Rejoice! – The Second Holiday Mental Moment

Good Day Friends and Folks,

I hope this finds you well and getting in the mood for the holidays.

cheisrmas elf, 12 days o christmas

Especially if you haven’t quite caught on to the excitement and all that ..stuff

Last year I wrote about the magic of Christmas and how my mother and grandmother, RIP, were able to transform Christmas time into a magical wonderland of beauty and warmth and one thing that was ever-present during this time, as it really is in all of my life was the music.

Every year as we started to decorate my mom would bring out the Christmas music collection, a tradition that has continued in my house as well, and with many of the same albums and favorite singers from my childhood.

There is nothing like good holiday music to set the mood and

Today’s Holiday Mental Moment…      

is about just that.

You may or may not know, I m not much of a church goer.

My higher power and I have an understanding.

There is however a particular song, a hymn I believe, that encompasses the entire whole meaning and feeling of Christmas for me that I first heard as a child in my mother’s house, and have made sure to include in my playlist every year, in fact it is one of the first tunes I break out.

After the lights are up and the tree decorated and the candles burning, I love to sit in the quiet of the mood and listen to it, remembering Christmas past, people who are gone and it fills me with emotion that I can not name sometimes to the point of tears.

Joyful tears.  The first time I did this, as a little girl, I lay under the Christmas tree looking up at the lights and imagining what it would be like to be a part of it all.

As an adult I realized it is a well-known song and there are many renditions but my very favorite one is sung by the Robert Shaw Chorale and although this is not the exact one on the album I have, it is still them and the feeling is still there.

It begins very quietly and crescendos to a point of hardly containing the music, the feeling and the thoughts.

A special note to A Frank Angle – Handbells?      your post the other day reminded me of this song as a reflection of the holiday spirit.  And the hand bells add to the magic and beauty don’t you think?

If someone were to ask me to choose one piece of music that said it all, this would be it.  This version too in truth is the one that does it for me.  That says a lot as there are so many different versions and people who sing it, and so many other very special to me songs that I will most likely share as the moments get closer to the last one.  Like, um The Muppets and John Denver, Bing Crosby, a Children’s Christmas… etc.  (there is the answer if any of you wondered if I actually planned this 😉   )

Some may think it telling that the one I hold dearest is this one, that is speaks of faith I claim to not necessarily have.  Maybe so.  But the Holiday Mental Moments are for you, my gift to you.  We can discuss me  some other day, next year, maybe.

For now, turn your speakers up.  I mean it loud as they go – mine go to 11…

The beginning is quiet and hard to hear, then sit back and close your eyes.  It crescendos to its highest at 3:27 seconds or thereabouts, you may feel a little verklempt.

If so, I have done my job with the perfect gift for today.

If not, I have 10 more up my sleeve.

This song is Christmas, the Holidays and everything that is beautiful about this time of year.

Enjoy!

May we be blessed with plenty of  love, in the form of music, or however else it comes this holiday season…

To Your Mental State, whatever it may be.

Go and listen to it again.  I am.

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22 thoughts on “Rejoice! – The Second Holiday Mental Moment”

  1. Lizzie,
    Oh my my …. such beautiful music – and I like you love the crescendo that you pointed out. Simply awesome, so thanks for sharing!

    Meanwhile, I was stunned to see you mention me, as well as linked, in this post. Glad I was able to spark a positive thought for the season through music. So in return, I searched for different handbell versions of the same song. Interesting how different arrangers capture different moods, so I let you decide which you like the best.

    1) http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/314153/?s=1

    2) http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/341365/?s=1

    3) http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/come-emmanuel/457075/?s=1

    1. Ok.. I picked my mouth up off the floor.. amazingly beautiful all ..My favorite was number 2 – I am not sure if it is because to me it is the most recognizable – similar to the vocal I put here.. there is the same crescendo – but then too after listening to the beauty and richness .. the vocal version was almost ..missing something. I am overwhelmed with emotional ..stuff right now – music does that to me so I will have to revisit it later, although expect the same result as I have it every time I hear this music.. the bells. it isn;t necessarily the words then, as I don;t really know them – it is the music itself.. thank you so much for sharing them and you don;t need to be stunned … this piece of music – the version I posted has always been ..what it is to me but I don;t think I ever specifically heard – no.. could name maybe? I don;t know… the bells until now – your post about them got me thinking about it…and hearing it differently, even more richly then in the past..

      1. My pleasure for posting them. The favorite of the 3 may change with the moment, after all, that’s what music does. Thanks for sharing your beautiful music above! … and for making me smile.

  2. Lizzie, thank you for your gift. I closed my eyes and it brought me to quiet tears of love and joy. It’s gorgeous. I’ve never heard this arrangement before, but will come back often to listen again.
    Love,
    Gail

  5. Love this song. And it is a wonderful arrangement. I grew up with a terrific handbell choir.

    Mine is always going to be The Quest of the Magi. If the link does not work, let me know. I haven’t found my fave arrangement online, but I have a sneaking suspicion I will.
    ❤

      2. It is one of the only carols which tells the story start to finish. It has been my favorite since I was a toddler and my parents could not understand why I thought “SC is coming to town” was dill. ❤

      3. yea – well between you and me.. 😉 it is .. musically for starters.. but i am good for one or two rowdy renditions during the holidays as a “gentle” reminder – gives them a break from the duct tape..
        oh crap

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