There's been a bit of a meme going around recently (which rather rudely I have not been tagged in...) where people are talking about their favourite Christmas song. Most of these that I have seen have been pop songs and the like so just to be different I am sharing my favourite Christmas hymns with you.
It's not that I am overly religious (well I am a bit, I mean you can take the girl out of the Catholic school but you can't take the Catholic school out of the girl) but I do *heart* Christmas hymns and carols massively. Every year I drag my family out on a cold wintry December evening to the carol service at the church where we got married, to sing about 16 carols in a row whilst hearing about the birth of Jesus in between songs. It takes forever and the kids and Mr M are usually freezing and bored rigid but it's become a tradition and one that we won't be changing, because I luffs it.
My first and most favourite carol/hymn whatever you would call it is one I have loved from the first time I heard it, which rather shamefully was in Home Alone many years ago when I was a child. Look, I never professed to be cultured. (Clearly not as I'm also a fan of the South Park version).
So many people have sang and recorded this song it was hard to pick one, and whilst I think the Katherine Jenkins & Aled Jones performance is a good one (despite the fact she makes me twitch a little,) this version is perfect. Just perfect. This song brings a tear to my eye whenever I hear it.
If I had to pick a second favourite it would most definitely be one that reminds me of my own childhood. I obviously love Away In A Manger which is a beautiful one and seeing my own children sing it now in church and at school tends to make me a bit emotional but O Come All Ye Faithful is one I love wailing singing to every year, I love that bit where the men sing, then the women and then everyone together. I'm easily pleased.
There are of course others I love like In The Bleak Midwinter and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. It's often considered a bit "dark but it remains one of my favourites all my life, like the solemness and Victiorian-ness of it. (I made that word up I think).
I'm already looking forward to sticking on the carols whilst I cook on Christmas Eve and settling down to watch Songs of Praise at Christmas. Old before my time? Never!
love & kisses
Mrs M x
Good call on Holy Night (like you, I needed Home Alone to find it) I also love Three Kings. Makes me cry every time.
ReplyDeleteI adore the Coventry Carol, it's so emotive and makes me feel teary. I don't go to church and haven't been Christened etc. etc. but I do have a love of the traditions. Can't beat a good carol concert. Before Toby, we used to go to Chester Cathedral for their charity carol concert every year and it was amazing!
ReplyDeletesam x
I haven't been tagged either, but I'm going to tag myself and post a few over on nlpmum. We're been off Carol Singing at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park this year and have sung a couple of big favourites - the Gaudete and the Boars Head Carol - I'll bung them up on the blog + a couple of others.... should really get a vid of us singing them, but thankfully for everyone else, we haven't done it yet ;-)
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