Ding Dong

Christmas is virtually upon us but I have to admit that I really don’t get some Christmas carols. Take for example, this verse from ‘Away in a Manger.’

“The cattle are lowing,
The baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
No crying he makes.”

Firstly, coming from Birmingham the phrase ‘the cattle are lowing’ meant very little. But ‘no crying he makes’ - come on, he was a baby it’s what they do. What about this from O Little Town of Bethlehem?

“How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given.”

Now as a bloke I’m obviously not 100% nuanced with the finer points of child birth, but I’m guessing that the birth of a child to a single teenaged mother in a stable was probably not the most silent of occasions. Once in Royal David's City says,

“Christian children all should be,
Mild, obedient, good as he.”

Any church based youth workers care to comment?? I could go on - don’t get me started on ‘In the bleak mid winter’ or ‘Ding dong merrily on high’ - but there are a couple of carols I do enjoy. ‘Hark the Herald Angels’ is excellent, and even ’Whilst shepherds watched their flocks…’ can be good - when sung to the tune of ’On Ilkley Moor bar ‘tat’ (trust me - it works). Enjoy and sing heartily.