Mystic — The songs were the same, but the venue was different.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 200 people on Sunday attended the 73rd Annual Community Carol Sing at Mystic Seaport Museum, which became a drive-in caroling event led by Jamie Spillane in the museum's south parking lot. 

"Caroling brings people together, and in this crazy year, I think people's souls are heavy. We can brighten those souls up a little bit," Spillane said.

Before 3 p.m., cars filed in, and spectators donated non-perishable, pet and toiletry products for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center as admission. Spillane, an associate professor of music and director of choral studies at the University of Connecticut, conducted an eight-person choir and four-person brass accompaniment. He said the choir usually counts around 40 members.

The musicians were in the center of the parking lot surrounded by an elaborate sound system -- last year they'd performed in the museum's McGraw Quadrangle from its Thompson Exhibition Building terrace. Spillane stood atop a wooden platform to conduct and to address the crowd of cars. Toward the beginning of the singalong, rain caused volunteers to move a large tent over to cover the microphones of the eight singers.

Spillane noted that the weather has caused adjustments in years past as well.

"We have done this in terrible weather. Maybe 15 years ago, it snowed 16 inches overnight, so we performed by the welcome center because they hadn't plowed the Seaport at all," Spillane said. "One year there was a monsoon, and we had to do it from inside the former Seaman's Inne."

This year's performance was transmitted over FM radio. Rather than singing among hundreds of people, attendees stayed in their cars and sang with their families. Rather than the customary cheering from those gathered, the end of each song brought about a chorus of car horns. True to form, people wore festive holiday clothes and hats, and some even decorated their cars with ornaments and tinsel.

The museum asked everyone who came to stay in their vehicles with their windows rolled up during the performance. Each car was at least one parking spot away from the other.

Despite all the differences in this year's event, Spillane, who was born and raised in Mystic, and audience members, said they were glad to continue the tradition.

"It's been going for what, more than 70 years? What tradition does that for so long?" Spillane asked. "My family and I, I think we started coming in 1964, and we've been here every year since. My dad's here, he's 96, he's the longest-serving caroler, though we can only have eight people up here this year."

East Lyme resident Susan Mickus also has a long history with the carol sing.

"I think I've been coming as long as I could walk, but I can't remember that far back, that was 75 years ago," she said. "I'm from Waterford. We've lived in the area all our lives, and we've been coming to the carol sing for as long as I can remember."

Mickus said the event was especially important in 2020 because, "We need a little Christmas. I wasn't sure they would do it this year, but I think this is a great idea."

While South Windsor resident Shannon Woods has not been to as many carol sings as Mickus and Spillane, she said it's her 38th year at the event. She was in a car with her husband and two children on Sunday.

"My kids have been every year since they've been born, and so have I," Woods said. "I came when I was only a couple months old. We were really sad that this was almost canceled, so we caroled in our neighborhood. It wasn't quite as good, it's really hard to sing with masks on and walk at the same time. You can't beat this experience."

Well-known hymns, such as "O Come All Ye Faithful," mixed with more secular Christmas songs, like "Frosty the Snowman," and the 13 musicians could be heard down the road from the parking lot. Though it wasn't as raucous as usual, for Woods and many other carolers, the annual performance had a special significance.

"My sister is parked next to us, our parents had to park a few cars down, so we can't really be next to each other," Woods said. "At least we're here. This is Christmas for us, this is our family tradition, and we're ecstatic that we could be here for this. Jamie, the Mystic Seaport Carol Sing, having our family here, this is Christmas."

s.spinella@theday.com