Christmas Countdown

In my household, music is an integral part of Christmas....especially Handel's Messiah. I have lots of Christmas music, and enjoy pulling out and listening to the holiday CDs each year. (The collection continues to grow - as this year I added two more!)

Now that we're getting very close to Christmas Day, I thought it might be fun to "countdown" with the aid of some carols and hymns of the season. Each day between now and the 25th, I'll post a new visual. To kick things off, I've selected the English Wexford Carol.



Here are the lyrics in full:

Good people all, this Christmas-time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His beloved Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day:
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God's angels did appear,
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
"Prepare and go," the angels said,
"To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you'll find, this happy morn,
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born."

With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the Babe to find,
And as God's angel had foretold,
They did our Saviour Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by his side the Virgin Maid,
As long foretold, there was a blessed Messiah born.

Traditional
Transcribed by William Grattan Flood