Christmas Blog Caroling 2015: O Come All Ye Faithful

To quote one of my Geneblogger and Facebook Genealogy friends Bill West:  "It's become a Geneablogger tradition to join our friend FootnoteMaven in the annual Blog Caroling Event,when geneabloggers post their favorite Christmas carols. "

So, in the spirit of the holiday season and reminiscing of Christmas times past (it is also Throwback Thursday, after all), this prompts my own fond memories of years spent in school choirs while growing up.  My favorite time of year for choir rehearsals and performances was always the Christmas season. From the time I was in elementary school through high school, the weeks preceding Christmas were always spent rehearsing carols for the Big Christmas Show.    One year, in 3rd grade, I did an unintentional solo when every single member of our 3rd grade choir except myself failed to utter a sound when they opened their mouths to sing for our parents.   All of them got stage fright, except for me.   I did not even realize that I was the only one actually singing until afterwards, when our choir director (who as also my teacher) asked the audience to applaud "our soloist" and pointed at me.  I did not know whether to be mortified or proud, but am sure I turned at least 3 shades of red.  

Meantime, fast forward to the high school years.   I attended what was then considered a really big school of about 3,000 students in Orange County, California. I won't state the years here, except to say it was a long time ago.   I still have fond memories of our big Christmas programs every year though.  I began in 9th grade in our multi-grade Girls Glee choir, which was a very large choir.  We sounded great because we had so many voices.   Each year I progressed into a more advanced and smaller choir group, eventually into a mixed choir, and every year looked forward to the Christmas show rehearsals and performances.  We practiced the songs for weeks, and it always got us into the spirit of the season.  I'm not sure I had one favorite carol; I generally enjoyed them all. 

One of my all time favorite carols, for listening and performing, has always been: 

 O Come All Ye Faithful .

O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of angels;
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

God of God light of light
Lo, He not the virgin's womb;
Very God begotten not created:
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ The Lord.

Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest:
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ The Lord

See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear
we too will thither hend our joyful footsteps;
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Songwriters
Halford, Robert / Ramirez, Roger / Wade, John Francis

Published by
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS