I know that we, or at least I, have already had our fill of Christmas music this year and just can’t wait for New Years and the chance to move on with our lives. I mean how many times can you listen to Mariah Carey before stuffing your ears with your Santa beard?

But there’s still time to hit up some events in the DC area if you haven’t had enough. The National Cathedral is an impressive building on its own. The massive, gothic-inspired cathedral towers over all of Northwest DC, and is big enough to lay the rocket that took Apollo 11 to the moon down on its side between the pews. Fill that grand space with choir music and you have something special. Starting December 12^th and running through the 20^th you can listen to the Cathedral choir and celebrate the sounds of the season with performances  ranging from the holiday standards to ethereal works from great classical composers. You can purchase tickets online from between $25-$77 per person.

The Kennedy Center has the Washington Chorus with a Candlelight Christmas. The 200-voice chorus with a candlelight processional will enchant you with classic holiday songs and a sing-along to help raise your spirits right. The Chorus is has a tradition of supporting local school music programs and this year has invited The Madrigal Lords and Ladies from McDonough High School in Pomfret, Maryland. Performances are on the 13^th and 22^nd of December, running 90 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. The tickets cost between $18 and $72. The Kennedy Center is one of my favorite performance venues and is well worth a visit.

You might not want to run into the hustle and bustle of the big city for your holiday cheer, so a trip to Frederick Maryland’s Weinberg Center for the Arts and a western Maryland tradition is the perfect ticket.  The Frederick Children’s Chorus, featuring a 30-voice ensemble and 20-piece orchestra fill the grand hall of Frederick’s Weinberg Theater with the sounds of Handel’s Messiah. The audience is encouraged to sing along with the chorus during songs like “For Unto Us a Child is Born” and “His Yoke is Easy” as well as the well-known “Hallelujah” chorus. How can you not love this? Even if you can’t sing, the practiced chorus and big audience will keep pretty much everyone from hearing you’re off key. You can get tickets through the box office for $20.  I suggest getting to downtown Frederick early and taking a walk around; the lights strewn in the trees along Market Street are magical.