Christmas gets sweeter every year for Jerry Ganiel and the Heartland Pops Orchestra and Chorus he directs.

The combined ensemble of about 50 musicians and singers started performing an annual Christmas concert five years ago in Cape Girardeau. And every year, the concert's popularity has grown, Ganiel says.

"People will say to me, 'This is your fifth year? How did I not know about this for five years?'" Ganiel said.

When the orchestra started these concerts, the crowd numbered below the 300-person capacity at Old St. Vincent's Church. Last year, 850 people attended the event.

On Dec. 1, Ganiel's Pops Orchestra will return with its new holiday tradition when it performs in concert at Cape First Church. The program will feature a sing-along with the orchestra, performances of traditional Christmas standards and carols, a telling of the Christmas story narrated by KFVS12 anchor Ryan Tate, the "Hallelujah Chorus," a selection from Mozart and some non-Christmas tunes in the form of medleys from "Les Miserables" and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

But the main focus is Christmas, even if the holiday is still weeks away. Despite the early nature of the concert, Ganiel said Pops Orchestra fans have no problem getting in the Christmas mood.

"But Wal-Mart's still got us beat," he said.

Ganiel's group isn't the only one readying for concerts with the Christmas holiday still more than a month away.

During the coming weeks several local concerts with Christmas themes will be offered for the listening public, starting with the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Southeast Missouri State University Choral Union and University Choir collaboration Tuesday at Academic Auditorium.

The concert, titled "The Many Moods of Christmas," will take place at 7:30 p.m.

The Heartland Pops Orchestra and Chorus will perform Dec. 1 at Cape First Church.

Each year the symphony orchestra pairs with the choir and choral union to present a holiday concert that's split in two parts -- the first with orchestra only, the second a collaboration with the choir and choral union.

The second half of the program will carry the bulk of the Christmas tunes, featuring the Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett arrangement of Christmas carols called "The Many Moods of Christmas" under the direction of choir director Steve Hendricks.

The first half of the program, directed by symphony orchestra artistic director Sara Edgerton, will feature Franz Schubert's C Major Symphony.

Tara Fischer rang a bell while Marge Morrill reached for another bell during a rehearsal of the Heartland Pops at Cape First Church.

At the Show Me Center, Christmas concerts aren't an annual occurrence. But this holiday season the venue has already seen the return of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and on Dec. 4 the Show Me Center will hold another Christmas concert, the Great American Country "Country Christmas" tour, which features up-and-comers like Steve Azar, Julie Roberts, Buddy Jewell and Blue County, as well as established act Deanna Carter.

In the past the Show Me Center has played host to Christmas-themed concerts by country artists Kenny Rogers in 2000 and Neal McCoy in 2002 -- shows that drew fairly large crowds. Show Me Center marketing director Shannon Buford hopes this year's country Christmas concert will be no different.

"Maybe it's a good break from going to the shopping mall and getting run over," Buford said.

So far ticket sales for the concert have been as expected -- slower than this season's big concerts Brad Paisley or TSO. But as the concert date approaches, Buford expects sales to pick up.

However, selling tickets to holiday shows can be difficult, since people are spending much of their disposable income on Christmas gifts, Buford said.

Central High School won't have to worry about getting people to spend big money on a concert. High school concerts are inexpensive, which could be an added incentive for people to check out this year's offering, which features the school's orchestra, band and choir in its annual holiday concert at Central Junior High's new gymnasium Dec. 12. The orchestra's part of the program will feature Southeast Missouri State University music faculty members Dr. Sara Edgerton and Dr. Brandon Christensen, along with former Central orchestra director Mel Gilhaus, helping the orchestra perform the "Christmas Concerto" by Arcangelo Correlli.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182