Christmas will be here in a few days. Are your preparations complete? Are you ready for your Christmas guests? Do you have a special dinner you will prepare for company?
Excitement and anticipation are in the air as we count down the last few days until Christmas Day. This can be such a hectic time of year, or it can be a peaceful time of year, depending upon one's focus.
I love Christmas music, specifically carols, and sing them throughout the day. Do you have a favorite, or do you, like me, enjoy them all?
I asked several people about their favorite carols, and the variety of carols that are enjoyed is interesting. The range of favorites ran from "Jingle Bells" and "Up on a Housetop," "White Christmas" to "The First Noel," "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Still, Still, Still."
In our family, there is also a range. My mother's favorite is "O Holy Night." Dad likes Bing Crosby's rendition of "Silent Night" and Jim's favorite is "Bethlehem Morning," which I have sung as a solo many times.
I would be hard-pressed to pick just one favorite, but "The Messiah" by Handel embodies the message of Christmas and may be mine. It encompasses the entire story of our Savior Jesus Christ, prophecies that foretold His birth, the story of His birth, His death, resurrection and return to heaven all in song. As a family, when we lived in Southern California, we attended the Messiah sing-along held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It featured the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale.
It would be wonderful if one of the churches in Crestview would host a Messiah sing-along next Christmas and allow all of us to be the "choir."
A big "thank you" goes to the mail carriers, UPS, Fed-Ex and other delivery personnel who have worked many hours to ensure that our gifts and packages were delivered on time. Thank you also to all of the hard-working retail personnel for your diligent work and putting up with cranky customers.
From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Thinking about Christmas and carols