San Saba’s First Baptist Church has a yearly tradition of going caroling the Sunday following their Christmas program. It is typically pretty cold outside at that time, but this year it was unseasonably warm and very pleasant.
All you need is a trailer or two with square hay bales on them and folks ready to sing and share the Good News of Jesus’ birth in song with others. (The hay bales make great ‘seats’ while riding from one house to another.)
This past Sunday was our caroling day! With song sheets in hand, we hopped on the trailers, and off we went.
Upon arrival at each house, the carolers gathered in the front yard and waited for the residents to come to the door. Sometimes, they stay inside and listen through the screen door. This year, the weather was warmer than years past, and many came outside to the front porch to listen to the singing. One couple was out in the yard in chairs waiting for us, ready to enjoy the Christmas music. One lady even had homemade cookies waiting for us and shared them with us before we left!
It was great watching the smiles on their faces as we shared God’s love with them in song. Many of them even sang along on some of the verses.
The caroling group would sing a couple of songs from our list and then end with “We With You a Merry Christmas.” Our song list this year included: “Go, Tell it on the Mountain,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “Silent Night.”
After visiting the houses on our prepared list, we make our usual final stop, the San Saba Nursing and Rehab Center. Our arrival time there is usually around dinner time so we stop and sing several songs in the dining room. But so as not to leave out those who are unable to go to the dining room, we then walk down the halls caroling along the way.
To end the evening, many of us meet up back at the church fellowship hall for snacks and fellowship. This is a great time of story-telling, laughter, snacking, and fun.
The yearly caroling event is a lot of fun and greatly appreciated by those blessed by it. They consider it a special kind of Christmas gift. Many of them are not able to get out and hear the wonderful Christmas music we all take for granted.
Do you go caroling? Have others come to your house caroling? Consider sharing your experience with our readers and put a smile on their face as they read about your caroling fun.