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I have published on this Hymn before but want to post on it again at the beginning of Advent in hopes that a few of you who have the influence and ability may see that this hymn in used in your parishes for Advent at some point.For my money the best Advent hymn ever written is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations) written by St. Ambrose in the 4th Century.One of the beautiful things about the ancient Latin Hymns is how richly theological they are. Not content to merely describe the event in question, they give sweeping theological...

Two years ago, I posed the opposite question to Hot Air readers in a burst of Christmas Eve misanthropy, so consider this a long-overdue penance. What Christmas carols simply must be heard in order to make a joyous season more complete? Which specific versions do you like best? For instance, one might love “White Christmas� by Bing Crosby, while detesting the disco version of it (a big thanks to Duane “Generalissimo� Patterson of the Hugh Hewitt show for dropping that into a break bed last night). As I mentioned in the post two years ago, you can love “Santa Baby�...

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman is accused of biting off her husband's tongue as he was giving her a good night kiss. Sheboygan (sheh-BOY'-gan) police say the man in his late 70s called authorities about 11 p.m. Monday, but was having trouble speaking. An ambulance was dispatched to the house. Sgt. Terry Meyer says the husband and wife were singing Christmas carols when paramedics arrived. Meyer says the woman, in her late 50s, threw a coffee cup at them.

Including "The First Nobel", "Health Care Bells", and "Obamacare Is Coming To Town".

What is your favorite Christmas Hymn?

Polls reveal that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas. How is it “inclusive” to exclude this vast majority? And 90% believe it is the birthday of Jesus. How is it “tolerant” not to tolerate expression of this widely held belief? Liberals claim that our Founders were deists or agnostics who wrote the Constitution to prevent any influence of religion on our public life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The federal appeals court in Philadelphia has upheld a New Jersey school district's ban on religious songs during the Christman holiday season. In their ruling, three judges of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals noted that such songs were once common in public schools, but that times have changed. Michael Stratechuk sued the Maplewood-South Orange School District in 2004, saying the ban violated his two children's First Amendment's freedom of worship rights.

In this joyous time of year, when Christmas carols ringing from every speaker and cell phone in every retail shop, few of us would voice complaints about the incessantly repeated songs that find our laaaaast nerve … and stomp all over it. Don’t get me wrong — I love Christmas carols, but not every one is a gem, and the worst seem to get the most airplay. I’d be thrilled if I didn’t get to hear the following songs for, well, the rest of my life: * Santa Baby (Madonna version): I love the Eartha Kitt original. It’s a cute...

Being the nit-picker I am, it's more occurred to me lately that there are many popular Christmas-time carols that are NOT really "Christmas" if you pay attention. Thought maybe we'd start a run-down of songs that aren't really "Christmas" even though they are treated like it. I have to say this is based on truly POPULAR carols (although nothing wrong with mentioning some that aren't really known) and only on the lyrics I know. 1 category would be totally non-Christmas songs. The 2nd might be "marginal" songs, where perhaps the word "Christmas" is mentioned once, e.g., or some other obvious...

Is Christmas in trouble? It is if your celebration includes music like THIS! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks!!

The carol, as a religious song for a particular season, dates back to the 13th century but it hit glory days during the next century gaining widespread popularity. Over the following hundred years the carol developed musically and as a literary form in its own right, but was silenced by the Reformation in England and replaced by the metrical Psalm. A resurgence of carols in the 18th century has helped them become the sine qua non of the Christmas season. ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ was penned in 1739 by Charles Wesley, whose brother John founded the Methodist church.The...

Links to the "Beach Impeach" site were frequent on Dem. Underground last week. As if their Bush-hatred wasn't bad enough, their "christmas carols" page really takes the cake. Where does one start? The misappropriation of Xmas Carols? The misspelling of "Antarctica?" The fact that polar bears don't live in Antarctica? Although the first carol was amusing unschooled piffle, the rest unfortunately are pure Bush-hatred and 9/11 conspiracy-theorist dreck. Must the Dems pander to such pitiful self-demeaning wingnuttery?

A link: SWEET SOFT MEMORIES

ANTI-CHRISTMAS FEVER ABOUNDS

A bit ago, I heard Roger Hedgecock, filling in for Rush, say that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" should be put in the tradsh bin, or words to that effect. I'll freely admit that I could live the rest of my life without "The Little Drummer boy." I agree with Dave Barry's comment that it's a song "that consists entirely fo people standing around saying 'Pum.'" What Christmas songs would you like not to hear again?

Anti-Defamation League Offers Schools Guidance for Negotiating the 'December Dilemma' Tue Nov 9, 2:39 PM ET To: National Desk and Education Reporter Contact: Myrna Shinbaum, 212-885-7747, Todd Gutnick, 212-885-7755, both of the Anti-Defamation League NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Each December schools and teachers are confronted with the question of how to approach the holidays without favoring one religious faith over another or making some students feel uncomfortable because their religious background is different from others. To help negotiate this "December dilemma," the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provides public schools and government institutions with materials and information on...

Christmas is illegal over nearly half the globe, notably in those parts dominated by Islam. But closer to home, the ACLU's efforts to drive the holiday from the public consciousness actually represent a crusade (so to speak) with a long pedigree.

Christmas Carol Quiz - Name the carols described in each riddle 1. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas 2. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres 3. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling 4. Wanted in December: top forward incisors 5. The apartment of two psychiatrists 6. The lad is a diminutive percussionist 7. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis 8. Decorate the entryways 9. Cup-shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element 10. Oh small Israel urban center 11. Far off in a haybin 12. We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole 13. Duodecimal...

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? Today I found out, thanks to the Internet. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church....

Table of Contents Part 1 Some Bits of History Part 2 Favorite Christmas Carols Some Bits of HistoryPart 1 in the series “Christmas Carol Surprises” Posted at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 19, 2004Okay, I admit it. I love Christmas carols. I love the way they sound. I love the memories they evoke. And, in many cases, I love the truths they celebrate. So in the next few days I’m going to do a short series on Christmas carols. I promise that it will be informative, fun, and maybe a bit inspirational too. Christmas Carol FunDo you like Christmas carols?...

I have about had it with all the attacks on Christmas, Christmas Trees, Nativity Scenes, Christmas Carols on and on. Do you think we could get them to shut up if we gave Atheists their own day to raise their self esteem. Maybe with their own day they won't be so offended that there are Christians that hold December 25th precious. Give them February 11. It doesn't seem to belong to anyone else. They can give each other bags of hot air. They can have a meal of grouse, sour grapes and toast each other with pickle juice. They can...

It wasn't a silent night for the Scrooges at ACLU, but for a nice change it was a holy night. Christian Wire Service today reported glad tidings: The conservative group Public Advocate of the United States, "not dissuaded from 'bah, humbugs' to groups like the Boy Scouts of America and pro-family Americans in general," sang traditional religious Christmas carols in front of the Washington office of American Civil Liberties Union.

December 7, 2004 -- "I support the ban on religious music in the schools, because I feel that it makes children, who do not celebrate a particular holiday or have a particular religion . . . uncomfortable." — A parent from the Maplewood, N.J. school district, which has banned "religious music" in a holiday concert. NO doubt that much of the animus toward religion that permeates public schools is "justified" with the excuse that it makes some people "uncomfortable." But is "discomfort" an educational standard? Are we to refrain from subjecting students to anything uncomfortable? Maplewood, N.J., school policy permits...

Bruce Bain doesn't attend church regularly, but nothing was going to keep him from showing up on the corner of 17th Street and Tremont Place on Friday night. "How can you have the Parade of Lights without the 'light of the world'?" he asked. "Christmas is a religious holiday." So the 56-year-old Englewood man joined hundreds of Christmas carolers from metro-area churches and sang along the Parade of Lights route. They sang on 15th Street. They sang at Court Place. And they sang at Colfax Avenue and Bannock Street. What they didn't do was raise hell. Yes, it was a...

Religious groups sing out at parade Protesters say event being "too politically correct" By fcardona@denverpost.com Felisa Cardona Denver Post Staff Writer Saturday, December 04, 2004 - Steve Schweitzberger carried a basket with a tiny baby Jesus doll inside that had a paper teardrop falling from its eye. The baby came with a sign that read, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to." Schweitzberger said he thought the display was appropriate considering religious groups were not allowed to participate in the downtown Parade of Lights this weekend. "I thought it was strange that they would exclude the birthday...

My definitive top 10 best Christmas Carols. Feel free to fill in the 11th thru the nth. Cheers Christ Themed 10. Angels We have Heard on High 9. O Come, O Come Emmanuel 8. We three Kings 7. Hark the Herald Angels Sing 6. The First Noel 5. Joy to the World 4. What Child is This 3. Oh Come all Ye Faithful 2. Silent Night 1. Oh Holy Night Non-Religious 10. Silver Bells 9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 8. Sleigh Ride 7. Deck the Halls 6. Let it Snow 5. Winter Wonderland 4. I Saw Three Ships...

In Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge wishes that “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” Scrooge would make the perfect public-school bureaucrat -- except he’d insist on calling it a holiday pudding, playing “Winter Wonderland” as background music, and doing it all in the name of inclusiveness, sensitivity and church-state separation. In the latest manifestation of what Rabbi Daniel Lapin of Toward Tradition calls “secular fundamentalism,” the South Orange/Mapplewood, New Jersey School District has banned playing the instrumental...

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com A school district's long-standing policy banning Christmas songs with religious references is under scrutiny after officials clarified that it includes the prohibition of the performance of instrumental numbers without lyrics. Instead of tunes about Jesus, and even Santa Claus, the 40-member Columbia High School brass ensemble will be limited for the first time to seasonal selections such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman," the Newark Star-Ledger reported. Some parents of students in the South Orange/Maplewood School District in New Jersey are perplexed, including Eric Chabrow, whose son plays saxophone in the ensemble. "There needs to be...

CJTF-7 Public AffairsBAGHDAD, IraqRelease #031231e  Soldiers’ show brings Christmas spirit to Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq – The holiday season wouldn’t be the same without the sounds of caroling and the smiles on the faces of those celebrating the holiday season. The 1st Armored Division Band and Soldiers’ Chorus made sure that the soldiers of Task Force 1st Armored Division received their share of holiday tunes. According to Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Morse, 1st Armored Division Band and Soldiers’ Chorus commander and conductor, soldiers from around the task force were invited to audition to join the show. The 14 soldiers selected were...

Christmas Lesson: We Are Not Alone, Says Pope Notes That "God Took the Initiative to Come to Meet Us" VATICAN CITY, DEC. 17, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II says the mystery of Christmas reminds us that God became man to be by our side, so "we must never feel alone." The Pope dedicated today's general audience, the last of the year, to reflect on the closing days of Advent, "a powerful proclamation of hope, which touches profoundly our personal and communal experience." "Every man dreams of a more just and solidaristic world, where dignified conditions of life and peaceful coexistence...

<p>BETHEL, Wash. — A music teacher's decision to replace "Christmas" with "winter" in a recent concert carol has many residents up in arms.</p> <p>Music teacher Mark Denison of Clover Creek Elementary School (search) in Bethel, Wash., changed the lyrics in Dale Wood's "Carol from an Irish Cabin" (search) to read: "The harsh wind blows down from the mountains and blows a white winter to me," reported the News Tribune.</p>