The Coventry Carol

Click to download the largest available size. "The Coventry Carol" sheet music, CC.

       The "Coventry Carol" is an English Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was traditionally performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew: the carol itself refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed, and takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. 

       A variant of the carol was supposedly collected by folklorist John Jacob Niles in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in June 1934 (from an "old lady with a gray hat", who according to Niles's notes insisted on remaining anonymous). Niles surmised that the carol had been transplanted from England via the shape note singing tradition, although this version of the carol has not been found elsewhere and there is reason to believe that Niles, a prolific composer, actually wrote it himself. Joel Cohen uncovered an early shape note choral song from the 18th century which also includes some of the lyrics to the Coventry Carol and has a tune at least marginally resembling Niles' variant. For this reason, Cohen argued that the Appalachian variant was likely to be authentic and that Crump et al. have been too quick to assume chicanery on Niles' part due to his proclivity for editing some of his collected material.

The Coventry Carol sung by 

Westminster Cathedral Choir

DIY Chalkboard Painted Ornaments

Wooden flat of a poinsettia, coated with black chalkboard
 paint and then chalkboard pencils used to add details.

       These rustic ornaments remind me of grade school days. Yes, I'm old enough to remember when chalkboards, which were green then, were still being used inside of classrooms! However, I'm not so old that the kids were using individual slates to copy sentences from a chalkboard. We copied our assignments using pencils and paper, wise guy...

Supply List:

• black chalkboard spray paint
• chalkboard markers or pencils in white and Christmas colors
• acrylic adhesive spray paint
• free patterns for wooden cutouts here
• wooden flats from hobby store (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. You may either purchase wooden flats from a hobby store or cut them yourself in a shop using these free patterns here.
2. Treat the wooden ornaments with black chalkboard paint. I think that spray paint gives the smoothest coat but you may have some of this paint already in a can and wish to use it instead.
3. After the paint has dried completely, draw on the designs using a white outline from a chalk pencil.
4. Then add a few color accents using red, pink, yellow or green chalk pencils or pens if you prefer.
5. Spray the finished versions with acrylic sealer to keep the chalk drawings from smearing or fading. 

Left, a Christmas bell painted to look like a chalkboard.
Right, a rocking horse painted with chalkboard pencils too.

 

Left, old Santa with hat and Right, a traditional candy cane
both painted with chalkboard paint and then decorated using chalk pencils.

See Andrea Chebeleu paint chalkboard wood slice ornaments.

More Chalkboard Related Crafts:

• Chalkpaint a Wooden Slat Basket
• Chalkpaint a Carved Wooden Dust Pan
• 5 Ways to Make a Dresser for a Dollhouse
• Update a classic pull-cart with chalkboard paint
• How to Upcycle a Child's Suitcase
• Chalk transfer a parking lot & service station

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Illustrated carol, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", CC.

       "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is a traditional English Christmas carol, listed as numbers 230 and 9681 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The famous version of the carol is from the English West Country.
       Many traditional versions of the song have been recorded, some of which replace the last line with "Good tidings for Christmas and a happy new year". In 1971, Roy Palmer recorded George Dunn of Quarry Bank, Staffordshire singing a version close to the famous one, which had a familiar version of the chorus, but used the song "Christmas is Coming" as the verses; this recording can be heard on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Amy Ford of Low Ham, Somerset sang a version called "The Singers Make Bold" to Bob and Jacqueline Patten in 1973 which again used a similar chorus to the famous version and can be heard via the British Library Sound Archive. There are several supposedly traditional recordings which follow the famous version exactly, but these are almost certainly derived from Arthur Warrell's arrangement.

• Version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" by Pinkfong Baby Shark for kids
• "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" by the Royal Choral Society sung in rounds
• Commissioned by Maestro Duain Wolfe for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
• The same popular carol, GMYS Symphony String Orchestra, Holiday Concert at Deering Estate...

Craft a kissing bauble for the tree...

Back and front of a finished kissing bauble on a white Christmas tree.

Supply List:

• scrap Christmas novelty fabric
• faux mistletoe
• ribbon
• pins or glue optional
• Styrofoam ball or a recycled Christmas bauble
• needle and thread to match

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Place a bauble or Styrofoam ball in the center of your Christmas scrap fabric. Gather up all of the side at the top of the bauble to make sure that you a have plenty of fabric to cover the ball entirely. Wrap the threaded needle around the gathered fabric and then backstitch through all of it to hold the fabric firmly in place.
2. Tie a ribbon around the top of the gathers, gluing it in place once you have the ribbon looking the way you prefer.
3. Pin or glue the faux mistletoe in place and insert a wire hanger.

Why we kiss under the mistletoe.

Craft Vintage Looking Candy Canes

Craft Crossed Candy Canes from Chenille Stems

The unusual diamond pattern shown above is achieved by twisting together pipe
 cleaners that are already dyed with candy cane stripes at the factory.

Supply List:

• two red and two white chenille stems
• one metallic green chenille stem

Directions:

1. Twist together one red and one white chenille stem until the length of the stems look like candy canes. Repeat this step with a second red and white pair of chenille stem.
2. Bend each candy striped stem into a shepherd's hook.
3. Cross the to hooked canes and then twist the green metallic chenille stem around the two candy stems to form a bow.

More Candy Cane Goodies:

• Candy Cane Snowman
• Dress Up a Candy Cane