Christmas Traditions

Today was the day of my old school's carol service - but was I there? No, I was writing a biology exam. This time of year is one of the times when I really miss being at home - around now, we would be doing chritmassy things in school on the wind up to the last day of term, then after school on the last day, my family would go and buy a christmas tree and decorate it together. Since I will be here at university until the 19th, we have pushed back the tree decorating, but I don't really mind that. What I do miss is the school carol service in the nearby church.

Up until last year, the carol service had been a part of my Christmas every year for something like 12 years, and I loved it! For the last 9 of those years I had been in some kind of choir (I ought to point out here that when I left school, there were 6 different choirs), and it was so much fun! Each year, we would look forward to the first choir rehearsal when the music teacher would bring out the battered sheet music for all the favourite carols, and we would still be singing on the way to class afterwards. I really miss belting out all the descants, and just singing alongside my friends and getting all festive, so I will try to relive the magic here by listening to the carols that the choir would sing every year, year on year.

Of course we sang all the carols that traditionally go with the 9 lessons - it always starts with Once in Royal David's City, and ends with O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels - and of course, as a soprano in the senior choir, I got to sing all the descants (brilliant fun). We would sing a selection of congregational carols, and the various choirs would sing on their own of together.  There were a few carols that the choirs always sang (sometimes with the help of the congregation), with the same arrangements, that I really miss - so here they are:

(some of the arrangements are a bit different - just bear in mind that I went to an all girls school)

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
This was always the first one that we would start rehearsing in November




In the Bleak Midwinter
I loved singing this one, especially the last verse - that "give my heart" bit is really satisfying to sing




See Amid the Winter's Snow
The different choirs and the congregation sang different verses of this one - some old girls would always come back for the service and sing the fifth (I think) verse




Sussex Carol
The descant on this one is so much fun




Personent Hodie
One of the big finales, when the lower school choir moves up to the front of the church to join the older girls - I remember when I was in the lower school choir, I couldn't wait to be in the senior choir so that I could sing the third verse, it always sounded so beautiful with the three part harmony and without the organ. So much fun, and everyone would always be singing at the very tops of their voices by the end!

(Imagine the harp is an organ and the choir is 100 strong)