Among the best-loved Christmas carols today is O Come, All Ye Faithful. The original author, John Francis Wade, penned the opening line in Latin: “Adeste Fidelis, Laeti triumphantes,” which means something like “Be present, faithful, happy, triumphant ones.” A century later, an Anglican cleric, Frederick Oakeley translated it into English as “Ye Faithful, Approach Ye,”
Hugh Martin wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” for Judy Garland to sing in the 1944 film Meet Me in St Louis. It wasn’t a happy time. The fate of the world hung in the balance: World War II raged in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Millions were dying in Nazi death camps.
Haul out the holly Put up the tree before my spirit falls again Fill up the stocking I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute… American composer and lyricist Jerry Herman passed away three years ago this month, leaving behind many memorable
I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday: Madison Avenue hasn’t been able to commercialize it the way they do most holidays. At its core there is one idea: Give thanks – and when it comes right down to it, that thanks is directed to God. In the fall of 1621, after a difficult year of
About fifteen years ago, my vision began to change. After having perfect “20/20” vision (or better) all my life, I discovered ‘my arms started getting shorter’ – I had to hold books a little further away for the print to come into focus. After a couple of years, I would put a book on the
Phil Congdon, NBBC, December 4, 2018 Christmas is a season anchored in history. The coming of Christ was first foretold the day Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3.15), at the dawn of creation, and through signs and revelation progressively came into focus throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament chronicled
