Here is the second post (of 4) of Carl's 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge:

When I was a child, up until about the age of 12 or 13, I went to church each Sunday; I even sang in the choir. I never did like it very much...except for Christmas time. I love to sing Christmas songs:

Silent Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Away In A Manger
Deck The Halls
Angels We Have Heard on High
Do You Hear What I Hear
We Three Kings
Joy To The World

The soaring organ music, the candles, the boughs of pine, the whisper of turning hymnal pages...there's something so magical about attending a Christmas service, even if one isn't particularly religious.

A couple of years ago, a blogger I used to read invited me to attend her church's Christmas service. Megan came with me and as we arrived at the church, I thought it lookeded very familiar, couldn't place it, tho. We went in, found seats (it was quite small and crowded) and got comfortable.

As we were singing, I kept catching glimpses of a woman sitting directly in front of me. Lo and behold, it was the sister of my high school boyfriend, along with her husband and daughter! Her brother and I had attended the church with her for a Christmas service years ago! She and I had been very close, but drifted apart when her brother and I broke up and I married someone else; I was stupid and thought it would feel too weird to still be friends. It was SO great to see her and her family.

A Christmas miracle? Maybe...

Do you have a favorite Christmas song?

And so this is Christmas....by John and Yoko... Wish I had a river I could skate away on.... Joni.

Yup - Little Drummer Boy always makes me cry. Also Mary's Boy Child. Admittedly, not your standard church hymns, but still Christmas carols.

I have a lot of favorites.
I used to attend Church regularly also....but for various reason stopped going. I still consider myself religious and very spiritual.....and my favorite songs are Away in a Manger and O Holy Night.....they are so beautiful they bring tears to my eyes

Once in Royal David's City is my all-time favorite. Every year I try to hear a festival of lessons & carols, which I totally love and gets me in the spirit of the season.

Cool story. Things came around ina circle for you and your old pal. Nice.

I once joined a choir, I was so excited. Practice practice then the choir leader whispered to me once, can you please mougth the words. Oops. I am not even allowed to sing in the shower, I am that bad.

Among my favourite carols are Little Drummer Boy, especially the version of David Bowie and Bing Crosby. I also love River, like Colleeen above. It is by Joni Mitchell as she said and beautiful and sad. I remember once on Ally McBeal, Robert Downey Jr. did a sweet sweet version. Last week on Regis and Kelly, Sarah McLaughlin performed it...it might be on her latest album. Lovely.

Silent Night for my classic, traditional song.
Wonderful Christmas Time for the modern one.

Carol of the Bells.....:-)

That's a cool story! :)

I like all the old classic ones, with the cool harmonies and everything...

Cool story!
My favourite Christmas song has to be Silver Bells or Carol of Bells. They are must plays every year.

I have a lot of christmas favorites when it comes to songs by Hark the Hearld Angels Sing, Joy to the World and Oh Come All Ye Faithful are some standard favs.

That's so neat! I'm not celebrating Christmas this year but if I was, I love all Christmas music! I do like the story though :-)

How magical!!!

I love Oh Holy Night the most I think. It makes me cry every time I sing it.

I love all Christmas music...but favorites?

O Holy Night
and
The Little Drummer Boy...

Oh and I LOVE Carol of the Bells and Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12-24)

Ive always loved Away in a Manger, it just makes me realise we are not all as lucky as we should be.

XX

I totall believe in miracles! Oh Holy Night by Josh Groban is a favorite..

Great story! I love Christmas music. I grew up Catholic and although I no longer attend that denomination I think midnight mass is fantastic.

I have a hard time picking a favorite Christmas song. I love 'Oh Holy Night', especially Josh Groban's version. And Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing 'Baby, Its Cold Outside' is fantastic. But there are so many more that I like. I really like the full version of Silent Night.

I love the way synchronicity works sometimes!It reminds me that the world isn't all that big after all, and we are all connected.

Amy Grant's version of "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" with acoustic guitar is haunting.

Loreena McKennit's entire album "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" has a special place in the part of my brain that Elise inhabits.

And the song I CANNOT. STOP. SINGING. this year:

The Man with the Bag (Kay Starr).

"Old Mr. Kringle, is soon gonna jingle, the bells that'll tingle all your troubles away. // Everybody's waiting for the man with the bag 'cause CHristmas is coming again."