Caroling

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, I love the music, decorations,  lights, and special spirit of the year.  I love that be decorate with lights as we celebrate the birth of Christ, The Light of the World. I love that it is a time to get together with family and am so excited to see mine.

My favorite Christmas tradition growing up is one Scott would think is silly and that has kind of withered as my family has gotten older the  little kids needing a watchful eye has prevented the relaxing evenings of singing carols around the piano. Sometimes it was a chore preparing for Uncle Lonnie's parties for his employees. Why he always asked us to do the musical program I don't know, but it was fun. I also know I could count on a card with $5 in it after the event. We practiced and practiced for my perfectionist father, I would get tired or felt like I couldn't breath, maybe cried, and possibly left the room-i don't remember. For the program I remember pretending to fall asleep on my dad's lap as he sang "Little Toy Trains." The chore taught us all a love for singing. So, when Uncle Lonnie became smart and stopped asking my family to sing for his work Christmas parties, we continued to gather around the piano every year. Many songs we have down to an art, and know who signs what when, others songs we change up each year. We sang "Song of Peace," "Angel's we have Heard on High," "Pine Cones and Hollie Berries/ It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas," any many more. I have missed the nights that quickly turn late from caroling around the piano.

This year I was asked to sing with a group for the RS Christmas party. Although extremely busy and unsure how it would work with Quincy I couldn't say no. Singing Christmas songs is always wonderful. My mom called while at the church practicing, I said hello, told her I was busy and would call her back. When I rejoined the group to continue singing I couldn't. I just cried remember my families tradition, remembering my  dad singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and missing the Christmas concert for the first time since he has been in the choir, and missing my family.

I am grateful for Christmas, I am grateful for music, I am grateful for family, and I am grateful for Christ, the reason for the season.