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Not Only Green When Summer’s Here

This carol dates back to 19th century Germany. Although the Christmas tree had become quite popular in Germany at that point, the song itself did not originally refer to the Christmas tree in particular or really Christmas at all. Nor was “O Christmas Tree” necessarily…

Repeat the Sounding Joy

The words of this hymn come verbatim from Isaac Watts. They are also explcitly based on the words of Psalm 98:4-9. Watts had an interesting take on the singing of Psalms in worship: essentially he held that their archaic nature, their context in the individual life of David, and their rootedness in the culture of…

Watchman, Tell Us of the Night

As with most carols there are many tunes this one is sung to. The one used in the General Church of the New Jerusalem is called “St. George’s Windsor.” It is the same tune as the Thanksgiving hymn “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” My favourite version as of late however is a duet by The…

The Everlasting Light

There is something wondrous and tender about this carol. It captures the quiet, still, darkness of the sleepy little town in which the Lord was born as a tiny infant. Appropriately enough the carol was originally written for a Sunday school Christmas service, in 1868. The author, Phillips Brooks, was the rector of a church…

Prayer and Praising

We all know that the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Lord; but why those gifts? Various Christmas carols claim to have the answer, including “We Three Kings.” The carol is in five verses: the first and last are general, but verses two through four are…

Judah’s Sacred Hills

It seems that no New Church Christmas service is complete without a stirring rendition of “Calm on the Listening Ear of Night.” This hymn has been a favourite in New Church congregations for over a century. Yet if you look online you will search in vain for the old familiar tune. While the words are…

Join the Triumph!

One of the awesome things about singing Christmas carols together is the shared joy they represent. There’s nothing like being part of a large group of people all singing a joyful hymn at the top of their lungs. The carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” certainly lends…

I Am the Dance, and I Still Go On

Although we associate the word “carol” with singing, it derives from a word having to do with dance. It is appropriate then that several Christmas carols highlight this aspect of carolling (even if most of us would look askance at a caroller who opted to dance down…

Victory o’er the Grave

One of the disappointments of researching Christmas Carols is that so often it comes down to “first recorded in the 19th century, most likely drawing on older traditions, the details of which we have no clue whatsoever.” Happily…

Our Childhood’s Pattern

Much of the magic of Christmas is rooted in childhood nostalgia. In fact, even as the excitement fades a little with adulthood, it is rekindled by the next generation of youngsters discovering it for the first time and revelling in the holiday spirit. That…