My family used to go Christmas Caroling every year. I am the oldest of 7 kids and my mother, Sandi Griffiths, sang on the Lawrence Welk show through my childhood. We kids sang on the show every year, starred on television and were most excited about the present we got from Santa on the show (which actually took place a month before Christmas). So music had deep roots in my family and we loved to perform for our friends and family every December.
There was something magical about jumping in the car with plates and bags of holiday goodies to share with our dearest friends and neighbors. Each time my dad stopped the car, we would all scramble out and race to the nearest front door. We would wait with bated breath for any sound of someone at home, and then hold our voices ready for the moment before the door opened. Each person got a turn handing the treat to whoever answered.
With so many kids it was quite an ordeal just to get us ready to go and then get in and out of the car thirty times in one evening. Invariably, someone had to go to the bathroom, so they'd run inside while we finished chatting at the front door wherever we were. We even started bringing candles with us, that we had to light up at each door before we knocked, and then try not to howl when hot wax dripped on our hands!
After several years of this routine, we got to be pretty good carolers. We started singing parts to our favorite songs and even bought sheet music of choral arrangements to learn. When we started going to college, we all looked forward to returning home to participate in this tradition. Even when we started getting married, we still didn't want to miss out on the family caroling fun.
Finally, after many of us married and some had kids, not all of us could make it back since we wanted some time to ourselves and sometimes had to share time with in-laws.
So now, we are keeping this tradition in my immediate family with my own 7 children. (Wow...some days I still can't believe I have that many kids!) So every year we bundle everyone up, including the baby, and deliver cards and treats to our dearest friends and neighbors. It is quite a production, but I enjoy it deeply.
Christmas caroling is becoming a lost art, but for me it's a way to give my love to others, inspire my family with the beauty of music, continue a fun tradition with my kids and remind us all of the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ.
I hope you get to hear some caroling this year, and you can always come hear some of our Christmas carols at www.momessentials.net/our-family-christmas-carols
Merry Christmas!
