Join Us!
My memory of family car trips from my childhood is that the main entertainment was singing.1 It never took much to get us all to try harmonizing! And years later, at Christmas gatherings of Lynn’s family, we’ve sometimes joined in some sing-alongs.
So in this unusual year, I had the idea of a socially distanced Christmas sing-along across the miles and the time zones. We won’t be singing the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song, but our sing-along will occupy the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas that starts on Christmas Day and ends on Epiphany Eve.
Each day I’ll post a recording of different song, along with its lyrics. I make no claim that these are great performances, but they are an opportunity for all of us to have some fun singing along. By Twelfth Night, you’ll have access to a little library of twelve songs.
Obviously, I’ve had to make some decisions. I’ve included both religious and secular songs. Some holiday songs that try to tell stories are frequently shortened; I’ve opted for longer versions, including some verses you may never have heard. I tried to go with songs that I thought people could sing and would enjoy singing. (Some lovely Christmas songs are just too challenging, too archaic, or too dark.) And as I’ve worked on this project, I was surprised to learn how many Christmas songs are anticipatory and don’t make as much sense once Christmas Day has come and gone.2
As we go through the Twelve Days, I’ll continue to add songs and links to this page. You can bookmark this page and use the links that will appear here;3 don’t or just go to my website to get the latest post.
And, oh yes: Merry Christmas!
Notes:
- Car radios were pretty basic then, and on the road the signals weren’t particularly reliable. ↩
- I had to eliminate a ridiculous number of great secular Christmas songs because they are specifically set for Christmas Eve. ↩
- The first song is “Joy to the World,” but you won’t find the link until Christmas day. ↩
