Caroling, Careers, Comics, and the Blur
“So what do you really do?” Kat asked me as we were waiting to sing carols for the firefighters and their families in the Lower East Side. (Lower East Side, Red Hook, and Sunset Park this year, respectively) “..when you’re not here, what do you do in the real world?" Kat pressed. "Because today we’re basically elves” she joked. I never thought of it like that but I guess in a way we do take on this elf-y role as we go to the firefighters’ parties, cheerfully sing a few songs, have some of their food, coffee, and tea and get to thank them for all that they do. Except for manufacturing toys, we're very elf-like for them, free of charge. I've been volunteering as an FDNY caroler for about 5 years now, ever since I found out about them through the playwright group I was a part of, as a reading actor, not a writer. Most of us are in show biz one way or another. Kat does voice-over work and is a stunt woman but is about to retire f...