The only excuse I have for this is that I love this carol and I’m crazy about the harpsichord. It has such a Christmasy sound.
It’s already December 23. How did that happen? Tomorrow we put up our tree. Next thing you know, it’s New Year’s Day and 2015 is over before I got used to writing it.
But the Child whose birth we proclaim on Christmas Day lives every day, every year, and we must learn to seek Him every day.
Laura, you asked for it, so here it is–In the Bleak Midwinter.
I’d never heard of this carol until today. It’s quite beautiful.
I don’t know that I can bring myself to comment on any of the world news today. Meanwhile, let the good news of the Gospel speak to us.
Listen!
I wouldn’t want it said I passed over this carol.
As a bonus, there are chord diagrams on the screen so you can play along with your own guitar. It’s been a long, long time since I did that. Those basic chords are old friends.
The First Noel, as sung by Chris Tomlin–enjoy it.
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee: the melody is borrowed from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, but who cares? We need more hymns like this!
I don’t know what you’ll think of it, but this version brought me to tears. Maybe I’m turning into an old softy. Nah… If this hymn doesn’t stir your soul, you’re ready for an autopsy.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!
No one has yet requested this, but I love this carol, so here it is.
We still have four days: plenty of time for The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and whatever else you might want to hear.
Let’s load up on Christmas spirit! We’ll need it again and again throughout the coming year.
This is the Welsh Male Voice Choir of South Africa–just to let you see that us guys can sing, too. Well, we certainly can if we’re Welsh.
I’m still taking requests, folks, so I hope you haven’t run out of them already.
My editor, Susan, suggested this one. I’d never heard of it.
But wow! This is gorgeous. The combination of an angelic singing voice (Alison Krauss), cello (Yo-Yo Ma), and bagpipes?–yes, bagpipes–is as beautiful as it is unexpected.
Contrary to legend, Henry VIII had nothing to do with composing this melody, which was first published in England as “Greensleeves” in 1580. Since then, Christmas lyrics have been written to celebrate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God
This one is a very nice instrumental version.
I couldn’t wait till tomorrow to post this. It’s an old French hymn, and I love it. Angels We Have Heard on High–right out of the Gospel of Luke. I hope you enjoy it, as I do.
P.S.–I fully expected someone to win the Comment Contest today, but things kind of ground to a halt this afternoon. If you post the 4,000th comment here, you win one of my books.
I think I’ve caught up on reader requests with this one, We Three Kings by Mediaeval Baebes. Somewhere along the way I’d like to find a version sung by men with deep voices, but this one’s nice.
This is one we always used to sing in Sunday school. Hey, remember when we sang Christmas carols in public school?
Those were better days than these.