'Tis the Season for Christmas Carols

Catherine Mendenhall-Baugh shares the stories behind some of our favorite Christmas carols.

For so many of us, Christmas wouldn’t work without music. Let’s admit, music at Christmas is a huge influence in our celebration of the holidays. But why? Why do we so love Christmas music? It’s likely that each of us has a favorite Christmas song.

One answer to this question is Christmas music is steeped in tradition. Here’s something that I find remarkable. Much of this music that we’ve come to love was written over 200 years ago. Most musical artists famous today have released a Christmas album, which as it turns out, became a best seller for them. I think many of our teens today would be surprised to learn that these Christmas songs they enjoy listening to sung by Taylor Swift, Jewel, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson just to name a few, are jammed with tunes written in the 1800s. Even the oldies such as Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, and so many more owed much of their success to Christmas music!

"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" was written in 1753. "The First Noel" was written in 1823, originating from the French word with Latin roots, natalis, meaning birthday. "Joy to the World" was written in 1719. The composer wrote this hymn glorifying Christ’s triumphant return at the end of a trying time. Father Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber wrote "Silent Night" in 1818. A broken church organ in the midst of a Christmas Eve midnight Mass presented the opportunity for Father Mohr to write these inspired lyrics sung for the first time at Mass.

My favorite, "O Holy Night," was composed by Adolphe Charles Adam to the French poem, "Minuit, Chretiens" ("Midnight Christians") by a wine merchant and poet, Placide Cappeau. John Dwight discovered this French carol and translated it into the English hymn.

null

One of the oldest carols is "Adeste Fideles" ("O Come all Ye Faithful"). The earliest versions of “Adeste Fideles” are all in Latin. The English-language version that most people today know was translated in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley, a British Catholic priest. Others include "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," or "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," or "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and the magnificent, "Hallelujah Chorus," all of them favorites sung at Christmas. Most of these carols stemmed from poems with insight from Scripture, and much of the music was inspired by famous composers at the time. Some of them came from English Catholics, making them famous in America. Wherever they originated, in this year of 2022 they are still very much a part of our Christmas celebrations.

Click to tweet:
Much of our connection to music is nostalgia from Christmas times in our past, #catholicmom

Much of our connection to music is nostalgia from Christmas times in our past, especially when we were children. My memories were of music and laughter at our kitchen table with our very large family. Gifts were slim but the joy at Christmas and music was not. Alexandra Lamont, senior lecturer in music psychology at Keele University, discusses the nostalgia factor:

Nostalgia is a powerful force in popular culture, particularly around Christmas. Christmas songs are all about nostalgia – think about "White Christmas," which is the biggest selling song of all time. All the lyrics are about nostalgia and going back to Christmases in the past. (Wired.co.uk)

Most important, though, Christmas is our time to reflect on our spiritual renewal. We do celebrations with family that include gift giving, such as the 3 kings did for Jesus, and family time with putting up a Christmas tree, cookie baking, hot chocolate, watching old Christmas movies and, yes, attending Advent and Christmas devotions at Church. All of these remind us of the family that taught us the importance of connection: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. The birth of Jesus was a gift for all sinners and can never be forgotten.

When we focus on ourselves and our inadequacies, we feel insignificant and timid. There is no joy in that! No one feels like a perfect parent, spouse, or child. We all have flaws. On the other hand, when we focus on being grateful for all that God has done in our lives and on his goodness, our perspectives change! Focusing on the Giver of every good gift is the key that unlocks the door to joy. When we are mindful of God and what he has done we don’t have room in our hearts for fear and anxiety.

Find your joy today in God's presence. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Gladly pronounce the goodness of God in your life! It will strengthen you and your gratitude will usher you into his presence multiplying your joy as you focus on God and his goodness.” (FamilyFire.com)

Joy to the world. The Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!

null