Christmas time is here. Happiness and cheer.
Fun for all that children call their favorite time of year…
The Christmas season is upon us. Twinkling lights and rows of garland line the streets of downtown Dover while festive window paintings decorate the glass storefronts on Third Street. The soft tune of “Winter Wonderland” plays in your car as you munch on a Christmas cookie and sip a large mug of hot cocoa that warms your hands as you head home for the evening. The sun started to set around five o’clock, and the lights hung on neighborhood trees light your way home on this chilly evening. Your car’s trunk is full of gifts for friends and family that you are looking forward to wrapping in the few days before Christmas.
The Christmas season is full of so many traditions that make the early part of winter a little brighter for people across the globe. Of the many attributes that make Christmastime festive, Christmas carols and music take the cake. Starting traditionally as songs of worship to commemorate Jesus’ birth, Christmas carols have been around since the fourth century. Many traditional Christmas songs and hymns carry a religious significance that makes them a key part in Christmas festivities for many families, including my own, today. Other more recent songs tell stories of Santa and his reindeer that give joy to children around the world excited for December 25th. No matter what Christmas carol is sung or listened to, it is sure to bring hope and joy to all who hear it.
Christmas time is all about sharing the joy of the season with friends and loved ones, and Christmas carols make that possible. Timeless classics like “The Christmas Song” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are juxtaposed with modern songs like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” to create the ultimate atmosphere for Christmas cheer. This “holiday buzz” would be incomplete with all of the music that we associate with the holidays. With some people facing hard times and struggling to find joy this season, caroling is a way to show them that they are not alone in this time of togetherness. Christmas songs can help build a community for people who may not typically see eye to eye in daily life. There is something about a festive tune that makes even the toughest of situations seem a little less important at the time.
While Christmas music is not the only important attribute of Christmastime, it plays a crucial role in the way we celebrate this pivotal holiday individually and as a community. As Buddy the Elf says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear,” and this Christmas should be no different.
