Spreading Christmas Cheer, well almost...

I took the children caroling with a group of members of my church, two nights before Christmas. We discussed the prospect of caroling at the dinner table. Of course my eldest son, D, thought this was an idea that could only end badly for him. A, he detests singing ( I should have sung more to him in the womb?) and doing so in public seemed an unbearable humiliation. Undeterred, I pressed on,( ignoring all the normal teenage boy's feelings) convinced that somehow we were going to try to go beyond the Christmas gimmies and reach for that real, true, yet elusive Christmas Spirit. I was met with severe opposition, but a chocolate slab was negotiated for each trooper/Christmas caroler ( terrible I know) and we were off...Me, three kids and the GRINCH, simmering vehemently in the back seat, like someone who has been kidnapped ( which of course he was)

At the first house we assembled at the outside gate, electric battery operated candles, ridiculous singing hats, four carols on a sheet of paper and some of the lousiest voices you have ever heard. We sang robustly and with all the vigor we could muster.( None of us in tune) The dogs began to quiver and howl,  their ears are a lot more sensitive than humans. Eventually our first victims emerged in bathroom robes with towels swept up in turbans on their heads. It seems we had caught them during bath time. We ended with "We wish you a Merry Christmas " whilst the Black Eyed Peas were playing loudly in Grinchie's ear-phones. BAH HUMBUG. Where is the ghost of Marley when you need him? I confiscated the earphones which added to the icy atmosphere in the back seat as we drove to the next house.

This continued for some time. I noticed that in time, the dear old Grinch was at least moving his lips in time to the carols. He must be a huge fan of Sir Oliver Cromwell who banned carols in the 1600's, which then started an underground carol singing movement. I must tell him about that.

 Eventually we landed up at the Children's Home and began singing outside their front door. Several small children came to the door, their faces pressed against the security gate. I thought about their circumstances, how some of them have been removed from their homes because of abuse, other's have been orphaned by AIDS, my heart just broke for these gorgeous little children and the tears just rolled as I sang for them.( I know I know....I was supposed to spread Christmas cheer, but gimmie a break - I am just an old sap) I think each of us rather untunely carolers had our hearts touched. We caught the Spirit of Christmas, and felt the old adage " It is better to give than to receive" deep in our hearts. I glanced over at my son, and could tell he could feel it too. I think all of our hearts grew a few sizes in that moment, including D's - which is why I dragged him there in the first place. I just love Christmas , don't you?