Quiet Christmas Morn

May you have a peaceful and happy Christmas morn!  I am setting this to post right as we get to call my missionary brother :)

Merry Christmas!

"On a Quiet Christmas Morn" by Mary Chapin Carpenter

What it Means to Me

Thought this was a good upbeat Christmas song for Christmas Eve.

"What Christmas Means to Me" by Stevie Wonder

Love Really Is...All Around

This one's not a song, but I liked it nonetheless.  While Christmas is a time that amplifies joy, it can also amplify sorrow.  People who feel alone, friendless, or unloved can have those feelings exacerbated by a season that emphasizes togetherness with loved family and friends.  That's why I think an important part of Christmas is making "room in your inn" for whoever is struggling or feels alone.  It's important to let them know that they are not alone, that they are loved and cared for.  As a wise man once said "it is usually through another person that God answers our prayers."  I believe that.  I also believe, as the movie "Love Actually" states, that "Love Really is...All Around."  We just have to look for it.

As this is Christmas Eve Eve (or, as my brother might say, the penultimate day before Christmas), you get two videos.  One is a Mormon Message about feeling God's love on Christmas, and another is a Christmas song by Michael McLean, "Homeless."

"For in His love there is a home" - for everyone who feels alone, forgotten, or friendless at a joyous time.  I believe Christ truly is there for us, and we owe to him to be there for others.  Merry Christmas!

Infant Holy

I really liked this Christmas hymn, which I think I heard for the first time this year at our Institute choir's Christmas concert.

"Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" by BYU Vocal Point

Lullaby

Today was a long day.  I felt like posting "One Day More" because I have only one more day of work between me and my Christmas vacation.  However, Les Miserables is not technically a Christmas album.

I need a Christmas lullaby to sing me to sleep, and this was perfect:

Christmas Lullaby - John Rutter & the Cambridge Singers

Go Tell

When people are super excited about something we say that they want to "shout it from the rooftops."  This song reminds me of that expression.  I so grateful for the gift of Jesus.  I know I so often need His grace and His understanding.  Sometimes I feel like Going to Tell It on the Mountain!

"Go Tell it On the Mountain" by James Taylor

O What a Wonderful Child

Amen, Mariah:


"Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child" by Mariah Carey