Has carolling gone out of favor?

[GregoryPalamas]

For several years from the early 1970’s until about the mid 1990s I went carolling almost every year with groups of people either in the Church I served or with community members. I’ve tried to get groups up since then but without success and for a few years now haven’t even tried.

Has carolling gone out of favor or is it just me?

CDL

 

[puzzleannie]

our youth group goes to the nursing home every year to sing carols, present gifts and play simple games with the residents. they then come back to Church and carol around the neighborhood.

more in our tradition here is las posadas, families or groups of people going house to house, there are traditional songs that go with that, and at the last house where the party is there is usually singing of traditional carols in English or Spanish as well.

our last year in Cleveland DD went carolling with some friends, just informal around one of the developments and somebody called the cops because of “teenagers acting suspiciously” in the street.

 

[LilyM]

our last year in Cleveland DD went carolling with some friends, just informal around one of the developments and somebody called the cops because of “teenagers acting suspiciously” in the street.

:nope: Can anyone say “bah! humbug!”

 

[Brendan]

My wife was in the hospital this week (delivering our 5th child )

On the second day, a great group came by carolling. Really good voices too

 

[Karianne]

For several years from the early 1970’s until about the mid 1990s I went carolling almost every year with groups of people either in the Church I served or with community members. I’ve tried to get groups up since then but without success and for a few years now haven’t even tried.

Has carolling gone out of favor or is it just me?

CDL

I don’t think that it’s gone out of favor, I think that folks are just so busy and working so hard that they’re too tired to go caroling esp during the Christmas Season when they have so much to do.
The youth group at the Lutheran Church raised money by selling Carol-a-thons.
For ten bucks they would go to the house of your choice and sing three carols for them. Everyone loved the idea and the kids enjoyed it too, of course, it took a lot of effort from the youth ministers, driving the kids around and figuring out which house…etc., but it was worth it.

 

[mary_bobo]

For several years from the early 1970’s until about the mid 1990s I went carolling almost every year with groups of people either in the Church I served or with community members. I’ve tried to get groups up since then but without success and for a few years now haven’t even tried.

Has carolling gone out of favor or is it just me?

CDL

Our parish does caroling at several of the subsidized apartment buildings in our area. And several groups have come by the hospice where I volunteer to sing for the patients. One family came and sang for a relative that was there and several family members from other families asked them to come to their family patient’s room to sing. Some of the nurses joined in and it was a warm display of love and caring.

 

[brotherhrolf]

The last time I went caroling was in the late 70s when I was in grad school. I think what has happened is that people are afraid to open their doors and come out at night - which is why you see people going to nursing homes and hospitals. We had the youth group from a local non-denom. come by once back in the 80s. It seems to me that most of the Protestant churches put their effort into their Christmas pageant.

All of the downtown churches in Baton Rouge (except the Episcopalians “it’s Advent”) have a caroling pilgrimage. Everyone starts out at the Baptist church (their choir sings three spirituals); then everyone walks to the Methodist church (their choir sings); then to the Presbyterian church (which I’ve never got to hear because our choir has to head for the cathedral to be ready); then everyone heads for the cathedral which is lit by candles and we sing three Advent carols (yes, we know it’s Advent and yes, Toto, there are Advent carols); then everyone walks to the Southern Baptist church where their choir sings their due and then all the choirs get together to sing the Hallelujah chorus followed by cookies and hot chocolate. It’s a great way to spend an evening.

 

[Mordocai]

Actually, me and about 12 friends went caroling last night outside of Barnes and Noble for 2 1/2 hours. We had a BLAST! Raised 90 some dollars for charity too, the people loved it. The cops even drove by a bunch and they didnt say anything, one cop even wished us a Merry Christmas.
Some of the people stopped and really encouraged us, put a lot of people in a much much better mood.
And it was all for Jesus Christ.

Praised be to God forever!

Amen

Peace of Christ,
Mordocai

 

[jbuck919]

I don’t wish to sound snobbish, but I am a professional church musician with a trained voice, and I have had the privilege of going caroling only perhaps three times in my life where I was pleased with what I was doing. It takes a balanced group with all four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and can only be done properly by those who read music and have made some advance preparation. Merry Christmas, but if you come by my house and sing in a typical out-of-tune amateurish style and in alleged unison, you’ll get something thrown at you, and it won’t be coins for the poor.

 

[Mordocai]

i think its the love behind the voice that God hears, and perhaps unfortunate people only focus on the sound waves.
we didnt sound the best, not trained at all, but did anyone really care that we weren’t trained?
nah.

Merry Christmas,
Mordocai

 

[mary_bobo]

i think its the love behind the voice that God hears, and perhaps unfortunate people only focus on the sound waves.
we didnt sound the best, not trained at all, but did anyone really care that we weren’t trained?
nah.

Merry Christmas,
Mordocai

Too bad folks can’t enjoy the intent and not look for perfection in everything. Yes, trained singers are great, but in the case of our hospice, the patients and families were very appreciative of the effort and the meaning.

 

[maryalene]

My husband and I were just talking about this last night. We thought that maybe because society, as a whole, seems to be becoming anti-social that we have lost our sense of community. No one wants to carol on the streets because they don’t know their neighbors and don’t want to be bother to strangers. But we could be wrong. The last time I went caroling was about 10 years ago when I was still in school.

 

[lizaanne]

I don’t wish to sound snobbish, but I am a professional church musician with a trained voice, and I have had the privilege of going caroling only perhaps three times in my life where I was pleased with what I was doing. It takes a balanced group with all four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and can only be done properly by those who read music and have made some advance preparation. Merry Christmas, but if you come by my house and sing in a typical out-of-tune amateurish style and in alleged unison, you’ll get something thrown at you, and it won’t be coins for the poor.

Bah freakin’ humbug!

I’ve performed with semi-professional choirs since I was in college (20+ years), and I would be absolutely thrilled if a group came by singing at my door! It’s not a performance, it’s about people having fun, spreading the love and joy of Christmas, and perhaps making someone smile.

I actually did say to a friend this past weekend that we need to all plan a caroling outing next year, and she agreed that it would be a blast! So - we will hope you don’t live in our neighborhood, otherwise you may have to get out the rotten tomatoes!

~Liza

 

[Califman831]

I don’t wish to sound snobbish, but I am a professional church musician with a trained voice, and I have had the privilege of going caroling only perhaps three times in my life where I was pleased with what I was doing. It takes a balanced group with all four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and can only be done properly by those who read music and have made some advance preparation. Merry Christmas, but if you come by my house and sing in a typical out-of-tune amateurish style and in alleged unison, you’ll get something thrown at you, and it won’t be coins for the poor.

EVERY man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.

 

[lizaanne]

I actually did say to a friend this past weekend that we need to all plan a caroling outing next year, and she agreed that it would be a blast! So - we will hope you don’t live in our neighborhood, otherwise you may have to get out the rotten tomatoes!

~Liza

Never thought I’d quote myself! LOL!!! But this is just too funny to see this again - I am actually planning that caroling outing this year! Hopefully a bunch of us will go out singing in the neighborhood before going to our Christmas party. I’m so looking forward to it!!



~Liza

 

[GregoryPalamas]

I’m glad this thread has been revived. Now I must get busy and organize a caroling party.

CDL

 

[Califman831]

I remember caroling with the cub scouts back in the seventies and it was both initially nervous and overall fun. What is an appropriate song list for catholic carolers?

Rudolph
Dashing through the snow
…

 

[lizaanne]

I’m glad this thread has been revived. Now I must get busy and organize a caroling party.

CDL

What do you plan to do for music? Do you have song books or hymnals you will be using? We obviously want to stick with appropriate religious songs, but I think I might just have to sneak in “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” .

~Liza

 

[GregoryPalamas]

What do you plan to do for music? Do you have song books or hymnals you will be using? We obviously want to stick with appropriate religious songs, but I think I might just have to sneak in “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” .

~Liza

There are many booklets of good general Christian Christmas carols out but I must go find them. I don’t think we have any at our Church but they are easily obtainable. We’ll throw in a couple of Eastern carols and we’ll have it. I don’t know if I can pull it off but I’m going to try.

CDL

 

[lizaanne]

There are many booklets of good general Christian Christmas carols out but I must go find them. I don’t think we have any at our Church but they are easily obtainable. We’ll throw in a couple of Eastern carols and we’ll have it. I don’t know if I can pull it off but I’m going to try.

CDL

I’m going to try to get at a very minimum 10 people - any fewer and I think we will sound pretty feeble. I’ll have to take a look and see what I can find for song booklets. I can’t spend a fortune - looks people will have to share!

~Liza