Silent Night? Not Quite...

The birth of a child, 2000 years ago, a miracle traditionally celebrated with gifts to each other. Remembering long lost friends with cards, making a point to say kind words and go the extra mile. (As my favorite Tennessee clients use to say, "I appreciate ya!"...I just love that expression.)There's something about this season that just makes folks want to burst out into song!
Christmas caroling is a tradition I adore. I have memories of caroling up and down our avenue with neighbors. Bundled from head to toe in caps/scarves/gloves/coat... ringing the doorbell. (Are they home?! I hear someone coming!) "Deck the Halls....!!!" we would sing, trying not to giggle halfway through the first verse. My children are fond of caroling. Each year we head to some type of assisted care facility to sing. Sometimes it's just the three of us on Christmas Eve, before Daddy gets off work. The kids get a kick out of their captive audience... much more exciting than just performing in front of "boring" Mommy at home.
Last year I was mentioning to a friend about our adventure. "You mean you take (gasp) the children? Aren't they afraid...you know...of what they see?" The Bug and the Pea most decidedly are not afraid. When they were in pre-school, they would accompany me on my Deacon visits to nursing homes. We never left home without a bag of homemade craft goodies...courtesy of the kiddos. Cards and other "creations"...valentines hearts in February, flowers in April...sometimes chocolate. The Bug and the Pea quickly warmed to the folks in the homes. They were exceedingly curious (and still are!) about the uniqueness of their adventures. Prosthetic limbs were always a huge hit. One lady grabbed a basket from the Pea's hands while shouting, "You ALWAYS take my things! Always!" The Pea wasn't sure what to make of this encounter, but smiled and asked the lady's name and we eventually were handed back our basket of ornaments.
Our most recent caroling excursion was humorous. Not to be outdone by each other, the Bug and the Pea sang louder and louder with each verse of each hymn. I'm probably imagining it, but I could have sworn I heard a collective sigh of relief from the facility's staff when we exited the building. And the night was silent...once again...