25 Songs of Christmas: 12.24.16

24 Saturday Dec 2016

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A song for Christmas Eve—O Holy Night. This carol was written in 1847 by a French wine merchant, Placide Cappeau, and set to music in 1855 by John Sullivan Dwight. The third verse is my favorite, and very timely as we head into a very uncertain 2017 with so much hatred and and sabre-rattling. This, after all, is at the heart of Christmas: “Truly He taught us to love one another, his law is love and his Gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.”

The version that I chose is from Jon Anderson’s 3 Ships album from 1985, which has been in my Christmas rotation since my oldest brother introduced it to me way back then. Jon is joined by Sandra Crouch for the third, and powerful, verse. 

25 Songs of Christmas: 12.20.16

21 Wednesday Dec 2016

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The possibility of a white Christmas is in the forecast, so I thought this hauntingly beautiful piece by Loreena McKennitt would be appropriate. Fittingly called Snow, the lyrics evoke the experience of being surrounded by snow fall: the softness, the muted sounds, the whiteness.

“Then all is silent and the snow falls, settling soft and slow.
The evening deepens and the grey
folds closer, earth and sky.
The world seems shrouded, far away.
Its noises sleep, and I,
as secret as yon buried stream,
plod dumbly on and dream.”

25 Songs of December: 12.19.16

19 Monday Dec 2016

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The horizon doesn’t look so bright as we look toward the New Year, so this carol seems appropriate today. “Brightest and Best of the Sons of the morning, dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.” There are many melodies that can be used with these lyrics; this version by Kathy Mattea is a beautiful minor tune.

25 Songs of Christmas: 12.17.16

17 Saturday Dec 2016

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We are four days from the winter solstice, and overnight the earth turned white and ice coated the shrubs and birdfeeders. So it seems most appropriate that today’s Christmas tune is In the Bleak Midwinter. The words are those of English poet Christina Rosetti. There are hundreds of recordings of this song, but I chose Sarah McLachlan’s version from her Wintersong album.

25 Songs of Christmas: 12.15.16

15 Thursday Dec 2016

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Anyone who has grown up on a farm knows how peaceful a barn can be when it’s dark and cold outside and the animals inside are resting and shuffling in the hay.   This carol, The Friendly Beasts, conjures up that memory for me, and images of a “stable rude.”  The carol dates back to the 12th century.    Many people have recorded this song, from  Peter Paul and Mary to Garth Brooks.  The  version that I chose is by Sufjan Stevens, from his Songs of Christmas album.