OPINION (AN COLÚN): Christmas carols are a light against the darkness

THERE are many negative things about Christmas, which, if we are not careful, can result in us feeling aggrieved and irritated. One of the potentially negative things is the present giving. This ritual can be a minefield and if we blunder around in this zone then we could end up regretting our lack of foresight.
I think the first trap to avoid is getting into debt when buying presents. We should only buy what we can afford. The second trap is choosing a present which will not be well received. Some recipients of our presents do not care what we give them. They really do feel it's the thought that counts, and if they do not like your present they keep their feelings to themselves, smile pleasantly and offer their gratitude. Other people are trickier and you suspect that if you choose the wrong present there might be a negative mood emanating from them. One has to invest a bit more thought in buying their gifts. And if more thinking fails then I usually consult my better half who can often provide thoughtful solutions in these tricky situations!
Another problematic thing about Christmas is its excessive commercialisation and bling which can feel very shallow. Seeing people splurging out in shops or enjoying themselves in pubs is of course not something I object to; but I have no doubt that many people don't reflect enough on the character changing aspects of the season. To reflect deeply on Christ's birth is to contemplate the special moment when a light of compassion was switched on in the world, a light whose influence means no one gets left behind, especially the weak. It acknowledges that we are all weak, we are all failures and we are all sinners (even the strong fall; even the successful fail; and to deny we are all sinners is to ignore a fundamental truth about the human condition). We all have feet of clay, life beats us all up (no matter what our masks, our facades, might say). The birth of Christ is a blossoming of love in the world, a vision which recognises us as we are and yet still loves; a vision where no one gets left behind.
On a more trivial note, another negative thing about the season is the terrible Christmas muzak in our stores. Many of these Christmas tunes are devoid of good musical taste and are played on an endless loop for hours.
However, despite all this negativity the positives of Christmas still shine brightly through. One of these positives is the carols. One of the most beautiful experiences on the planet is listening to decent choirs singing well-crafted Christmas Carols in four-part harmony.
I'm a tenor in a local choir and every year, for many years, I've greatly enjoyed participating in Carol Services of a high calibre; each one being special, beautiful, heartwarming occasions. At the beginning of one of those services the church's priest pointed out that the weather outside was dark, stormy, miserable, but inside the building we were coming together as a community to engage in an emotionally warming event. We were fulfilling an essential human need to create a sense of community, warmth and light when the natural world around us seems to hvae become restricted, miserly and difficult.
The first carol in most carol services is “Once in Royal David's City”, which has famously opened the King's College Cambridge Christmas service since 1919. It originated as a poem by Irish writer Cecil Frances Alexander, published in her 1848 collection “Hymns for Little Children”, and was later set to music by English organist Henry John Gauntlett in 1849. Alexander was born in Dublin and grew up in Strabane, County Tyrone. Gauntlett abandoned his job as a lawyer at the age of 40 and devoted himself to music. The carol is beloved for its attractive melody and its well told narrative of Christ's humble origins.
Other extremely popular carols that are sung in many services include “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks”.
“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” was originally a poem written by another Irish writer, Nahum Tate, around 1700, retelling the account in Luke's Gospel of Jesus' birth to shepherds. Again, the emphasis is on humble origins as opposed to the mighty, powerful and rich. It focusses on humble shepherds not on the wealthy and the famous. Nahum Tate was born in Dublin. He was also known for being the librettist for Purcell's opera “Dido and Aeneas”.
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” was written in 1739 by an English cleric Charles Wesley, the younger brother of Methodist founder John Wesley.
Another carol that I've sometimes sung is Vaughan Williams' arrangement of “The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune”. Vaughan Williams' genius shines through in verses 2 and 3 where the four-part harmonies are a pleasure to sing. The words are from Psalm 100 and are filled with positivity, resilience and affirmation:”O enter then his gates with praise; Approach with joy his courts unto; Praise, laud and bless his name always, for it is seemly so to do.” Most of the Psalms are concerned with the praise of God. We should be grateful, they say, because we live in a world which is filled with God's power and goodness, because we live in a world filled with God's beauty. The writers of the Psalms believed that God had their best interests at heart, loved them deeply; felt it deeply when they suffered and wanted the best for them.

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