For as long as I can remember, singing Christmas carols has been part and parcel of Advent and of Christmas Eve especially. For at least fifteen years I attended a Christmas Eve service where we sang Christmas carols interspersed with the reading of the of Christmas story from the scripture. At the very end of the service everyone held a lit candle and the lights in the sanctuary were extinguished. I can't imagine Christmas without the old familiar Christmas carols.
They are beautiful and harmonious, expounding on different parts of the Christmas story with artistry, passion and majesty. In my minds ear, the carols are always sung by large groups of people. That may be part of their appeal, groups of people coming together and singing. In our community we have a Christmas cantata where people from all walks of life get together to practice Christmas music. They start months before Christmas--September I think. This is the only time of year an event like this happens. Often these program ends with the audience being invited to sing a familiar song with the performing group.And so a big group gets bigger, singing the carols. Something about Christmas music just encourages large groups of people to gather together and sing for joy.
They really can't help though, for the first Christmas carol must have been the multitudes of angels, singing to the startled shepherds.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.' "
Luke 2 : 13 &14
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