Music

Monday Mood : Christmas carols by Eliza

Festive greetings to you all!

We all enjoy singing a Christmas carol and I am sure we all recall singing carols from our school days. But, there is no escaping it now and just like Christmas songs, you’ll hear a choir on the high street or in a supermarket singing a familiar Christmas carol as you go about your festive shopping duty.

Its origins started in Europe thousands of years ago as pagan songs, which were sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations. The word ‘carol’ means a dance or a song of praise and joy and although carols were once sung all year round, they are now traditionally sung at Christmas time.

Whilst many of these traditional Christmas carols centre around the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, other carols focus on variations of the Christmas theme to include the Twelve Days of Christmas (the song of the same name), winter scenes, the Christmas season (‘O Christmas Tree’ and ‘Deck the Halls’) and family gatherings.

Nevertheless, whatever the specific or generic association, a carol has been a fixed part of the joyous seasonal celebrations since the Victorian era, which popularised singing Christmas carols and influenced how we celebrate Christmas today.

Among the popular Christmas carols I have chosen are ‘Silent Night’, an emotional performance by American Gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, and my personal favourite, ‘O Holy Night’, sung by Josh Groban.

So, I expect everyone to “troll the ancient Yuletide carol” (16th century verb ‘troll’, meaning ‘to sing loudly’), as the festive lyric states, along to your favourite Christmas carols.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my musical interludes over the past few months featured as part of @ItsALawyersLife motivational and wellbeing series. May I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a wonderful and peaceful Christmas.

Until next year!
Eliza x

Bing Crosby – Joy to the World

Mahalia Jackson – Silent Night

Natalie Cole – The Holly and the Ivy

Josh Groban – O Holy Night

Annie Lennox – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen