“Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm all is bright” 

The songs of Christmas carry a common message of calm, peace, love and HOPE.  Those messages are expressed in songs about family gatherings; children returning home; fireplaces burning bright; friends reuniting; snow covered trees and rooftops; and gifts of many kinds and of many values.  The songs appear to be written,  both words and music, for everyone.  Not just one segment of society; not just one race; not just one culture; and not just one religion–everyone…all of mankind.  It is that part of Christmas and Christmas music that I love so much this time of year, we all seem to listen and hear one message and that message leaves little room for argument.

“Sleep in heavenly peace…sleep in heavenly peace”

A few years back I assembled a couple of CD’s from the many Christmas CD’s we have in our collection and those CD’s consisted of eighteen different versions of “Silent Night” on one CD and eighteen versions of “O Holy Night” on the other.  I listened to both of these recordings–back to back–the other day for the first time in years.  A bit silly perhaps but I found these CD’s to be powerful in their message.  Here were eighteen different artists expressing their emotions on these two rather emotional Christmas songs and each sound was different but the message came out the same.  From Johnny Cash to Celine Dion to Josh Groban to Enya to Andrea Bocelli to Neil Diamond to the Kingston Trio to Peter, Paul and Mary to an acapella group of a dozen singers from different races and different nations that I picked up during a management program I attended at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

“The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices and yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…”

We are coming off a most challenging year in perhaps the most divisive time in our nation.  No two people seem to agree with anything any more.  We have become cynical; we have become judgemental; we have become way too quick to dismiss the feelings and beliefs of others.  We seem to have little interest in exploring our many differences, even with the closest of family members.  I was thinking of this as I listened to the many talented artists sing their versions of Silent Night and O Holy Night and I wondered just what keeps us so far apart from our neighbor.  What is it we are looking for in life?  How is it possible that this multiracial, multi denominational, multicultural group of singers can sing in one voice and calm the hearts and minds of all people only to see us retreat to our unchangeable position a few days later?  Maybe we should play Christmas music the year around?

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining…”

Thoughts to ponder as we enter a new dawn, a new day, a new year.  Let’s leave this awful year behind; let us bury this virus alongside the 315,000 Americans that were caught in its wake and let us all hum songs of calm, peace, love and HOPE as we begin this most hopeful year of 2021.  If you want to borrow my CD’s, just let me know.  I am not sure there exists a better way to explain DIVERSITY than listening to these two CD’s.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

PEOPLE