Thursday, November 30, 2006

O Holy Night

I just pulled out the two Christmas CDs that have been languishing at the bottom of my desk drawer at work. They (one especially) are not my favorites, but they sure suit another day of cold weather here post-Thanksgiving.

I'm listening to O Holy Night on Point of Grace's A Christmas Story CD. O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song. Even when I don't have a cold, my voice isn't quite up to the challenge. I can hit the high notes, but it's a stretch and it shows. Even so, I love to sing it, in English and in French (leftovers from junior high school French class). And I love to listen to it.

I wrote a Bread several years ago about this song. A woman in the singles group I attend sang it during our Christmas party. She had been a professional singer/actress on Broadway and had come back home. Earlier that year, she played Dulcinea in The Man of La Mancha locally, and she made me weep. Listening to her sing O Holy Night was one of those times for me that I could close my eyes and believe that I had touched heaven.

It's strange, with the way the world is--the way France is--these days, to know that O Holy Night was written by a Frenchman. Perhaps in the mid-1800s, the French weren't as passionately secular as they are today. Perhaps Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was a religious aberration, even in his time. Perhaps.

All I know is that Christmas is a special time that too easily gets lost in the whirlwind of decorating and shopping. It's a time for remembering that Holy Night when heaven descended to earth in the form of a baby boy who was the Hope of the World.

My prayer is that we (myself most of all) will take the time this year to remember and celebrate that oh-so-Holy Night.

5 comments:

All_I_Can_Stands said...

O Holy Night is also my favorite. I think the version by the Lettermen is the best as it has terrific harmony.

SkyePuppy said...

AICS,

I haven't heard the Lettermen sing it. I love Nat King Cole's version.

I'm going to have to hunt down my Nat King Cole Christmas CD (and also Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas vol. 2, but not for O Holy Night).

Christina said...

Christmas....my very favorite season for music! The carols, both really old and "newer" are all beautiful. I honestly can't pick a favorite, as it seems to change from year to year. I currently like "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", but that is in part because of the words and in part because I have a great piano arrangement of it that I play.

On the subject of favorite Christmas albums...my all-time, as of yet, favorite is an oldy-but-goody from Amy Grant. I'm not her biggest fan, but I honestly love every song on that album. I don't know the title off-hand (it's in the car right now), but it has "Breathe of Heaven", "Grown Up Christmas List" and other traditional carols and secular songs.

I also love my Nat King Cole Christmas cd...

Malott said...

..Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas vol. 2...

You mean there is more than one?

For me, one would be more than enough. Much more than enough.

SkyePuppy said...

Christina,

Yes, I have that Amy Grant CD too, and I love Breath of Heaven.

Chris,

When I was growing up, we had vol. 2 only. We never had vol. 1. So when my kids were old enough to listen to music, I made sure to get Alvin vol 2 for them and spread the joy to the next generation.