About 55 Harvard students, mostly first-years, gathered at midnight Saturday in front of Widener Library to hear the Harvard Band perform its 74th annual rendition of Christmas songs.

Some crowd members sang along with the music--the most popular hits were "Silent Night" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"--but other students were a bit shy.

One first-year, who asked not to be identified, was barely whispering the songs. "I'm kind of tone deaf," he said.

Others in the audience enjoyed the sing-along with gusto.

"I was studying chem--Chem 10. I have an exam Monday," said Khoa P. Le '97. "I needed a break." Looking for some serious diversion, Le had hung mistletoe from the brim of his baseball cap. It is unclear whether the mistletoe helped him with his chemistry.

The band, meanwhile, played on, with Santa himself apparently on trumpet and crashing cymbals lending the performance of "Jingle Bells" special panache.

"The Widener steps are a very festive place," said John M. Bronsteen '97, an audience member who was not singing.

10,000 Men of Harvard

The only non-Christmas tune the band played was a stirring version of "The 10,000 Men of Harvard." Apparently stirred by the rhythms himself, a tuba player marched out into the audience, putting the mouth of the instrument over several audience members' heads.

At 12:35 a.m., the marching band marched off, led into the night by their Santa-cap-wearing, baton-waving conductor.