On Tuesday, December 17, TransitionCT hosted its third annual Holiday Spectacular. TransitionCT is a program that provides transitional services, vocational assistance, and day/social programs to adults with various disabilities. Every year, the members of the program and staff work together to put on a holiday show for their friends and family.

The “spectacular” was hosted in Edmond Town Hall and the crowd was buzzing. Popcorn buckets were filled to the brim as audience members filled the seats. There were even people standing in the back looking onto the stage.

Dawn Gray, the director of TransitionCT, said, “We’ve upgraded [the show] every year.” She explained that the first year was simply caroling. The second year, poetry was added to the program. This year, there was a play component, too.

“Everyone told me don’t do a play. I said, ‘let’s give it a try,’” Gray explained. Her try was well received, with a standing ovation at the end and a second round of singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

The 75 performers from TransitionCT started the show by singing a few Christmas classics, such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” and “This Little Light of Mine.” During “Here Comes Santa Claus,” Santa came and visited the choir.

He jingled bells and waved to the audience as he came down. He was thrilled to be joining TransitionCT because the Holiday Spectacular is “his favorite holiday event.”

He told the crowd, and choir, that he checked his list twice, and found that “everyone from TransitionCT is on the nice list!”

Following Santa’s visit, a TransitionCT intern, Varrick Nelson, performed “The Christmas Song.” Gray explained that Nelson is going off to Southern Connecticut State University to study music and hopes he will return to TransitionCT to provide music therapy to the program members.

The curtain opened once more and revealed all the choir members dressed as elves and reindeer. The costumes were all made by Juan Roman-Padilla, Rachel Waldman, and Max Sheldon. The choir performed a short skit, helping Santa dress his sleigh with boughs of holly, eating cookies from Mrs Claus, and being visited by a polar bear.

After the performance, Gray thanked her staff, saying, “They come to work every day with a smile on their face … thank you for respecting, loving, and seeing the person first.” She then invited everyone downstairs to the gym because the program has “outgrown the Alexandria Room.”

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.