Story Hour
Christmas Songs
Written by Gene B. Williams
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Nobody knows how or when Christmas songs came about. Nobody really knows exactly how Christmas came about. At the center is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. That’s why it is called Christmas – for Christ Mass. However big it sometimes seems, this is a small world. People move around. They meet. They share ideas, customs and stories. Making that more difficult, “way back then” few people knew how to read or write. Most of it was something someone told someone who memorized it and told someone else who memorized it and told someone else.
As people mingled, so did all of this.
We now have a wonderful mix that everyone can enjoy.
It’s known that a kind of Christmas song was being used in Rome nearly 2000 years ago. About 1200 years ago, St. Francis of Assisi encouraged people to sing Christmas songs. In 1426, a chaplain named John Awdlay wrote down “25 caroles of Cristemas.” Many of these were used by wassailers. This is probably the beginning of Christmas caroling – singing from house to house. The poor would do this, and giving them something to eat or drink was thought to bring blessings on the house.
Right about the time that America was born, so was the song, “Deck the Halls.” That was 1784. In 1857, “Jingle Bells” came out. They weren’t recorded. That wasn’t invented yet. These were written down on pieces of paper, with notes and words (called sheet music).
In 1944, Mel Torme and Bob Wells wrote what they called “The Christmas Song.” Nat King Cole recorded it in 1946. Hundreds of people have recorded it since. You can listen to it, and watch it, here and you can sing along with the words.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it’s been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you.
The Ten Most Popular Christmas Songs
There are so many Christmas songs. Hundreds of them! Do you have a favorite? A list was made (not by me) of what are supposed to be the ten most popular Christmas songs. Here they are. Click on one – or each in turn – to see and hear the song – and sing along.
The Christmas Song ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire")
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Winter Wonderland
White Christmas
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Jingle Bell Rock
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Little Drummer Boy
More Christmas Fun
One of my favorite places all through the year is Family Fun. At Christmas … well, it sparkles. You’ll find all sorts of fun things to do here. It’s a place worth writing down so you can visit it often. There is always something new going on.
When I was looking up Christmas song lyrics (words to the songs) for you I came across this wonderful website called xmasfun.com. Oh, my!!! Not only can you get the words to songs, many of them have music and even videos to watch. Beyond that, you could spend from now to next Christmas looking at all the marvelous things they have. (The songs and movies are the first thing in green to the left. Be sure to explore the rest of their list!)
New Year
Santa will have come and gone home. A week later it will be 2012. A new year. The month January gets its name from the Roman god Janus. That myth has Janus as the god of doors, gates and beginnings. So, for most of us, Janus-uary is the beginning of the year.
It used to be that many thought of the new year as being the end of winter. A Hindu calendar still places it in mid-April. In Ethiopia, the new year is in mid-September. The Chinese calendar is completely different. New Year can be pretty much anywhere from January 20 to February 20.
People celebrate in many different ways. All over the world there are fireworks and parties and parades and sports games and feasts and noise making and gatherings and eating and … well, there are lots of ways. In some places, people will chop a hole in the ice and jump into the cold water. (This is usually called the Polar Bear Club.)
How will you spend your New Year’s? Nicker and the family are planning a big party, and I want to go! Captain Kazoo will pick me up in the Kazoo-mobile. (He knows the way. Do you?)
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