One of my favorite Christmas traditions is singing Christmas carols. I realize not everyone celebrates Christmas, but what I have to share is primarily about the joy of the season. My mother is a singer; she sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for seven years. Growing up, she would gather her children around the piano to sing. At Christmas time, she would bake cookies and give plates of them to friends and neighbors. We would go with her to deliver them, and sing a few carols to each recipient. One of our neighbors enjoyed this tradition so much that, even after moving away had us telephone them each year to hear us sing carols. I am not saying we were as good as the Osmond family (though that was my mother’s dream), but we loved sharing the joy of the Christmas season.
I spent Christmas 2011 in Afghanistan. The Canadian junior officers invited me to participate in their tradition of caroling to the senior officers and others of the staff. For me, this made Christmas wonderful, despite being apart from my family. Whatever traditions you observe this holiday season, may you find the joy that comes only through giving.
