It wasn't last call when patrons poured out of the wood-paneled bar of the Polish Home Club on South Broadway in Fells Point last night.
In fact, it was 7 p.m. and the celebration was just beginning for patrons and hundreds of others, who convened outside to form the East Baltimore Christmas caroling procession. Soon, the community's narrow streets were swarming with the festive carolers - and a handful of musicians - singing and playing traditional holiday songs, some in Polish.
"All of us Polish musicians have a good ear for this music," said Tony Murawski, methodically pulling on an accordion. "This celebration has been going on so long it's in our bloodstream."
East Baltimore Christmas, in its 31st year, was started by Frank A. Bittner, who wanted to bring Polish flavor to the holidays and wanted a way to bring the community together.
"We get to see community friends who have moved away - a lot of people come back just for this," said Bittner, who has moved to the Eastern Shore and was unable to attend last night's celebration. "They get together to see each other one more time - to catch up on the past year, one more trip to see who is around."
The collective voice of the procession was met with cheers from passers-by as people in taverns, restaurants and shops emptied to listen and watch as the carolers snaked through the streets. People waved from vehicles and honked horns - some attempting to mimic "Jingle Bells." Others stood on their doorsteps and clapped.
"Look at the size of the crowd!" a small boy exclaimed as he stood in his doorway with his slippers on shivering in the cold.
"When you walk away from this event, it really puts you in the Christmas spirit," said one organizer, Patricia Skurzynski. "When people sing together, it brings people together - it's the sharing of voices."
Horse-drawn carts have been used in past celebrations. But this year's event featured a Ford pickup truck. Trimmed in red holiday lights, it inched along in front of the carolers. On the back of the truck stood a 3-foot-tall white Christmas tree with red bulbs and garland.
Twelve-year-old Albert E. Podbielski held the red-and-white Polish flag, which his aunt Barbara Ulsch, an event coordinator, asked him to carry.
"We try to do it Polish-style," Ulsch said about the celebration, which made stops at the homes of Polish residents and local businesses. "We don't have a village, but we have a big city."
The carolers strolled south on Broadway and turned east on Lancaster, where several Polish families greeted the procession. They marched north on Ann Street and right onto Eastern Avenue.
The procession mimics a Polish Christmastime celebration of spreading holiday joy village to village and farm to farm.
Near the Polish Treasures boutique on Chester Street, adult carolers were offered small shots of vodka to warm their spirits.
"It's special, you know - vodka," said 62-year-old Chester Dasko, a Dundalk resident, who was holding two small cups. Winking as he swallowed the first, he said: "It's the best drink."
The doors to Holy Rosary Church swung open and the pews soon brimmed with weary singers.
"It's just like it was in Poland," said Marianne Frederick, who helped organize the event. "It's a hold-over from the old country."
But not everyone in the crowd could speak Polish.
"I know the words my mother used to holler at me when I was a kid," said Brooklyn Park native Albert R. Fabula, who belted out words to the carols anyway.
