Christmas Quiz – Are you up to it?

Can You Recognize these familiar songs in the titles below?

Vertical planes adorned via bunched Ilex
Permission for Ice Crystal Precipitation
Quiet Nocturne
Praise to Jehovah
Happy sounds of the Chimes
Ag hollow metallic device

Well, how did you do? I’ll have answers in a couple days. Til then, Merry Christmas! You may want to read my feelings about one of the oldest carols known. If so, keep reading.

MUSINGS

So what is the longest Christmas Carol? I suspect it would be “The Twelve Days of Christmas” – a song greatly aggravating to my mother, but she had five children singing it in one of those tiny little ranches (which did NOT sprawl) and prone to migraines (which we probably caused) so I can actually understand why it would be aggravating. As a piano teacher, I would HATE to be forced to listen to my students play all the verses! Come on, teachers, you can admit to your closet fears and hates. So, that’s probably my least favorite carol.

I must say, one of the oldest carols is one of my favorites – “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” My sources say it has been sung from the Latin Text since the ninth century. There’s a great deal of Biblical doctrine found in the words. Whether the singer refers to The Christ as “the Rod of Jesse” or “Day-Spring,” meaning Sun-rise or branch (Is. 11:1) or sings of our great hope in the words “From depths of hell Thy people save and give them victory o’er the grave.” – a wonderful promise stated in I Corinthians 15:20-23 – it is surpassed by the word “Emmanuel.”

GOD with us. Such love is found in John 3:16 where God says He loved us and in Philippians 2:5-11where it details the cost of that love. It was the Emmanuel part that touched my heart and made me realize I needed the Savior that God was telling me He was.

So, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” just doesn’t cut it for me. Actually, it is Caribou that live in the Lapland, angels never sang at Jesus’ birth, we don’t really know how many wise men there were and they weren’t in Jesus’ presence until He was a toddler. Let us not lose sight of the whole reason for Christmas because of all the errors found in the songs. So, what is your favorite carol? Okay, favorite carols.

This sight is not meant to be religious or preachy – just a little thought provoking and engaging the reader to share their thoughts and questions – musical or otherwise.