Soon another gluttonous Thanksgiving Day will pass by us and into our memories forever, followed by, in my opinion, that even better  holiday Christmas. One of the most time-honored traditions of the Christmas season is Christmas caroling. Christmas caroling is enjoyed by many different people all over the world, and families and friends will be getting together in the following weeks to sing their hearts out to neighbors and charities world-wide. However, a lot of people don’t even know how to start a Christmas caroling group, or even where to get song sheets to sing off of. In this article I want to give you some basic tips on Christmas caroling and how you can make caroling a good, memorable occasion for everyone involved…singer or listener.

When you go out for a night of caroling, you want to try to invite family and friends who can sing on key. If they can’t, that’s okay, but make sure that they all sing in harmony and practice singing before they leave the house. Members of a singing group or church choir are perfect if you want to gather people who sing well and on key, because they already have formal singing training and can add a more positive light to your Christmas caroling troupe. After you’ve invited the people that you know can sing well, you’ll want to invite your family and friends that you know can’t sing very well. Have these people hold the candlelight vigils and books for the carolers, and make sure that they know what their role is ahead of time. Don’t worry if they start singing anyway, as it’s all part of the fun. Some of them may just feel left out, and we don’t want that to ruin their Christmas caroling experience!

You’ll want everyone to have the right look for the occasion – that ‘Christmas caroling’ look that you see on most Christmas television shows and movies. The people that you are trying to entertain will be expecting you to give your best when you go Christmas caroling and you want to look it as well. Make sure that those Christmas caroling with you bring their favorite toboggans, mittens, scarves, and coats. Everyone should be in unison when they go Christmas caroling. When it comes to Christmas caroling, each individual member is a cog in one big Christmas Caroling machine. The most important thing you need to do before you go Christmas caroling is buy everybody that’s going to be there a Christmas songbook, or have them bring their own if they have some. Not everyone knows every verse of every Christmas carol so you want to make certain that they all have a copy. No one should be left out when it comes to this or it could ruin the entire performance.

If you plan to carol outside, a good way to save some money on candle holders is poking a hole into some paper plates and using them as de facto candle holders instead. Have the candles slide through the hole in paper plate to the very top. You’ll definitely want to have these candles around to provide light so your Christmas carolers can read the lyrics when it gets dark. A very important thing that I never forget is to have enough finger foods, cold and warm, with a variety of drinks such as hot chocolate and eggnog to warm up the Christmas carolers after a night of singing in the freezing cold.

All in all, these are most of the good basic tips that you need to know for Christmas caroling during the holiday season. You need to have the right supplies for everyone to ensure that everybody around you is having a great time. If you succeed in doing everything right, you should have an impact on your community and be the talk of the town for the remainder of the Christmas holidays. Just remember to be safe and prepared for colder than usual temperatures this Christmas. 

Whether you have read the book or watched one of the hundreds of stage and film productions, “A Christmas Carol” is probably one of the most prevalent and well-known Christmas stories that has ever been created. One of the reasons for the popularity of this piece of fiction is the fact that the message found within is significant for any culture in any age. The idea of treating friends, family and employees kindly and generously, and keeping Christmas in your heart throughout the year are ideas that most people can understand and embrace.

History of “A Christmas Carol”

“A Christmas Carol” was written by Charles Dickens in 1843, and quickly became the most popular book of the holiday season that year. Six thousand copies were sold by Christmas and within two months after publication, eight stage adaptations were in the works. Today, “A Christmas Carol” continues to be one of the most popular stories of the Christmas season, with more than 200 film versions and countless stage productions of this popular tale. Nearly everyone is familiar with Dickens’ book in one form or another.

“A Christmas Carol” is the story of a man named Ebeneezer Scrooge, who was a lonely old miser with more money than he knew what to do with – primarily because he refused to spend or share a single penny of it. Throughout the course of the story, after visits from three spirits, Scrooge realizes that charity and generosity are a much more attractive way of life than hoarding money, and he learns that he can keep the true spirit of Christmas alive all year long through following these principles.

Dickens wrote this book during a time when social classes, unfair working conditions and impoverished children were a way of life. He was very involved in social issues throughout his life, and found ways to make a social and moral statement in his writing. “A Christmas Carol” addresses these issues in a beautifully written and tale that is as entertaining as it is concerned with social justice.  The lessons learned in this story have been significant for generations, and the moral of the story is just as relevant today as it was in Dickens’ time.

 If you have never had the pleasure of making “A Christmas Carol” an annual tradition for your family, this is the year to start. For the younger members of your family, try the Muppets or Disney versions. The classic film starring George C. Scott might be the movie of choice for some. And for those who prefer a non-traditional approach with a touch of humor, “Scrooged,” starring Bill Murray, will present a unique twist to this well known tale. Whatever version of this story you choose, “A Christmas Carol” will continue to entertain generations for years to come.

By Sarin Mathew

The mist rising over the mountain range was beautiful to look at , my eyes felt the contentment of beholding such beauty. Slight warmth spread through my body as I sipped on the hot chocolate in my hands. It was the evening before “Christmas” and I had to attend the midnight mass of Christmas Eve. The scenario would have been perfect except I didn’t really think so.

I mean, seriously, Christmas isn’t really Christmas until there’s a beautiful white blanket of snow covering everything in sight…maybe at least this day the world’s sins can be covered under it. Christmas isn’t really Christmas until you’ve got bare naked trees which are covered with dazzling lights so as to make up for the robe of leaves it must have shed. Essentially I believe that Christmas is Christmas in foreign lands where you have ‘Santa’s’ at every street corner jingling their bells, hassled shoppers walking around with bags filled with goodies and gifts for their loved ones waiting up for them back home and what can Christmas actually be without green “Christmas pine trees” decorated like a new bride on her wedding night.

Man! I hate this. No lights, no Christmas trees, no white snow…and trying-to-perfect eggnog my mom whipped up for me. Christmas in India wasn’t exactly Christmas…no matter how beautiful the mist over the mountains looked! With these thoughts in my mind and my mood begining to become anti-christmas’y’, I put on my jacket and went out for a stroll.

As I walked about aimlessly, conversing with God, actually accusing him of making a mistake by making me Indian with an Indian Christmas I saw a chapel ahead of me decorated with lights. But what hit me was the number of candles gracing the chapel which were little hopes and little wishes made by us humans who in spite of reaching the moon still need an unseen force to ensure us that “all will be fine”. I walked ahead and saw a crowd of street urchins outside a temple waiting their turns to receive warm clothes for the harsh winter ahead. The donor looked happy and content standing in a corner just observing them and me observing the joy on his face.

Ok, now I was already feeling a little pro – christmas’y’ . But still there was no snow flake falling on my nose tip, no fogged up breath. I finally decided to return home and leave for mid night mass. As I was approaching my building a group of little kids with loud shrieky voices and un-tuned musical instruments decided to try out their season’s first Christmas carols on me. They sang in shrill voices ’Silent night….’, breaking into giggles in between. Finally after the wonderful orchestra, my mom gave them cookies and cakes to fill up with. As these little ones, still shrieking maybe even more now, left my house to move on to the next house to fill up with their out of tune carols and laughter, I realized that Christmas is actually about spending time with your family, helping others and being grateful for all that’s given to us. So even without the snow and the works…Christmas isn’t ‘still’ Christmas without the essence of Christmas i.e. to share, give & love. And suddenly the mist over the mountains on Christmas eve didn’t look too bad!!!

A Christmas Carol, or originally known as A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, is a Victorian morality novel written by author Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812- June 9, 1870) and published in the December of 1843 by Chapman and Hall of the United Kingdom.

The novel got off to a fantastic start, selling over 6,000 copies in one week, a large amount for that time. Ironically, Dickens only wrote the book to pay off a debt, and today it is one of the best selling Christmas books of all time.

The driving force for Dickens’s creation was his disenchantment with the world’s economic drives and greed. He believed that the problems with the world were caused by an obsession with money and climbing the social ladder. He made his feelings very clear in A Christmas Carol with themes focused on teaching a lesson.

Themes

On the outside, the novel A Christmas Carol seems to be a commentary on how greed is bad. On a closer look the book delves into many social and political aspects of the human condition. For instance, old Scrooge symbolizes “the man” who takes from the poor, without caring for their condition. By the end of the story Scrooge realizes his folly and gives more generously to the needy.

Many of the characters and places stand for things found in society, such as Ebenezer Scrooge stands for the greed of humanity, The Counting House stands for the time’s lust and greed and Utilitarianism.

Interesting Facts

A Christmas Carol became Dickens’s first ever public reading. It was held at the Birmingham Town Hall for the Industrial and Literary Institute, December 17, 1852. He continued public readings of A Christmas Carol until his death. Dickens intended the work to have a musical theme. For instance, the title, of course, is A Christmas Carol and the chapters are called staves instead of chapters.

In Hood’s Magazine and Comic Review (1884), the poet Thomas Hood said about the story, “If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease.” And so it did. When the story was written, many people had stopped celebrating Christmas as much. After the books release, the holiday became popular once more. A Christmas Carol has been made into movies starting in 1908, plays, operas, radio shows, and television specials.