I’m a classically trained singer. I’ve sung in multiple languages: Latin, Italian, German, Spanish. I’ve sung Yiddish songs and gospel. Music is a universal language.
Through the sacred art of voice, we are able to forget our differences and harmonize.
My grandmother understood this. Even though she wasn’t a singer by any means, she loved going Christmas caroling with her children and grandchildren each year. It warmed her neighborhood and brought everyone closer together. It also made me appreciate being warm after singing in the cold.
In my late teens I performed as an 1800s caroler in our area’s local Christmas Traditions program on evenings and weekends, and we didn’t cancel for snow. We stood out in the historic district’s cobblestone and let the music heat our bodies.
Singing as a mother means even more now because my children take lyrics to heart. Teaching them about faith and how people find their way on that journey is important, and so no matter how others pray, or where they find their way, I find it incredibly unifying to appreciate music that was made to uplift.
The music industry has become so corporatized and vapid that the radio saddens me, but I realized that this is likely why the majority of people can’t wait for Christmas songs to be played again. Songs about joy, hope, faith, and gratitude are so much more fulfilling than what the mainstream is producing right now.
I wrote about it for RSBN in my latest piece on the timelessness of traditional Christmas carols:
Because even a Pagan like me can appreciate the beauty of these songs.
Jessica Marie Baumgartner 