Christmas parties begin, for me, on December 3rd, with a double--a 1-hour followed by a 4-hour job. Usually, I perform about 35 Christmas parties every year, but the one that always gets to me is the Korean War Veterans Association party of Fort Holabird in Baltimore. I've been doing this one for about 10 years and when I performed at the first one there were about 150 people in attendance. Unfortunately, last year's party was down to about 20 people--all the others that previously attended are either dead or in nursing homes. It tears at your heart to talk with those few who still are able to attend when they tell you what they've been through during the past few years, and in many cases, how they've been abandoned by their families. Most are now in their late 80s and early 90s, and I've been told this may be their last party. I feel honored to have been able to provide their Christmas party entertainment for the past decade.

Gary