Here I Come A-Caroling

By Mandee Mostrom

Last week, my brother, sent me a surprising text message in a group chat we have with our family: “Honest question. Does anyone want to go Christmas caroling this year?”

I’ll be honest with you, “Heck to the no!!” was the first thought that popped into my head after I read his message. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not a Grinch who despises Christmas and refuses to participate in holiday traditions. It is the caroling that I’m not particularly excited about.

I guess there is something about singing to a bunch of strangers in the bone chilling December cold that gets my gut all tied up in knots. In fact, I get nervous just thinking about it!

How about you? Are you planning on coming a-caroling through the neighborhood this Christmas? Or does the mere thought of it make you shiver? Or maybe for you, caroling is an essential part of your family’s holiday tradition?

The reason I was surprised by my brother’s suggestion is because I’ve always considered him as the strong, silent type- especially with people he doesn’t know well. Although, with family and close friends, he loves to randomly bellow out in song and dance (more for the sake of humor than anything else). Yet, I never pictured him as the Christmas caroling type. My brother is also the kind of person who, when he says he wants to do something, it is for a reason. So I figured if he was serious about this, maybe I should at least consider it.

I decided to educate myself about the history of Christmas caroling. Oftentimes, when I want to change my attitude about something that scares me, the best thing to do is to adjust my perspective a bit. Look at it from a different angle. I figured, if I could find a meaningful reason behind the tradition, then maybe I would be more willing to face my fears and join my brother in his wassailing endeavors.

Wha-whating??

That wasn’t a typo. Wassailing. You may recognize the word from an old English Christmas Carole, “Wassail Song.” Or if you’re like me, you might have grown up mistakenly calling the song “Here We Come A-Whistling.” Over time, the song morphed into an old American favorite, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Wassailing comes from the Old Norse word, “veis heill,” originally used in England to describe the act of going from house to house wishing well to friends and neighbors throughout the colder months. The word means “be well and in good health.” You can find even more about the evolution from wassailing to the caroling of today in the article, “The Little Known History of the Caroling Tradition” on the Arcadia Publishing website.

I asked around the studio to see if any of our Passion Studios music teachers have gone a-caroling over the years. One of our teachers said she used to go caroling with her high school youth group. You’ll have to do some of your own investigating to find out who it was. Who knows! Maybe you can get her to sing you a carol or two after your lessons this week. ;)

I am happy to say that after my perspective change, I texted my brother back and told him YES! As a part of Passion Studios, you already know that everyone is musical, so why wouldn’t we share our passion and growing musical abilities with others? Maybe this year you can bring along your ukulele, guitar, or a small keyboard while you go caroling through your neighborhood. After all, there’s no better way to spread Christmas cheer than by singing (or playing) loud for all to hear!