Hark! When Harold and Jill Sings

My son does a lot of songwriting himself these days. Sometimes he gets help from his friends, and vice versa whether it’s for lyrics, composition of a beat, an instrument, a voice, etc. I was surprised to hear of a Christmas Hymn that has “collab” origins: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

When I was in ministry training at a Wesleyan church college, we sang this hymn every December, usually multiple times. And always with pride. This is because of something that I believe Christians and Canadians have in common: when we have a celebrity we want everyone to know it. Everyone Joy and I knew in Colorado and North Carolina heard on a regular basis that Jim Carrey and Celine Dion were Canadian. And in the Wesleyan Church in December, everyone would also hear how Charles Wesley wrote this Holiday favourite.

I love to hear new (to me) stories like that this time of year. I also like to take in new Christmas movies, and this year I still haven’t watched The Shop Around the Corner or Meet Me in St. Louis. But I’m determined. Speaking of which…

Congratulations The Shop Around the Corner. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress:

Loretta Young as Julia Brougham in The Bishop’s Wife

Best Actor: James Stewart as Alfred Kralik in The Shop Around the Corner

Best Quote: “You know, for quite a while now, every time I passed a cemetery, I felt as if I were apartment hunting.” – Monty Woolley as Prof. Wutheridge in The Bishop’s Wife

Another fun fact, most of have heard that “O Christmas Tree” was a re-write from the German carol “O Tannenbaum.” This turns out to be a long line of songs that were not intended for Christmas but ended up that way regardless. The translation of Tannenbaum is not “Christmas Tree;” it is simply “Fir Tree,” which throughout European history has been lauded and sung about in many songs and poems as a symbol of constancy (for its evergreen-ness).