Time To Break Out The Christmas Music...

 It's time...

Time to sing the songs of the season.

It's so easy to love Christmas music. Just the memories those chords and notes conjure make it easy, memories of childhood dreams, of snow falling and fires warming the room. I speak for myself, of course. Looking back, I had wonderful Christmases, though others may not have. I know I experienced tough times growing up...everyone does, and everyone should. It's the way life was intended. We should never life a life without pain...it makes it impossible to experience joy.

Joy to the World

For years, heck, for decades I belonged to a congregation that took their annual ward musical Christmas program to heights seldom seen (or heard...). We had world-class (and I mean, world-class...) musicians participate. We began practicing the music months in advance. We had piano, organ, strings, bells, even harp--multiple harp--accompaniment. We had solos, duets, small quartets. They were an event, something people penciled in like many do when attending a Hallelujah Sing-In.

Handel's Hallelujah

We would practice the songs week after week. We'd gather in homes and at church...even having an incredible breakfast at the church the Saturday before the Christmas service. Those programs--like the Christmases of my youth--are now only memories, ghosts of the past, sounds lost to time. Now, part of my church calling is to help organize the upcoming Christmas program in our ward. It won't be as grand, nor will it include talent found in our previous neighborhood. But, does that matter? Do we need the same preparation, the same degree of difficulty to find success? The answer is, no. No we do not. Because it's not those things that make the program special. It's a group of imperfect people gathering together and sharing their talents to make the holiday special for themselves and others.

Angles We Have Heard on High

When the last chord rings through the space and the prayer ends, we all go home. We hopefully join loved ones on a day of rest, a day set apart to reflect, to consider, to dwell on higher causes. And when the evening comes, those who participated and those who experienced the program will look back on their day with relief and satisfaction in the hopes that they did some good in the world.

Silent Night

We've got ten weeks until Christmas Eve. Time to break out the music.

Ever Heard Of Boney M.? They Weren't What I Thought They Were...

I ran across a tweet today about pop culture in England in the 1970s. Someone found an old magazine and posted some of the content including a blurb about the music group Boney M.

And the memories came flooding back.

If you're not familiar with Boney M., I'm sure you're not alone. They rose to fame in the Disco era and most of their popularity seems to have been rooted in Europe. I have no idea if they even made a dent in the United States. I learned of then when I lived in Denmark as a LDS missionary. I listened to their Christmas album over and over again.

You may know of the LDS missionaries. You may not know about the rules that go along with being a missionary. There's the rules members follow to be part of the religion including not smoking, drinking, among others. But missionaries have additional rules like no dating, no being alone with anyone other than your assigned companion, wearing the approved missionary attire, going to bed and getting up at the approved time. The rules even dictate as to the type of music we could listen to. Needless to say, it was a short list.

To be completely honest, I can't say with 100% certitude that Boney M.'s Christmas album was on that list. The missionaries--at least the ones who wanted to obey the rules--kept track of what was okay and what wasn't. According to the older and wiser Elders, this particular album was fine.

And I listened to it again and again and again. We had tape cassettes back then and I might have actually worn out the tape. Because I was young and naive, I thought since this musical group made such fine religious music, they must have other albums worthy to find their place on the "Approved for LDS Missionary Consumption" list. On one of our preparation days, I wanted into a music store and looked up other Boney M. collections. There had to be something else to listen to during the non-Christmas seasons.

Yes, the band produced a lot of albums.

And yes, their music was definitely not on any "approved" missionary lists.

The band came of age during Disco. This was a time of loosening things up and judging by their album covers, the band was plenty loose. I should have guessed it would be like this. I don't know whyI thought otherwise.

After seeing the tweet I found the album on iTunes and listened to snippets of each song. It's a bit techno-pop and the harmonies and music weren't as tight as I remember (of course, I only ever heard the music on cassette tapes...), but it reminded me of cold days in Denmark when the sun set early in the afternoon, the streets were decorated in a way Americans can only dream about, and a cup of rich European hot chocolate was heaven-sent.

I had forgotten about that group for probably thirty years. Amazing how a random post by someone I don't know can bring back so many things.

Who Listens To Christmas Music...In June?

I saw this CD returned to the library today and I thought, "Who listens to Christmas music in June?" I know there's Christmas fairs in July and at other times in the summer, and I'm pretty sure that many retailers who count on Christmas to be their busiest time of the year have already dealt with Christmas stuff to prepare for winter.

After all, Christmas is only six months away from today...exactly six months.

And the group, Pentatonix, is not your average musical group. They are exquisite. They show how the right combination of talents working toward a common goal can produce amazing things. I sang for years in organized choirs, including some of the best voices in the state, and when I hear Pentatonix sing, it communicates to my soul.

I've heard some of these songs, but not all. I look forward to hearing the others. I know there are people who can enjoy Christmas music all year around. I don't know if I'm one of them. But I can enjoy and appreciate good music--be it Christmas or otherwise--all year around. A few years ago I was part of a bell choir where we rehearsed Christmas music from January to December. I don't remember getting too sick of the music. So, maybe I can enjoy it more than I think.

Who listens to Christmas music in June? I guess I do.

If There Were No Christmas...What Would You Miss The Most?

For those of us who celebrate Christmas, I have a question for you. If next December Christmas no longer existed, what would you miss the most?

I thought about this as I practiced Christmas songs with several of my neighbors this morning. I know we're all different so I expect the answers to this hypothetical questions will varied as well. 

Family: I know that some out there would rather not gather with family during the holidays. That's why when they move out they relocate as far away as possible. I would miss my family terribly if there were no Christmas. Even so, this would not be my choice.

Food: Christmas food is delicious! There's no doubt about it. And I would miss the food, especially my wife's homemade egg nog. At my house, the family prepares each of our favorite treats. It definitely wouldn't be Christmas without the goodies.

Presents: As a child, if I were asked what I would miss most if there were no Christmas, I would have said presents. And I still look forward to exchanging gifts, more so the joy I get in giving (even though the getting is fun, too...). Honestly, I don't believe Christmas would exist if buying gifts didn't exist. It certainly wouldn't be anything like it is without it. Still, I could give up the presents if I had to.

Football: Now I know for some "Football" shouldn't be included in this list. But I also know people who couldn't care less about Christmas as long as there were college football bowl games.

Star Wars: This is a one-time only thing, so I'm not really considering it. However, some do look forward to seeing new movies on Christmas and then there are those Christmas movies (i.e. Hallmark Channel specials...). I could give those up, no problem.

You can take away all those things and I'd get by, but the one thing I would miss the most is music. I think it's the thing I enjoy most about the holiday. When I was in college, I sang in an elite choir. Oh, the feelings I experienced while singing those songs surrounded by such talented people--it was magical. Some people complain about Christmas music and for good reason--some of it is just dreadful, but the really good stuff is SO good! I'd have to say music would be the one thing I would most miss.

Of course, all these things are just that--things. They're just reminders of why we really celebrate the day. I wonder if we really took everything away, all the presents and the food, no more "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday, and we all ate sensibly and read a good book instead of sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers, it would still be Christmas. It would still be important, still matter.

I hope we never reach a point where Christmas no longer exists because I would miss that music. I would miss it bad.