Tom Munch

Deep question this morning - what is love? It’s a word we throw around a lot, but it has so many shades of meaning. Last year I did a couple different shows so I could do some general love songs as well as some romantic love songs. I learned a song by Peter Mayer called “What Is Love” last year that expressed love as an even deeper meaning - making love a force in the shaping of the universe. I’ve thought of it this way too, going back to my church upbringing when I first heard that God is love. Maybe the force that we see as all the interworkings of the universe as an intelligence that may be God or the physics of dark matter and gravity is really love at its core. I know it’s a little simple, but I like that simplicity myself. I have this sense that things that we complicate with science and study in this life may be really easy to understand at some point, and I’ve always felt that this is really what love is. So if love is that big, is it still something that’s applicable to romance and love in general? Absolutely! It’s all related to our experience in this life in our interaction with everything and everyone we meet. It’s easy. All you need is love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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What have I been up to?

I had 9 senior facilities last week although one was cancelled due to miscommunication. One of the downsides to a lot of senior facilities is high turnover, and this has often led to scheduling changes for me over the years as people move on and facilities change ownership or management. It’s all about spreading some encouragement to the people I get to play for though, so I roll with the punches.

My Wednesday online show was playing Mardi Gras songs, and it was a blast. I guess Jen and I will actually have to go to Mardi Gras one year to drink in all the excitement and history that I feel in the music.

My Sunday online show was a special one at my friends Matt and Deann’s house - doing a bunch of love songs that Deann picked out for many folks in our audience. It’s always fun having a live audience for my online shows, and this one was really special. Even though it was up against the Super Bowl I still had a good group of people in attendance who sang along and shared the love.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 10 senior facilities this week, and they should all be wonderful. The time I get to spend with these folks is irreplaceable.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be love songs for Valentine’s Day, and I plan to do all kinds of love songs and requests as well as maybe the song I wrote about above by Peter Mayer. Come on out if you can!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be back to favorites and requests this week. I had a couple neat songs I’m working on that were requested in the last couple weeks that I think you’ll really like. I’ll add some other favorites and take some new requests too, so it should be a great show. You’re always welcome to join in!

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That’s it for this week. I hope you’re still pondering what love is - just as I am as I wrote above. It’s a big concept that deserves some thought. Have a great week!

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of love songs for Valentine’s Day
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, February 14, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, February 18, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

I’m thinking about Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day happening back-to-back this year. I’ve been trying to do shows that have some New Orleans music and some love songs, and the two don’t always mix that well. That has me even doing songs together in a mashup kind of context. A mashup is not something I do very often. The concept is an interesting one - mixing things that don’t necessarily go together. It has a broader context in life of course. There are so many surprises and compromises in a mashup that sometimes make the combination better than the original individual parts. We all know that differences sometimes make our life so much more interesting and fun. We just have to take the time to see how they can mesh together to make something beautiful. This sensitivity and insight into the finer points of how things work and how they can fit together like a complicated puzzle takes a lot of work, but it can pay off in enjoyment and learning. There is a lesson in everything in life, it seems. Vive la difference!

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What have I been up to?

I had 6 senior facilities last week including one I haven’t played at in 10 years. One of the residents there was a wonderful woman I had worked with at the Royal Gorge Bridge many years ago. It was so good to reconnect. There are little joys every time I play for one of these facilities!

My Wednesday online show was doing songs from 1974 again, part of my 50 years ago annual series. It was so much fun revisiting these great songs from my teenage years, and the audience was right with me.

Saturday I did an online show for my Philmont friends, and it was also a great time. Some of the online tools we have to connect with people now are so amazing, and it’s so easy to take them for granted. Big thanks to my friend Jason Mascitti for sponsoring the show with Thrivent.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were some wonderful tunes as always. This group of folks always impresses me with their deep requests and regard for each other. Life is good.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 9 senior facilities this week, and I’m looking forward to them all as always. I can’t express enough how meaningful and fulfilling doing these shows is.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be Mardi Gras songs. There are so many fun and exciting songs for Mardi Gras, and I love celebrating the event even though I’ve never been to it. So come on out and celebrate with your beads and masks!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be a special show of love songs from my friends Matt and Deann’s house. I like doing shows at their house, and it always pours a lot of energy into the show having a live audience in the room for my online shows. Deann will make the playlist for this show, so I won’t be taking requests. Come on out and enjoy some love music. (I’ll do another online love show on the next Wednesday on Valentine’s Day where I’ll take requests.) It’s good to enjoy some love songs. Please tune in!

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That’s it for this week. I hope you are doing well, and I hope you’re enjoying this life as much as possible. Thank you for reading and coming along for the ride.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of Mardi Gras and New Orleans songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, February 7, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of love songs from Matt and Deann’s 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, February 11, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

I’m going to borrow an idea from my Philmont friend Dawn Chandler today, who wrote over the weekend of a book by Ross Gay that she loves called “The Book of Delights”. In it the author wrote about a different delight every day for a year. It opened him up to much more joy in his life even amidst the pain and fear that we all experience. I find that I like to do this too as I go through my day even though sometimes I have to make myself notice things that delight me. It is akin to object writing which I have also practiced to wake myself up to creativity in my writing and songs. Object writing is where you pick an object and write for 10 minutes about how it appeals to your senses. For instance, you take a pencil and write about how it looks, feels, smells, sounds, might taste, and how it makes you feel to use it. This exercise awakens your mind to creative words and phrases and ways of seeing. Seeing delight in your daily life can do this too. Without going down a rabbit hole you can appreciate how your computer keyboard clicks or how the texture of your shirt feels against your skin. It just takes you out of the race for a moment to appreciate the simple delights of your daily life. It can even be a simple memory that makes you smile. Just grab something in your life occasionally that gives you delight and lifts you up for an instant.

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What have I been up to?

I had 9 senior facilities last week, and it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that a few had Covid outbreaks. I guess I’ll stop writing about these outbreaks since they happen so frequently. With having to wear a mask I have committed to wearing glasses instead of contacts now since I need to tuck my mask underneath my glasses to keep it on when I sing. It is a definitely a new normal in our lives. I still love playing for these folks even when the situations are awkward or not ideal. I make the most of them to support the folks.

My Wednesday online show was doing songs from 50 years ago in 1974, and it was so much fun that we will do more of these songs this week. I had a much larger group come out than I expected, and the memories were really flowing.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and it was also well-attended and a blast. These nights just continue to outdo themselves with good vibes and good music.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 6 senior facilities this week, and I am looking forward to them all as always. I always have a few less on a fifth week of the month since most of my facilities are monthly-repeating gigs that fall in weeks 1-4.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be the songs of 1974 again as I wrote about above. There are just so many great songs from that year, and they are so much fun to play and reminisce about. Come on out and join in if you can!

On Saturday night 7-9 I’ll be doing an online show for my Philmont friends and acquaintances. If you’re one of these friends I’d love to have you tune in and join in the fun and friendship on my Tom Munch Philmont Songs Concert Facebook group. My Philmont friend Jason Mascitti is sponsoring me as an extension of his Thrivent business. He does financial planning for many Philmont folks, and it’s definitely a service we can all use. Check him out at connect.thrivent.com/Jason-mascitti.

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and it’s usually a fine time of songs and camaraderie. Come on out!

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That’s it for this week. Coming up I’ll be doing my Sunday night show on February 11th at my friends Deann and Matt’s house as part of my Valentine’s Day music. I look forward to that! I’ve also just booked July 6th in La Veta for Art in the Park again. Fun times coming up! Hope you are well and happy.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of 1974 songs AGAIN
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, January 31, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of Philmont songs
Where:   facebook.com/groups/1176893032692370 and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When:  Saturday, February 3, 7-9 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, February 4, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

My online show on Wednesday will be songs from 50 years ago in 1974, and that has me thinking about what life was like in 1974. I was just a teenager, and I was just starting to play stringed instruments - starting with my sister’s soprano ukulele in 1973. My dad was stationed in Nebraska with the VA, and so our lives were fairly simple compared to life on the coasts. We didn’t have a lot of angst although we saw the mid-‘70s turmoil on the evening news like everyone else did. Folk rock was what interested me although our local AM radio station played a little bit of everything. I loved playing the songs of that era on a baritone ukulele which was basically a guitar without the two lower-pitched strings. I picked most of them up off the radio or from songbooks. There were so many songs that were based on acoustic guitar, and I loved the intricate picking patterns and cool sounds in these songs. I can’t remember all the events of 1974. I guess that was the year that Nixon resigned. Gas prices were higher with the oil embargo. My sister Jane graduated from high school that year. It was an interesting time. I think I was mostly just a dopey kid who was interested in music. It has been fun going through the songs of that year and bringing back memories. Where were you and what were you up to?

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What have I been up to?

I had 12 senior facilities, and they all went so well! Many are requiring masks with Covid outbreaks. I’m actually used to wearing a mask and singing now. I have to wear glasses so I can tuck the top of the mask under my glasses to keep it on, but it all works fine after all these months of doing it.

My Wednesday online show was winter songs, and there were some really good ones. I had a really large group of folks come out to celebrate the winter and enjoy each other and the tunes.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests as always, and I had picked out a great variety of tunes for my regulars in addition to the fun requests that were made at the show. I love playing these evenings so much for my fine friends and supporters!

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What am I up to this week?

I have 9 senior facilities this week, and they should all go very well. My amp has been giving me trouble lately, so I may have to switch up to a different one this week. I always want to give my very best to these folks.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be songs from 1974 as I wrote above. There are so many great songs I know from this year! I’ve already gathered 90 of them, so we may have to do another week of 1974 songs just so we will not miss any favorites. Come on out!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests, and it’s always the highlight of my week interacting with folks and doing some real gems of music. I love this group and this night. You’re always welcome!

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That’s it for this week. I’m really looking forward to all the songs and good vibes this week will bring. I hope you are well and relatively happy. Life is good.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of 1974 songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, January 24 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, January 28, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Winter really hit hard this week with sub-zero temperatures all across the US. It always seems that we get at least one solid week in southern Colorado where it gets down below zero for several nights in a row with daytime highs in the single digits or just barely higher, and I guess this is that week. I don’t mind. I have good warm clothes for being out in this kind of weather, and other than fogging up my glasses I kind of like the change. My dog Beau likes it too. We don’t usually walk when it’s below zero, but we do get right down to it. There’s something very special about a crisp and silent winter morning where the only sounds might be an owl in the darkness or the crunch of our footsteps in the snow. We often see footprints in the snow of coyotes, rabbits, and deer. Beau really likes to sniff those and follow along until they drift off the trail. The cold is just enough to feel it on my nose and cheeks a little where they’re not completely covered, and occasionally I get a little of the chill into my lungs where it sends an invigorating shot into my whole body. It really makes you feel alive. I know it’s the last thing that warm-weather-loving people want to experience, but I love it. Enjoy the season!

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What have I been up to?

I had 10 senior facilities last week, and they were all so rewarding. Getting to bring a meaningful experience to these folks is a blessing.

My Wednesday online show was doing songs that I had learned in 2023 that were new to me. This ended up being a really special night of songs. I think everyone who tuned in had a good time.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests as always, and I spent some time working up some cool tunes that had been requested to make it a memorable show. I love playing for my friends and fans.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 12 senior facilities this week, and I’m looking forward to playing of every one of them. I say it all the time, but the satisfaction I get from playing for these facilities is golden.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be winter songs to follow along with this winter cold snap we’ve been having. There are so many great winter tunes! Come on out and join in with everyone to celebrate the season.

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always. I try to work up some new tunes every week, and I try to play different guitars and add special touches to keep the evening fresh. You’re always welcome, and it’s always a good time.

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That’s it for this week. I hope you’re staying warm wherever you are.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of winter songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, January 17, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, January 21, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

The wind is blowing a gale here this morning, and it was miserable as Beau and I made our sunrise walk this morning. That puts me in mind of how I’ve felt about the wind in my life. I once wrote a song idea about how the wind gusting at night was like a monster banging around into things in the darkness - trees and buildings and houses. I’ve read that it would drive the early homesteaders on the plains to madness when it blew non-stop for weeks at a time. It’s definitely something that takes a great deal of inner peace (or thick walls) to live through. As a kid in Nebraska we had a lot of wind. My dad used to joke that were two places in the world that were located in a great land mass with similar conditions - Siberia and Nebraska. I’m sure the folks in the Oklahoma Panhandle and surrounding regions had many things to say about the wind during the Dust Bowl. But beyond that I grew to love moderate wind when I sailed in a sailboat with my dad and siblings. The freedom it brought that was connected to the earth was very joyful. And one of my recurring dreams has always been one of flying over the mountains with the wind in my face. I’ve always loved kite flying, and yet I’ve lived through and revered tornadoes. So I guess wind is a dichotomy - it can bring good and bad. I like that, but meanwhile I’d like it to stop blowing today. 🙃

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What have I been up to?

I had 7 senior facilities last week, and I was recovered well enough from my Covid bout to be in pretty good voice all week. I enjoyed starting the new year with optimism and love for these folks.

My Wednesday online show was hopeful songs to continue the good energy for the new year. It was a blast, and I only wish there was more time for more songs.

My Sunday show was favorites and requests as always, and it was a wonderful time with some really good friends and good songs. I did a couple new tunes, and overall it was a sweet evening.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 10 senior facilities, and it should be a nice week of continuing to welcome in the new year. Sometimes I pick a theme at the beginning of the show with these folks and run with it. It can be so much fun!

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be what I call “New-to-Me songs” - songs that I added in 2023 that I really love. There will be some older ones I learned during the year and some newer songs that were requested or newly released. I’ve done this the past two years around the new year’s start to remember some of the great songs that I don’t want to lose in the shuffle. Come on out and hear some great ones!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and I’ve had some really fine requests that I’ll be performing as well as enjoying the camaraderie that these nights bring with all the great support and love that my audience shows for me and each other. It’s such a wonderful thing to be a part of. Come join us!

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That’s it for this week. I hope you are starting your new year well, and I hope to be adding some dates to my calendar too for lots of fun performances in the coming year. January is booking time.

All the best,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of New-to-Me songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, January 10, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, January 14, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

It’s a new year, and I always start the new year with hope and beauty in my mind and heart. I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, but I like to have a bright outlook and start with good thoughts and goodwill towards all. It’s easy to look at the bad things in the world and to fret about where we’re headed and what it all means, but I choose to believe in goodness and in the amazing intricacies of the world and the universe as it all works together as one to our benefit. It’s a beautiful thing to be alive and to be able to live and love in our lives. Happy New Year to you - wherever you may be!

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What have I been up to?

Last week was a recovery week from Covid for me, and I was able to play 6 senior facilities as I improved with two cancellations for two more facilities. I put out all the energy I could muster for them with fun shows celebrating the new year.

My Wednesday online show was a good one centering around the 12 Days of Christmas with a song or two representing what each day was about - birds or rings or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and I had plenty of energy to rise to the occasion with the wonderful group who came out.

My Sunday online show was a party for the new year with all kinds of fun requests from lots of folks from all over the world tuning in and enjoying the moment. It was such a good time!

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What am I up to this week?

I have 7 senior facilities this week, and I plan to start out the year for each one with gusto and lots of good spirit. I even have one today - New Year’s Day. I love these folks.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be hopeful songs. I always like to have the first theme show of the new year be songs about hope and love, and it’s always a celebration with our great group. Come on out if you can!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and I have a few new songs to work on and play for this week. It’s a worthwhile evening of friends and music. You’re always welcome!

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That’s it for this first week of the new year. I hope you are starting out with hope and goodwill in your mind and heart. Happy New Year!

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of hopeful songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, January 3, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, January 7, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

It’s a bright and snowy Christmas morning here in southern Colorado as I write this. I’ve been ill with Covid since last Wednesday, but I’m not letting it dampen my Christmas spirit. I won’t write much - just wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and letting you know what’s up for the week in my world.

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What have I been up to?

I had 14 senior facilities scheduled for the week, but I only got to 5 before Covid got a hold of me on Wednesday. I still enjoyed spreading some Christmas cheer to my seniors on Monday and Tuesday.

My Wednesday online show had to be cancelled since I wasn’t in any shape to sing and play. I really missed getting to sing to everyone.

My Sunday online show ended up being a replay from last Christmas season with me commenting along like a director’s cut. It was fun and interesting, and I was able to be on camera for a few minutes before I started the replay and after to bid everyone a Merry Christmas.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 7 senior facilities scheduled this week, but one has already cancelled with a Covid lockdown. Whether I play will depend on when I test negative and what each facility's protocol is. It will be interesting. I may be too weak to schlep my equipment and play anyway.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be a theme around the “12 Days of Christmas” song. Each day is of course a different bird, animal, or other gift that I’m working with the Munch Bunch to have a clever interpretation into an existing song - Christmas or otherwise. Come on out and see what we come up with. All of this is dependent on if I feel strong enough to play that day. If I don’t feel strong enough I’ll host an older show again. I’m hopeful I’ll be good that day.

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be a New Year’s Eve celebration of party music and fun. I really love doing these New Year's shows, and I’d love to have you celebrate in your own home and earlier than midnight if you’d like to join in. I should be doing well by then.

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That’s it for this week. I hope you’re having a lovely Christmas Day, and I’ll echo the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, everyone!”

All the best,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of 12 Days of Christmas songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, December 27, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of New Year’s Eve party songs 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, December 31, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

With Christmas coming next week I thought I’d share the memory of a great Christmas vacation when I was a kid. Our family home was a simple and small ranch style house in central Nebraska that we built in the early ‘60s with an addition on the back to make it big enough for 5 kids. Our garage was almost to the back of the lot with the neighbor’s house next to us with their garage at the back of the lot too. This meant that both of our driveways went from the street all the way along one side of the lot, and both driveways were next to each other with a short hedge and a small strip of grass dividing them. The long driveway meant we had a lot of concrete to skate and ride skateboards on as well as a long court for basketball. This was great until the snow came, and we used to get a lot of it in the ‘60s in Nebraska. The neighbor had planted the hedge between us for a border, but it also helped them avoid some of the snow that fell on our driveway. It had something to do with the way the wind whipped between our addition on the back of the house and our garage. The wind created swirling eddies in front of our garage, and then the hedge blocked the snow from blowing onto their driveway. As a result we could have three feet of snow dumped on our driveway when they only had four inches. The one Christmas I especially remember was when I was young enough to still enjoy building snow forts. We often had enough snow fall on our driveway that when we shoveled it from the garage all the way to the front yard it would make a pretty good-sized mound of snow. Well, on this particular Christmas we had snow that fell in a moderate amount every day for eleven days from before Christmas until sometime between Christmas and New Year during Christmas vacation. We were able to shovel so much snow into the front yard that we had two huge mounds and built two snow forts, one on each corner by the drive, with a tunnel that ran from one to the other and then across the front yard for several feet. It was the coolest thing ever, and all the kids in the neighborhood came to play with me in it. It lasted for many days until we had a warm day and someone broke through as we sledded from the top of one fort down into the yard. All these years later I still remember it vividly. That one was one great Christmas!

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What have I been up to?

I had 9 senior facilities last week although another one was cancelled - again due to changing staff and situations. I need to do a better job of checking in with people. I enjoyed spreading Christmas cheer at all of them including the ones where I played for their Christmas party.

My Wednesday online show was doing Christmas songs, and I concentrated on doing older Christmas songs that I love. I even recited the old poem “The Night Before Christmas” since it is 200 years old this year. It was a very nice time!

Friday night I got to play at The Broadmoor for the Council of State Governments Western Legislative Academy graduation. It was a lot of fun, and it’s always a thrill to see The Broadmoor at Christmas with its beautiful decorations.

Saturday night I played a Christmas concert at the Bell Tower Cultural Center in Florence, Colorado, and it was wonderful even though the crowd was a little smaller than usual with the Denver Broncos playing for a playoff bid that night. It’s hard to compete with football, but we made a fine time of it with some great Christmas songs and stories and Christmas goodies.

My Sunday online show was mostly Christmas songs to go with the season, but I snuck in some other favorites as well to round out the show. I always love playing for all the folks who come and share the music and themselves at my shows.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 14 senior facilities this week, and I’m looking forward to helping them all celebrate the season. This is the best time of the year to sing great songs and encourage folks.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be Christmas songs again, and this time I’ll try to go a little farther afield with my song choices. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of great requests as well. Come on out if you can!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be a special Christmas Eve show for those who are more solitary this year or for those can steal away from family for a while or want to share my music and our group with that family. It should be a good night of memories and sharing. I’d love to have you if you’d like to watch.

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That’s it for this week. I’ll probably have a special Christmas Day blog next week although I may wait until the day after so I don’t interrupt anyone’s celebration and don’t work on the holiday myself. Enjoy this special last week before Christmas, and if I don’t post a blog on Christmas Day, Merry Christmas!

Best,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of Christmas songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, December 20, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, December 24, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

One of the things I like to talk about at my Christmas shows is different traditions that families and groups have. My family growing up was pretty traditional other than a couple family recipes for cookies and other goodies. My grandma had two German cookies - lebkuchen and pfeffernusee. The first of those had dried fruit and icing, and the second was anise and molasses. My mom had some other cookies she always made as well. We would sometimes go to church as a family on Christmas Eve, but we didn’t have any other Christmas Eve tradition that I can remember other than trying to get to sleep while we listened for Santa. Then on Christmas morning we kids would get up very early to get our Christmas stockings by the fireplace and watch the blinking Christmas tree lights and listen to music until our folks woke up and brought out orange rolls and started the gift opening. Since I moved to Colorado I’ve enjoyed the local traditions and treats like potica, a wonderful pastry, and Christmas tamales. Jen and I usually have a quiet Christmas of opening gifts to each other and our pets and having family time. I always ask the audience at my shows for family traditions they each enjoyed. I love hearing the answers and stories. How about you? Do you have any traditions to share?

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What have I been up to?

I had 10 senior facilities last week although one was cancelled due to a scheduling mixup. I am doing a lot of Christmas songs now as we zoom towards the day.

My Wednesday online show was doing fun songs from the ‘50s, and it was a blast! I wanted to have a party, and that’s what it felt like. I love doing these tunes so much - reminding me of the fun I had in the ‘50s band I played in for many years.

My Sunday show was doing favorites and requests and it was so sweet as always. We ended up doing quite a few Christmas songs. These Sunday nights are just very special with good tunes and good friends.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 9 senior facilities this week, and a couple of them will be having their Christmas party with me entertaining. It should be great fun!

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be Christmas songs with its of variety between old traditional and new songs. I love basking in the music of the season. Come on out if to can.

Friday night I’m playing for the Council of State Governments graduation at the Broadmoor, and I mention it because it’s such an honor to get to play for all of these state legislators.

Saturday night I’m playing a concert at 7:00 at the Bell Tower Cultural Center in Florence, Colorado. I have played several Christmas concerts at this wonderful venue, and I look forward to seeing the folks who always come out to this great place to enjoy some Christmas cheer. I’ll be doing quite a variety of music including a sing-along. There’ll be Christmas artwork to look at and goodies to enjoy as well. Tickets are $8 for member and $10 for non-members, and you can find more information at http://www.florenceartscouncil.com/concerts.html. I’d love to have you there!

Sunday night will be my online show 7-8:45 mountain time of favorites and requests as always. I love doing these shows, and people come from all over the country to enjoy each other’s company and listen to the music. Come on out!

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That’s it for this week. I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season, and I’d love to hear your traditions if you have time to reply.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of Christmas songs
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Wednesday, December 13, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who: Tom Munch
What: playing a Christmas concert
Where: Bell Tower Cultural Center, 201 East Second Street, Florence. 719-784-2038
When: Saturday, December 16, 7-9 pm

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests 
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  
When:  Sunday, December 17, 7-8:45 pm mountain time