bring the show choir to Merchant’s Bank.  The tradition of having Bloedows sugar cookies and juice at the end of the performance and the size of the audience make it a group favorite. It’s also a little nerve wracking as she wonders whether someone will pass out from the heat in there, because, according to Ms. Snyder, “it’s happened before.”

When asked for a favorite memory from all these events, Ms. Snyder had this to offer:  “I can’t remember what year it was, all I know is that it was one of the years Tim Olstad was in Show Choir. I remember that we took the Show Choir, and were riding around the downtown in a horse-drawn wagon. We were singing Christmas carols, and afterward we stopped for hot cocoa at one of the downtown shops. One thing I also remember is that the two horses names were Butch and Sherry. That was probably one of my favorite choir memories.”

Though the Christmas concert is a fun way to celebrate the season, there is a lot of work that goes into the finished product.  The first and perhaps most important piece of this process is selecting the music that is used.  Ms. Snyder says there are three categories she chooses a mix of songs from to use during the Christmas concert. The first category is the classics, such as “O Holy Night,” and “Carol of the Bells,” the second category is new songs, like “Christmas Joy,” and the final category is songs that have worked well in the past. Along with these three categories, every year Ms. Snyder also uses songs such as “Peace Peace,” “Sanctuary,” and a group of assorted Christmas carols. “I really like to sing the Christmas carols because it’s something that the audience can sing along to with us,” Ms. Snyder stated.

Ms. Snyder stated that some of the places that the concert choir and the show choir have been to over the years include  St. Mary’s Press, Merchant’s Bank, Watkins, the Lion’s luncheon, Winona Health Festival of Trees, the Eagles Club, Elks Club, Sauer Memorial, Lake Winona Manor, and many more. “Every year we seem to add a new venue to the schedule,” stated Ms. Snyder.

As for this year, Ms. Snyder went on to say that, “what people should be looking forward to this year would have to be some good, fun Christmas spirit, and a nice variety of songs. We’ll have traditional carols with the concert choir, and then the show choir, timeless, and the divas will bring a contemporary aspect to the concert. There’s going to be something for everyone there, whether it’s the traditional songs you’re coming to see, the show choir, or even six boys with a guitar.”