I must be getting soppy in my old age. These Christmas hymns, and the whole idea of Christmas, stir me now as they haven’t since I was a very little boy.
This is The Holly and the Ivy with what I think is the more familiar melody, sung by the Mediaeval Baebes. The running of the deer…
The other night, just before bedtime, Robbie looked out the window and started growling, being the watchcat. I couldn’t see anything because of reflections, so I had to open the window. And there, standing just ten feet away, was a lovely big deer. I’ve been here 40 years, and that’s the first time that’s happened. I choose to think of it as a harbinger of Christmas.
Dear Father in Heaven, give this Christmas season of 2017 the power to draw people’s hearts to Jesus Christ, our natural and rightful Lord, as never before! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Oh, thank you, Lee! This is the one I learned when I was young — and even my atheist mother loved the melody. The tabor (drum) in the background is a wonderful touch. I’m going to be playing this one over and over.
I, too, am feeling more stirred by these hymns than usual. I think part of it may be that in recent years it’s become almost dangerous to acknowledge what Christmas is about — at least in public. But this year there seems to be a small island of safety, with Christmas being writ large in the White House. It’s good to emerge from the catacombs for a while and sing of our joy in the fresh air
“O taste and see, the LORD is good.” Beautiful rendition. I have the Christmas lights up on my house and my wife has begun decorating the house for the great celebration of God visiting man in the person of the baby Jesus. They say as men get older their estrogen level goes up and they become more emotional – but then “they” say a lot of things. The deer story is awesome!!!