Requested by Phoebe, The First Noel–and I thought Bing Crosby would be just the ticket.
Let’s keep the hymns coming, everybody. Tomorrow’s the last day of the contest! Which does not mean we have to stop posting Christmas music. Hey, I’ve been known to post it in August…
I have just finished decorating our Christmas tree, and a fair piece of the living room, too. Even when we set up the tree in its stand the day before, it’s still a two-hour job. My father used to do it all on Christmas Eve, start to finish, after us kids were sent to bed. We’d come down exceedingly early on Christmas morning, and there would be the fully-decorated tree standing in the living room, with wrapped presents under it.
It’s such a big job because we have so many ornaments, all if them family heirlooms going back many years. I know the story behind each and every one of them. The important thing is to remember the loved ones who gave them to us, because they’ve all passed on by now, not many of us left. Because Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, we know we can trust God’s promises: we know we will all be reunited in His kingdom, and enjoy eternal life.
We wanted to take a picture of our tree and post it here, but haven’t yet discovered how to do it. Patty thought she knew, but wasn’t able to pull it off. Well, we may yet find out: I’m not about to take the tree down just after I put it up.
Next stop: our traditional Christmas Eve dinner–roast duck.
We pray Phoebe is feeling better today. This is for her, Robert Shaw fan that she is–Good King Wenceslas, by the Robert Shaw Chorale.
Dec. 26 is St. Stephen’s Day, Phoebe’s birthday–and the anniversary of our first date, Patty and me: Dec. 26, 1976.
She has cancelled tomorrow’s doctor’s appointment, preferring to be home with our tree to sitting around in the waiting room.
Here’s another one we almost missed–but not quite! The Wexford Carol goes all the way back to 12th-century Ireland, hence the bagpipes in the background. This beautiful version is performed by Alison Krauss and the legendary Yo-Yo Ma on cello.
Hey, everybody, it’s Christmas Eve! Let’s finish our Carol Contest with a flash! Tomorrow’s Christmas, and we want to make the earth and the sky shiver with Christmas music.
For Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This little melody is Tiny Tim’s theme in Scrooge, the 1951 Christmas classic starring Alistair Sim (which we watched yesterday). The toys in the shop window are all genuine antiques–although I think the big guffawing mechanical doll might have freaked me out when I was little. Anyhow, this tune has been part of our Christmas here for over 40 years, and I’d like to share it with you today.
I can’t believe we went so long without this old favorite–Good King Wenceslas, performed by the Irish Rovers. It may make you want to dance.
Wenceslas was not a king, by the way; but he was a nobleman, and well loved for his saintly and generous ways. Popular opinion promoted him to king after his death.
Pure coincidence! Just as I was posting O Little Town of Bethlehem, Phoebe was requesting it: I just hadn’t seen her message yet. Obviously that hymn was meant to be!
But she also requested Hark the Herald Angels Sing–and here’s a gorgeous, glorious rendition of it by the King’s College Choir, Cambridge. You definitely want to turn up the volume for this.
I’m surprised no one has asked for this yet–O Little Town of Bethlehem. And who better to sing it than Nat King Cole, with the voice of an angel?
My Pogo pal “Teddy” asked for Joy to the World, and I thought I’d try this rendition of it by Casting Crowns. It’s a little wild–but hey, our Savior is born! We ought to be dancing in the streets and turning cartwheels.
I had never heard of this carol before, and when “SlimJim” suggested it, I jumped to the conclusion that it was some kind of secular rock-‘n’-roll thing. I quickly learned how wrong I can be, when I really put my mind to it!
The Rocking Carol–just beautiful, really–is a traditional Czech Christmas carol, sung here by Chanticleer, a capella all the way, in perfect harmony. Thanks, Jim.