Here We Go a Caroling? | Pad Patter 12.12

[AnneofAlamo]

I am the first to admit, I can't carry a tune in a bucket. But I do love to sing!! Each December, our church goes caroling around our town. We have some really good singers...I stand next to them and sing loud! lol
What a joy it is! People open their doors and their faces just light up! We have had people break down in tears. I was honored to pray with a precious lady who was just having the worst Christmas. She said it was like having angels come to her door. I thought, I must not have been as loud as I thought. tee hee!

The 22nd is our last night to carol, and we open our home for a fellowship afterwards. It is pure awesome!
Do you carol? Do they come to your home?

 

[cfile]

I haven't caroled since High School. I was a junior and senior in High School and friends that could drive would drive us to our Chorus teacher's house. He lived about 45 minutes away from our home town. Anyway, the place where he lived, he had an absolutely GORGEOUS home with that wrap around porch, and it had at least 3 pianos and he had a pipe organ too. His neighborhood was like a picture of Currier & Ives.. with the snow all around.. it was just beautiful. We would carol (there was like 45 of us in chorus) around the town, and also go carol at the Band teacher's house as he also lived there a few blocks away .. it was just wonderful then we would come back to Mr. Reich's house where his wife would have hot chocolate and other goodies for us.

Such wonderful memories. I was in touch with Mr. Reich until he passed away which was 4 years ago.. (he passed in Feb 2012 I think) ... for a lot of kids he was a great father figure. I was thrilled when in 2001 (I think it was) I ran an all class reunion, and Mr. & Mrs. Reich came to it. He was thrilled to see past students from 1964 up through 1990 when he had retired.

Now on our school FB sites, we all talk about Mr. Reich with fondness, and especially at this time of year remember caroling at his home every Christmas.

Thanks Anne for this spark of precious memory!

 

[michelepixels]

A few times my daughters and their friends walked around our neighborhood and sang Christmas carols. It was fun!

 

[Sokee]

No, but if I leaved near you I would go with you! Sounds like fun times had by all!

 

[dawnmarch]

About 20 years ago, we had neighbors who had several young adult kids. One Christmas, they all showed up at our door with a collection of family members and instruments and played several carols. We absolutely LOVED it! I think they made their way around the houses on our street. It really does give that warm, community feeling to the holiday!

 

[jenevang]

We don't really go OUT and carol, but we are having a bonfire Christmas party tomorrow night at our house and we always sing around the fire. Does that count? I'm saying yes

 

[bcgal00]

When I was young we lived close to a very affluent area of the city (we were on the other side of the tracks which was like a division for the middle/low class) and every Christmas a bunch of us would practice for hours and then go caroling (around 10 of us) to the big homes there and they would invite us in or stand in their doorway smiling at us, sometimes singing along with us, and would give us anywhere from $5-50 (and that was a lot of money for us kids b/c that was over 45 yrs ago when the cost of living was much less). We would split the money up at the end of the evening and everyone would use their money to buy gifts for their family. Nowadays, no one does that around here. No one wants their kids out after dark and definitely don't want them going into anyone's home. But back then, no one thought anything of it and luckily it was a very positive, fun experience for us all.

 

[IntenseMagic]

I caroled some in high school with the chorus, but haven't since. We have never had them come to our house, but I would love it!

 

[LeeAndra]

I used to go caroling with my church when I was growing up. We would go visit our homebound members + the nursing home where several members lived.

I'm not the worst singer in the world but I'm definitely not the best, either, so I always loved going & getting the chance to sing in a 'choir.'

 

[AnneofAlamo]

We just got home from singing! What a tremendous evening. We had one family come home and they ran in their house so they could experience it completely opening the door. So hilarious! Another couple had never seen carolers in their life, just on old movies! Happy time!

 

[bellbird]

Well yep i'm one of the ones that thought this kind of thing only happened in movies too. We have local government or church group run carol nights at like sports fields but no door to door singers, only unwanted sales people!

 

[tkradtke]

I used to go caroling with my church when I was growing up. We would go visit our homebound members + the nursing home where several members lived.

This is what we did growing up! That's the only caroling I ever did.

Our church is on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago and sometimes during Sunday School, the youth groups will go outside and carol for the shoppers in front of the church. I think that's the only caroling my kids have been exposed to.

 

[Karen]

We do some caroling with our church. In fact I get to drive the middle schoolers to our local hospital on Tuesday where we are going to go caroling. We used to have a bible study group of young married couples and that group went every year for a while, but most of them couldn't sing and didn't love it, so we quit. I went one year as a kid with my Mom when she was in the church choir and THAT was awesome.... they sang in four part harmony and it was so cool when people would open their doors and break into smiles. We even got invited in for cookies and several houses, so as a kid that was a hit with me!

 

[Sokee]

When I was young we lived close to a very affluent area of the city (we were on the other side of the tracks which was like a division for the middle/low class) and every Christmas a bunch of us would practice for hours and then go caroling (around 10 of us) to the big homes there and they would invite us in or stand in their doorway smiling at us, sometimes singing along with us, and would give us anywhere from $5-50 (and that was a lot of money for us kids b/c that was over 45 yrs ago when the cost of living was much less). We would split the money up at the end of the evening and everyone would use their money to buy gifts for their family. Nowadays, no one does that around here. No one wants their kids out after dark and definitely don't want them going into anyone's home. But back then, no one thought anything of it and luckily it was a very positive, fun experience for us all.

Rae, this is awesome! And what a fun way to earn a few dollars as a teenager!

 

[keepscrappin]

I haven't gone Christmas caroling for a long time, like since I was a teenager... lol I do love singing Christmas Carols and sang with the ward choir on Christmas Day a few years ago. A local radio stations plays only Christmas Carols from Thanksgiving to the New Years and I love listening and singing along.