CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. —Dr. Seuss
I stand forty-eight inches tall, am black (African-American), Christian, and gay. These are not labels, but incontrovertible truths. I know both the joy of favor; and the pain of prejudice. Life has taught a bit about the freedom that blooms from seeds of gratitude watered with faith; and the fruit of abundance that accompanies trust. but more often than I care to admit, I find myself in life’s remedial courses on these subjects.
My latest lesson poses the question: how will you respond when an experience you relish is taken away?
In 1991, I saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for the first time and added performing in the seasonal mainstay to my Bucket List. Eight years later, I auditioned for the show and pulled off what had to be my best audition at the time. Several months later, I accepted a full-time job that left me unable to accept the two Radio City contract offers. Little did I know then that two years later a Radio City contract offer to don a baby teddy bear costume, Frosty the Snowman gear, and whimsical elfwear would come my way and I would be available to accept their offer.
For eleven consecutive years, I had the pleasure of working with some of the most gifted people—cast, crew, production staff—in live theater as we brought Christmas cheer to hundreds of thousands of people at venues across the country and in New York. The sense of community, the roar of the grease paint, and the smell of the crowd made an intoxicating combo.
At the close of my eleventh Christmas with the production, I wept bitterly as I knew in every fiber of my being that that would be my last year with the Christmas Spectacular, but God graciously gave me a bonus season—the Christmas of 2012. And when that twelfth season came to an end, I shed no tears and was filled with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for having had been so richly blessed beyond my wildest dreams with a gig that at one point had been only a dream.
This year, I made my annual trek to New York and auditioned for a thirteenth season. The audition went very well, but I was not offered a contract for the 2013 season.
I don’t consider not receiving an offer a snub of any kind. Rest assured there was no worrying or wringing of hands on my end. I see this as an instance of God closing a door and I trust that if he chooses to open a window or rip the proverbial roof off my next opportunity is well on the way.
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Clay Rivers is an actor, artist, and author. He has performed in numerous live stage shows and parades at Walt Disney World in Florida, as well as the touring and flagship companies of the beloved Radio City Chrustmas Spectacular. He has designed graphics, packaging, and products for various clients, including Walt Disney World, The Disney Stores, and Disney Imagineering. While living in Los Angeles, he appeared in both large and small screen productions. Walking Tall: A Memoir About the Upside of Small and Other Stuff is his first book.
Follow on Twitter: @ClayRivers