click here to listen
(sorry about the winged mouse...)
There are so many wonderful songs that celebrate the Christmas event. My favorites include “O Come O Come Emmanuel;” “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming;” “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence;” “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella;” “Carol of the Bells;” movements from Handel’s Messiah, J. S. Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio, and any number of other hymns, carols, songs, and excerpts from classical works.
But the original “Christmastime is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio deserves its own place in the canon. No, it doesn’t mention Jesus’ birth, but it speaks to just about everything worth celebrating Christmas with: family, fellowship, snow, and singing. It also speaks of happiness and the wish for good will to preside throughout the year -- a wish fueled by a longing that only Christ can fulfil.
Back about as far as I can remember, I watched the Charlie Brown Christmas Special every year. I couldn’t wait to hear the music! It captured the wonder, mystery, and beauty of Christmas for me long before I understood what Christmas really meant. And now that I’m quite a bit older (and hopefully a bit wiser), it still captures some of those things for me.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
