Kindness Advent Calendar: December 20, 2023 (Day 20)
🎄🎶Caroling, Caroling🎶🎄
Welcome to Day 20 of your Kindness Advent Calendar! Throughout December, we will provide you with your daily act of kindness through our Kindness Advent Calendar! Come and celebrate the holiday season as we are kind all December long.
Tune up your voice on December 20th so you can join others on Go Caroling Day! Caroling is the practice of singing Christmas songs door to door as a celebration. The word carol means a joyful song or dance.
The tradition of singing carols has roots in pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice. Carols were later adopted by the Christian faith to celebrate nativity during the 4th and 5th centuries and were primarily sung in Latin. St. Francis of Assisi improved the popularity of singing carols when he paired the songs with stories (canticles), and the songs were performed in modern languages. The Victorian era saw a surge in caroling, and many popular caroling songs still sung today were written during this era.
Though caroling is not as popular as it once was, it's still a tradition many families, communities, and churches look forward to every year. Some popular caroling songs include:
- Here Comes Santa Claus
- Jingle Bells
- O Christmas Tree
- Silent Night
- We Wish You A Merry Christmas
- Joy to the World
- Let it Snow!
Go Caroling Day is an easy celebration that spreads joy and cheer. If you've never caroled before, select 3-4 easier songs and friends who are in the holiday spirit. Not everyone can carry a tune, but that won't matter when you're surrounded by loved ones who share in your enthusiasm. Visit friends and neighbors and sing the songs with all the joy in your heart. Afterward, return home for hot chocolate and cookies. Caroling is a simple way to give back to others. Share your event using #GoCarolingDay on social media.
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Soon the bells will start, And the thing that will make them ring, is the carol that you sing, right within your heart."
~ Meredith Willson