On Christmas Eve, people from different religions and parts of the world shared a meal of Mexican molé and margaritas in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BERNE — On Dec. 5, Christmas concert-goers here can listen to distinctively American music with African roots — jazz.

This is appropriate since the concert will benefit a native Hilltowner’s mission to help save the tree in Tanzania from which the clarinet comes, and also to teach Tanzanians to play the instrument she loves.

The holiday season is here and so is the music that goes with it.

Parents teach children the songs that they know and love. Popular carols are translated into many different languages. No matter the age, no matter the culture, the tune is familiar, and the message is the same: The holidays are here; it’s time to celebrate.

A nursery-school teacher, a mechanic, a chef, a student, a plumber, a bus driver all set aside their real-life roles to bring Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol to life on stage.