Here We Come A Caroling

Caroling is a big part of our family Christmas tradition. Each year at Christmas, we find some way to go out and carol.

While living in uptown Kellogg on McKinley Street, we were very close to our neighbors, and every Christmas we would don our Santa Hats and Elf Hats and walk from house to house caroling and taking plates of goodies to our friends. It was always a fun time, and much anticipated by our neighbors each year.

A few years ago, I helped start a tradition at our church. We would hop on our church bus and go to shut ins in the community and carol and give them some goodies. The past few years, we have walked around the church neighborhood delivering jars of hot chocolate mix and inviting neighbors to our Christmas program, along with caroling at each door.

I think every Christmas season for as long as can remember, I have had the opportunity to go Christmas caroling.

I enjoy it so much because of the music. Christmas carols are so beautiful, and the words share such a beautiful message of love, joy, peace and redemption. I have lived with these songs my whole life, through singing them in church and listening to them on Christmas albums.

The church I attend has more of a contemporary worship service, so we don't focus as much on the traditional Christmas hymns. Caroling is a wonderful way for people in our church to learn the words and become familiar with these traditional Christmas caroling songs.

When I wrote the Christmas pageant this year for our Sunday School program at church, the title is "Here We Come A Caroling". I took traditional Christmas songs combined with scripture and used them to tell the Christmas story, the story of Jesus' birth.

The program begins with the song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". I love this song because of the haunting melody and the anticipation that is expressed in the lyrics. I think of the hundred of years the Jewish people waited to hear again from their God, and how many never gave up. They knew Emmanuel would eventually come, Emmanuel...God With Us.

Then out of the darkness came a glorious light...the Son of God. The waiting was over. God was now with us....in a way no one could have ever imagined.

And He continues to be with us each and every day. All we need to do is talk to Him, and He is there. We no longer have to be in the dark....because God's light has come.

Enjoy this song sung by Enya..."O Come, O Come Emmanuel."