Froehliche Weinachten 1998

In December 1998, I was a newly arrived in Dresden, Germany, a disappointing December transfer had me leaving my first area in the middle of the holiday season. It was a hard move. Had I known I was moving to one of the most beautiful and intersting places in Europe, I might have been happier about it. My mission companion and I got a very rare "walk-in," we gave our message and presented a Book of Mormon to the individual. They were distraught because they had nothing for us. We assured them we needed nothing in return... but they insisted. They handed me a CD in a cardboard case. It was called "Weinachten in Sachsen" or Christmas in Saxony. It was a promotional by the local newspaper and contained about 20 Christmas songs sung by the Thomanerchor (the boys choir that Bach directed when he was in Leipzig)...At the time I thought it would be fairly inconsequential. 12 years later, the Thomanerchor is a Callister Christmas tradition. Few things take me to that pivotal time and magical place more quickly and vividly.
What made Christmas in Germany so magical? Was it the smell of Bratwurst and Wassail in the streets? Was it the dreamlike markets? Was it the fact that I was spending every day sharing the message of Christ? Was it the fact that I was away from family and so much more poignantly recognized that element in my life in its absence.... Was it the handmade toys, the selfless members of the church? The answer is simple, it was surely ALL of these things!
However I want to address the power of the German Christmas carol. I have never seen a people with more reverance for their carols than Germans. We had an experience that Christmas that burned into my mind the effect that Christmas music has on the human spirit.
We went with some members of the Dresden ward to an old folks home there. It was a pretty bleak place, and these folks started out the evening pretty detached. Elderly East Germans have endured tremendous hardship and always had a manner and look in their eyes that embodied it. What ensued that night was amazing. I watched as these individuals went from cautiously listening, to tentatively singing along to literally whaling the words to these songs. I dont know that I have ever been more moved in my life. These people were channeling deep but vivid memories of one of the few memories of pure joy in there troubled lives. I was doing some channeling myself. We weeped/sang with these people for 45 minutes. There was no conversation or words that could have brought those people to that point. It was a highly spiritual moment. What I noticed through the rest of my mission was that you could rarley get through a Christmas song with an older person without them choking up, or at least beaming.
Since my mission, I have made it a point to get out to sing to the elderly every Christmas. Yeah a plate of cookies is nice and a visit is valuable, but you can transport a soul for just a minute when you bless them with that moment. Who can't relate to the emotion that the JOY of Christmases past brings. How much more poignant will it be in the sunset of our lives?
Every time I listen to my random German Christmas CD gift, I am reminded of the spirit and power of the Christmas Carol in my Christmas observance.
I hope you enjoy one of my favorites