Rhys's Twelve Days of Christmas--Day 4

Today I'm remembering my favorite part of the Old English Christmas: Carol singing. A week or so before Christmas groups of carolers would appear on street corners. Children would come to the front door, singing carols and hoping to get a penny or two to buy Christmas presents.

Out in the countryside we would go around the village singing carols. When we knocked at front doors, sometimes the whole family would come to hear us. Sometimes we'd be invited in for food and sometimes they would bring treats to the door--usually mince pies or cookies, and sometimes hot spiced wine, the wassail cup, to go with it. We went on to the next house with a lovely warm feeling growing inside.

The interesting thing was that we knew the words to all those carols. Today I think children can only sing non-religious songs like Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer. And even adults only know the first couple of lines of Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

We'll all find it hard to sing joyful songs this year after the tragedy that happened yesterday in Connecticut. So many beautiful young lives snuffed out. So many families shattered. So many holidays that will never be the same again.

My thoughts and prayers go out to them, knowing that nothing will ease their pain at this moment but wanting them to know that the whole world prays for them and cares for them.