I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Day 11)

On the eleventh day of Christmas, I bring you another favorite carol related, incidentally, to bells. This one is poignant and somewhat unusual in its focus on the fallen world while still keeping the original Christmas in the picture. It seems like many of the Christmas songs that talk about peace really have no grounding in Christmas and could just as easily have been written for some other time of the year. This one, however, does not fall into that trap. In a way, the song reflects the “already-not yet” tension of Christianity, and, again, the whole sense of yearning for restoration.

To it, it seems appropriate to say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Sing We Now of Christmas (Day 10)

This song catches my fancy every so often, and I was listening to the version of it that belongs to part of a medley on Michael W. Smith's Christmastime CD the other day, so I thought I would include it. It seems like one of the better carols for a choir — lots of interesting possibilities to be followed in such a setting.

Well, only two more carols to go. With that in mind, what are your favorite carols? Any that have been overlooked here?

Sing we now of Christmas,
Noel sing we here.
Sing our grateful praises
To the maid so dear.
Chorus
Sing we Noel!
The King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas.
Sing we here, Noel!

From the Eastern kingdoms
Come the wise men far.
Bearing ancient treasure,
Following yonder star.

Sing we Noel!
The King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas.
Sing we here, Noel!

Carol of the Bells (Day Nine)

And here is the carol of the ninth day of Christmas. Carol of the Bells has always been one of my favorites. In fact, my dad every so often likes to tell the story of how I told my kindergarten teacher that it was my favorite carol, a fact that shocked her. Like many of my favorites, I love the haunting melody.

The words are good as well, although my favorite version in recent years, the version by David Foster, is instrumental. That version is featured as part of the Silver Dollar City Christmas tree light show each year, has something of the style of a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas carol reworking (although more dramatic than the usual MS style) and is well worth checking out. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's “Christmas Eve Sarajevo (12/24)” is also worth checking out as a modern reworking.

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,

Ding dong ding dong
that is their song
with joyful ring
all caroling

—Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (English adaptation by Peter Wilhousky)

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Belated Day Eight)

So, this is the carol for yesterday. And, what could be better suited for a Christmas carol on New Year's Day than one that mentions the New Year? I don't have anything profound to say about this carol. Right now, the only thing that comes to mind is the “Muppets” version that plays on the radio during the Christmas season in which Miss Piggy gets upset about talk of “piggy pudding.” Like I said, nothing profound.

We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Auld Lang Syne (Belated Day Seven)

Happy New Year! Well, I failed to get a seventh day of Christmas carol up yesterday, so I'll post it late. Actually, not a carol at all, but how can one pass up Auld Lang Syne on New Years Eve? Well, it's easy — I did it, apparently — but now that it is New Year's Day, I present what should have been yesterday's post.

May your year not be one filled with forgetting old acquaintances, but with joy in continued remembrance as you “take a cup 'o kindness.”

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' auld lang syne

—Robert Burns

Oh, and I'll post today's carol tomorrow.

An Elegy to the Year Now Passing

A single porch light glows across the night scene from my back window. The wind is blowing gently, but persuasively. A certain sadness seems entwined in this, and yet the warm glow of the Christmas lights that twinkle about me inside pulls me from waxing on too much about the cold I only see, and am not left to survive in this night. Such is 2007 as it bids us farewell.

Back when I was primarily a technology writer, my end of the year articles typically were highly optimistic treatises talking up the glories of the segment of the industry I wrote about. There are always plenty of good events that happen in a year for an industry, and everyone likes a feel good story to sum up a year. And yet one year not too long ago, the whole idea seemed too shallow as my father lay in a hospital bed with various heart problems and my grandmother was slowly being ravaged by the cruel foe that is Alzheimer's. So I dropped the traditional article; and let it slide by as if it never happened. It has not from my pen since.

Read my full column at OFB

That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! (Day Six)

Here's a Christmas song of a very different sort. It was my introduction to Sufjan Stevens last year when iTunes offered it as a free single of the week. I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it, other than that Stevens's melody and haunting vocals make it worth hearing. With that in mind, what was the worst Christmas you ever had?

Going outside
Shoveling snow in the driveway, driveway
Taking our shoes
Riding a sled down the hillside, hillside
Can you say what you want?
Can you say what you want to be?
Can you be what you want?
Can you be what you want?

Our father yells
Throwing gifts in the wood stove, wood stove
My sister runs away
Taking her books to the schoolyard, schoolyard
In time the snow will rise
In time the snow will rise
In time the Lord will rise
In time the Lord will rise

Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Nothing feels right

O Little Town of Bethlehem (Day Five)

A more content filled post didn't happen today, sorry. I will post again soon. In the mean time, I'll continue to speak in carols. Today's carol is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” I think the carol captures perfectly the situation of the nativity. How true that the mortals slept while the King of the Universe was born in a lowly manger. How odd that little Bethlehem is still while the event it has awaited finally happens.

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see the lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Day Four)

I plan on posting a normal post again, hopefully tomorrow. There are a lot of things I'm mulling over these days, and maybe I can commit some of them to paper right now. Others, perhaps not, but we'll see. In the mean time, I continue the festival of carols with the Christmas song of the day for the fourth day of Christmas. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is surely one of my very favorites — I love its haunting melody and combination of both somber yearning and joyous hope. The first stanza and refrain are below.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

—Unknown (trans. by John M. Neale)

I'll Be Home for Christmas (Day Three)

Continuing the series is “I'll Be Home for Christmas.” I like pretty much all Christmas music in the traditional “canon,” but this isn't necessarily normally one of my top picks amongst all the classics. And yet it stuck in my head today and seemed somehow fitting. So, here it is.

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light beams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

—Walter Kent and Kim Gannon