The Christmas Carol

The Night

*Que Music... Now*

"Oh holy night!

The stars a brightly shining, it is the night of the dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!"

I took a deep breath before cadencing the refrain with the rest of the choir:

"Fall on your knees!

Oh hear the angel voices

Oh night divine

Oh night when Christ was born

Oh night divine

Oh night divine"

I didn't bother to look at the words in my carol book. This was my favorite christmas carol and the reverence that shook the voices of our tiny church-step choir made it impossible for one not to feel the words of this verse.

As our octet of women praised the holy night, four days before Christmas, I smiled into the street of the live-nativity goers. It was mostly cars that drove through, slowly passing by each of the scenes that led up to the birth of Jesus Christ at the end.

Young families and older couples would occasionally brave walking through the nativity, and it always made me happy to watch them smile at us. The older ones reminiscing in their youth by admiring us (even though four of us were in our 60's- not me though, I'm 21).

The younger parents would walk a bit behind their children as the bundles of fluffy down coats and puffy snow pants toddled up to the front of the church step we were on. Through the mess of scarves and hoods and hats I could see their faces alight with awe.

They would grin ferociously and wave, believing they had seen angels (I'm not bragging or anything, we were actually dressed as angels- halos and all). I giggled in my mind, as not to break the verse, and waved back.

Everyone that passed by stopped for a verse, then moved on so the next group or car could listen. I hadn't realized I would be singing when I signed up to be an angel, but when I showed up to get dressed in my costume they handed me a binder and said "here are your songs", and now here I am. I don't mind it, I'm in the church choir with these ladies and my two friends standing next to me.

But I definately wouldn't have minded a heat fan right about now.

As we started the second verse a trio of elderly men ambled over to watch us. I smiled at them through my singing and lifted my hand in a small wave. They were so cute! Old men really are the cutest thing ever, especially with their old wives. Any time I see an old couple out in public I can't help but adore.

These guys were flying solo tonight though, maybe it was too cold for their wives tonight. They were fairly tall for old men though, well two of them were. One was hunching with a cane.

I couldn't tell too much else, the lights below us were blinding me and I couldn't make out anything more specific than that. They all grinned and waved back to me though, which I thought was the sweetest thing ever!

Instead of moving on after a second refrain they stayed and kept watching us. Swaying to the hymn of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". They stayed for all four verses while other groups and cars came and went.

The last car came through about the third verse since we ended at 8, but we stayed and sang the last verse for their enjoyment. My grandmother, also in the choir, went down to thank them for listening but instead of following her I turned around to go inside the main chapel where hot coffee and apple cider were being served in the hopes of reviving blood flow to my frozen fingers.