I had forgotten that they'd asked me to start at 6:45 this week (instead of 6:00) to allow a local kids' dance troop to perform, so I got there at 5:30. That turned out to be a good thing anyway, 'cuz it let me get my stuff set up while the kids weren't dancing yet. And when the teacher got up and started to completely inaudibly try to announce the start of the show, I quickly got out a microphone for her. Pretty much saved her show, since she needed to announce each different song and the kids' names, etc. She was lucky I was there.
I wasn't quite so lucky. When I got there, I hauled all my stuff out, including the card table that I've been putting my tip hat and CDs for sale on. This was fine last week, and last year, too, but this time, a hard-nosed Activity Committee member immediately asked me, "What's this table for?". I told him, and said that it had been OK before, but he didn't want it there by the entrance where it's been, or even on the other side, and made me put it way back away from the walkway, where the families walking up to and back from Santa's house wouldn't even see it, much less be inclined to stop. I tried to reason with him, but it was clearly a closed matter.
I put my new signs, hat, and CDs out anyway, and hoped that people would seek it out if they wanted to contribute. And after I'd played and was tearing down, a guy came up and wanted change for a ten because he wanted to put five in the hat. I took this as a good sign, gave him his change, and watched him go back to the table and take one of each CD. Didn't expect that, but it's OK -- at a buck apiece to make 'em, I'm still "up" 3 bucks. And whatever else is in the hat...
Which turned out to be... exactly what I had put in there at the beginning; not a dollar more.
Now, I know I keep dwelling on the money, but that's really not why I play. I play for the appreciation (which the tips are a tangible token of, but clapping is just as good). And if they'd'a asked me to play, and told me up-front that I couldn't collect tips, I'd'a done it anyway. But I really didn't like being made to feel like a panhandler. That really threw me, and made it pretty darn hard to even go through with it.
But I eventually started playing anyway. I figured that that One Guy didn't want me there, but that he was in the minority. And I had fun. I'd learned "Feliz Navidad" over the week, since I had several requests for it last Sunday, and it went over pretty well for such a dumb song. There were more people there this time, and some pretty good applause. And I love the row of little kids staring at me through the little picket fence...
Towards the end, some of the Activity Committee members (not including That Guy) sat on the benches out in front of me and clapped loudly after every song. And as I was packing up, "Mrs. Claus" came out in her street clothes, thanked me, and said that she'd had to ask the Helpers if that was a recording or a live guy.
It's weird -- I know the guy in the red suit last week, and the white-haired lady this week, aren't really Santa and Mrs. Claus, but somehow their compliments warm me up twice as much as other peoples' do anyway.
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