The house hummed with the sound of talking and laughter, while dishes clanked in the sink, and my little nephew and niece chased each other around my parents’ oversized dining room table. It was a typical loud Christmas evening.
Suddenly a sound broke through the din. Five loud chords on my brother’s guitar could mean only one thing—the “Pie Song” was starting, and that meant dessert was next! Created in a moment of food-induced musical inspiration at one of our family Christmas celebrations, this song has been the harbinger of sugary treats at holiday gatherings for years.
It takes just five chords (less than two seconds of sound!) and everything stops. Kids come running, we all sing along. But why? What is it about music that communicates so quickly and so powerfully?
Created for Music
The neuroscience of music is fascinating. Just about every part of your brain is activated when you engage with music, which explains why it can have a profound impact on both a newborn and an Alzheimers patient.
God designed humans to be uniquely capable of enjoying music. According to a ScienceLine article quoting Tufts University psychologist Aniruddh Patel, only humans “can recognize melodies regardless of pitch and predict musical patterns… Not even birds can recognize a song at a different pitch, and apes can’t predict a melody. Human infants can do both at as early as six months old.”
Singing for the Lord
God designed us to enjoy music because He wants us to sing!
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
– Psalm 100:1-2
We sing to praise Him…
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! – Psalm 105:2
We sing to one another…
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart – Ephesians 5:19
We sing because Scriptural and theologically sound songs help root God’s Word deep in our hearts…
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16
As Believers, we have such a great hope that we can sing even in the most difficult circumstances! Paul and Silas sang while imprisoned. (Acts 16:25) Voice of the Martyrs tells of a pastor in a Communist country imprisoned for his belief in Christ. The man shared:
“When we were in prison we sang almost every day because Christ was alive in us. The Communists were very nice to us. They knew we liked to praise God with musical instruments, so they gave every Christian in prison a musical instrument. However, they did not give us violins or mandolins—these were too expensive. Instead, they put chains on our hands and feet. They chained us to add to our grief. Yet we discovered that chains are splendid musical instruments! When we clanged them together in rhythm, we could sing, ‘This is the day (clink, clank), this is the day (clink, clank), which the Lord has made (clink, clank), which the Lord has made (clink, clank).’”
We sing for joy, we sing in sorrow, we sing out of obedience. And we sing a lot at Christmas!
Singing at Christmas
Even in popular culture, Christmas carols are as much a harbinger of the season as twinkly lights. Everywhere you go songs about Jesus’ birth can be heard.
Like our family, you probably sing Christmas carols at church, and possibly at other events throughout the month of December. But have you ever considered making a time for singing Christmas carols together as part of your family celebration on Christmas Day?
Resources for Singing Carols Together
Our family enjoys singing together all year, but Christmas is extra special because we share it with extended family and friends. Some years on Christmas Day we have given performances for each other, other times sung together with sweet harmonies while reading the music, but probably the most frequent way we sing together is completely off the cuff – one person just starts singing and we all join in!
One of my favorite Christmas caroling memories was hiking on Christmas Day with my brother and husband, while eight months pregnant with our first child, singing Christmas harmonies in the snowy woods overlooking the Grand Canyon. Totally unplanned, and a precious memory!
Impromptu singing can be fun, but when you have many people at your Christmas gatherings, which we often do, they may not know all the words to the songs. Being intentional about singing together brings everyone into the joy of Christmas carols.
There are many resources for singing carols together. Here are two of the online resources that I like to refer to:
- Hymnary.org is remarkable website, an online hymn database that includes sheet music, song variations, audio samples, author/composer bios, and more, from over 5000 hymnals. That adds up to more than a million hymns!
- To help our church worship team learn parts (soprano/alto/tenor/bass) my husband created a “de-parter” which breaks down well known hymns into sections. Many are Christmas carols. You can listen to just your part, or listen to them all together. When I am learning a new alto part, I will turn down the volume on all but the alto section so that it is isolated. Once I feel comfortable with it, I will bring up the other parts and turn off alto so I can practice the way it will actually be when we are all together. This is an especially valuable tool for those who can’t sight read music. If the carol you need is not in the de-parter, email Stephen and he will add it if he can.
A Little Something for Your Christmas Celebration
Want to start a new tradition this Christmas that is simple and costs nothing? Sing together!
We have made it easy for you – just print copies of our simple lyric sheets with six beloved Christmas carols, so everyone can sing along at your Christmas celebration this year!
Songs included:
- Silent Night (celebrating its 200th anniversary this year!)
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- What Child is This
- Joy to the World
Here’s to making a joyful noise this Christmas!
What is YOUR favorite Christmas carol?
[…] Why should you sing at Christmas? Singing is a great way to glorify God, encourage one another, and remind ourselves of theological truths. This post has a beautiful Christmas Carol Lyric Sheet just for you! […]