December Daily - December 5

This is the December 5 assignment from the Holidays in Hand class I took from Jessica Sprague.

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, 

It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.     ~Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure

Write about a specific holiday song that has meaning to you.

The holiday song that I really like is one that probably not many people are familiar with.  It is by Kathy Mattea on her Christmas CD entitled Good News - the song is called "Christ Child Lullabye."  I've blogged about it before (here).  The song was used with a video on YouTube here if you want to hear it (they messed up the lyrics on it, but you can read the lyrics in my post that I linked earlier).   I also love just about any version except the Kenny Rogers-Wynonna Judd version of "Mary Did You Know?" (their version seriously makes me want to hurl - there are so many better ones, why does theirs get all the airplay?!).  Kathy Mattea's version of this song is incredibly well-done.  Both songs speak to the idea of Mary, a human, giving birth to the Son of God.  In "Christ Child Lullabye" - the song is written as if Mary is singing it to Jesus - she says "You are my God, and helpless Son..."  In "Mary Did You Know?" she's asked, "Did you know your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your baby, you kiss the face of God?"   I have to wonder, are these the kinds of things that Mary pondered in her heart?  Are these the things that she treasured?  Was she simply awe-struck at Who her baby was? 

My photo today is something that reminds me of my favorite holiday song - that would be all the nativities we have (and we have several!).  Once I get them all out and displayed I'll take photos of them (yes, we're still working on the tree...slow going since I have a little someone undecorating the tree as quickly as we can decorate it).

Our "do" is not holiday related, but it is definitely a celebration.  We are going to celebrate my Aunt Kate's 100th birthday this afternoon!  Big, big, big party!!!  And again, in order to not over-schedule us, I've elected not to do a "make" today.

The "remember" prompt is "Recall a specific instance where you sang or listened to your favorite holiday song. What stands out in your mind?"  Again, I go back to the Mattea CD Good News because both of my favorite holiday songs are on there; and again, Christmas of 2002 when I wasn't just "great with child" I was exceedingly great with child.  {laugh}  As a result, I was also one. big. emotion.  The lullabye and Mary Did You Know both spoke to me as a soon-to-be first-time mom and for the first time, I wondered about the things Mary felt as a new mother.   I was never far from tears that holiday season and if I listened to this CD, they were pretty much guaranteed to flow!