A department-store carol turns 75, and downtown Los Angeles is marking the birthday with an hour of live music that does not come with a ticket price.
The Music Center is hosting a free 75th-anniversary party for “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas,” NBC Los Angeles reported. The celebration is listed for Friday, November 27, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the courtyard near the Ahmanson Theatre. Free does not mean wander in. Entry requires an advance reservation.
Who Is on the Courtyard Bill
The Music Man Foundation presented the gathering, according to the NBC Los Angeles report by Alysia Gray Painter. Choral Arts Initiative is listed to sing carols. The Eisner Intergenerational Big Band of the Heart of Los Angeles is also on the bill. Young musicians are expected from Education Through Music–Los Angeles, Riverside Arts Academy, and Music Will.
That is a lot of music for about an hour, and the lineup leans on the same idea the song’s royalties are built around: community music, not a single headliner.
Cocoa for 100, Then a Name Check
The first 100 guests are listed for complimentary hot chocolate. After that, the hospitality gets strangely personal. Attendees named Barney, Ben, Janice, or Jen can collect an additional goodie by showing identification, while supplies last.
The admission policy is pleasantly simple. The souvenir policy is not. Four first names, an ID, and a supply that can run out.
Written in 1951, Still Sending Money Out
Meredith Willson wrote the song in 1951. It is also known as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and Perry Como recorded the hit version that same year, NBC Los Angeles reported. The Music Man Foundation donates 100 percent of the profits from Willson’s licensing royalties to community organizations centered on music.
November 27 is also “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas Day,” observed the day after Thanksgiving. Anyone who wants the courtyard, the carols, and a shot at that first round of cocoa should reserve before showing up. One hundred cups is the whole hot-chocolate plan.
