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Despite tropical temperatures, Trinis warmly embrace the Christmas season.  West Mall is decorated with secular Christmas trees and religious manger scenes.

One of the most enjoyable events is a concert presented by The Lydian Singers and steel pan at the Mount St. Benedict Monastery high atop a hill overlooking Trinidad. 

The choir and pan have performed internationally and opened the Miami Bach Society's Annual Tropical Baroque Festival at Coral Gables for two consecutive years and being invited back a third time to open the 2003 festival, unprecedented for any choir.  The voice of the tenor soloist Edward Cumberbach is not to be believed.   

Singing a capella, the robed choir members presented a program of music, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Although the format appeared hackneyed, it was not the usual twelve days but the different chronological ages of music interspersed with traditional carols.  A girls' school choir and a group from a school of dancing also participated.  Quoting from the program, choreography "separated us [the choir] into twelve different tableau formations, changing with each day, according to the inspiration of the music of each day, beginning with the men standing apart like monks of the sixth century, singing in Gregorian chant…."

The subtitle of the program was "A Musicological Journey from the Sixth to the Nineteenth Century."  Day one was music from 6^th century Rome, day two from 15^th century France with the carol, "I Wonder as I Wander."  Day three was music from 16^th century Italy, day four music from 17^th century Italy and then a steel pan performance.  Day five was from 18^th century Germany, day six from 19^th century Austria along with "Birthday of a King" and "Joy to the World."  This continued with music from Russia on day eleven and 19^th century USA for day twelve, ending with the Hallelujah Chorus.  A unique Christmas concert!