One Catholic tradition, which has virtually disappeared, is that of Christmas caroling: that is going house-to-house on Christmas Eve singing Christmas carols. I have not researched the origin of this tradition, but I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to assume that Christmas caroling originated as a reenactment of the angels proclaiming the Holy Birth on that first Christmas.
With these thoughts in mind, our family decided to try a little Christmas caroling several years ago on Christmas Eve. This endeavor was not undertaken without some trepidation. We are not in any sense performance-level singers. There was much discussion and debate about the logistics. Should we, for instance, ring the doorbell before we started singing, or should we just sing at the top of our lungs until someone noticed? If we decided the latter, how long should we sing before deciding that either no one was home or that they couldn’t hear us? How many songs should we sing at each house once we were noticed? These and other questions were answered before going out, but often changed as situations warranted.
That first time out we caroled mostly in our immediate neighborhood. It was an evening of rich reward. However, we did sing at one vacant house for about 10 minutes before deciding that no one was home. After this we made sure to ring the doorbell. We began at each house with “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and ended each set with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” We mixed in “Adeste Fideles” (“Oh Come All Ye Faithful”), “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night” and other favorites.
The joy experienced both by us and by the people whose homes we visited was remarkable. Faces beamed. This was a joy not brought by us, but by the Christ Child, Whom we announced. While we were all self-conscious at first, this was overcome by the message.
My two oldest sons were both so moved that they wanted to go out caroling again on Christmas day. One family we visited joined us in caroling the following year. The next year we went caroling with three other families. This past year we had six or seven families with us. We caroled and then came home for hot chocolate and cookies by the fire. Needless to say, Christmas caroling has become a Christmas Eve tradition at our house.
This year we face a new challenge. We have moved from the city to the country since last Christmas Eve. We don’t live in a neighborhood anymore. Our neighbors are too far away to walk to. But Christmas caroling has become such a part of our Christmas celebration, that we will find a way to herald Christ’s birth in the “public square.”
Society has placed God behind closed doors. The opportunity to bring His message “to the streets” (albeit in such a minor way), gives a joyous start to our Christmas celebration. It is not often we can emulate the activities of angels: why not bring Christ to your neighbors this Christmas Eve with your family?
Jim Curley is the founder and publisher of Requiem Press, which publishes books focusing on Catholic history. He writes frequently about Catholic life, culture, and other topics on his blog at http://bethunecatholic.blogspot.com. He and his wife Lorelei are parents of 7 children and live in Bethune, SC. He can be reached at [email protected].
