Glad Christmas Bells

Illustrated sheet music of "Glad Christmas Bells", CC.

Glad Christmas Bells from 1881

Glad Christmas bells, your music tells
The sweet and pleasant story;
How came to earth, in lowly birth,
The Lord of life and glory.

No palace hall its ceiling tall
His kingly head spread over,
There only stood a stable rude
The heavenly Babe to cover.

No raiment gay, as there He lay,
Adorned the infant Stranger;
Poor, humble Child of mother mild,
She laid Him in a manger.

But from afar, a splendid star
The wise men westward turning;
The livelong night saw pure and bright,
Above His birth place burning.

''Glad Christmas Bells'' on the piano.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS
by Hannah More Kohaus

Welcome! merry Christmas morn,
Happy day when Christ was born;
When I bend my knee to pray,
I will thank God for this day.

What a precious Christmas gift,
From the mother's knee they lift,
When the wise men from afar,
Found Him by the guiding star.

"Christmas gift!" He says to all
Who are listening to His call,
"What have you to give to me?
I will give my life for thee."

But He's 'way up in the sky,
And we cannot reach so high;
So we'll give His children dear,
Gifts, for they are ever near.

Christ's Pilgrimage

 CHRIST'S PILGRIMAGE
 by Hannah More Kohaus

God's messengers bore to earth one day
A spirit divine, enrobed in clay,
To be mankind's redeemer for aye,
And the angels called Him Jesus.

A babe in a manger cradle lay,
His bed lined only with sweet, clean hay,
But round his head shone a kingly ray,
And the wise men called Him Holy.

A man walked forth on the busy street,
Shod with the gospel of love his feet,
Mercy-deeds dropping and thrilling words sweet,
And the children called Him Father.

A soul was cruelly nailed to a cross, -
A heavenly gain but an earthly loss ;
As death was tinged with a radiant gloss,
And the people called Him Savior.

The heavens opened its own to recall;
The spirit then breathing a blessing on all,
Re-entered with joy the celestial hall,
And Jehovah called Him " Beloved."

Sanctissima Carol

Click the download sheet music for "Sanctissima", CC.

       "O sanctissima" (O most holy) is a Roman Catholic hymn in Latin, seeking the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and often sung in various languages on her feast days. The earliest known publication was from London in 1792, presenting it as a traditional song from Sicily; but no original source or date has been confirmed for the simple melody or the poetic text. The tune is often called "Sicilian Mariners Hymn" or similar titles, referring to the seafarers' nightly invocation of Mary as their maternal protector: Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The tune has been notably reused for the German Christmas carol "O du fröhliche" (O, how joyful), the English recessional hymn "Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing", and the first half of the American civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome".

       Similar Latin lyrics have been set to entirely different tunes since the 1500s, by notable composers and arrangers including Leonhard Kleber (probably editing another composer), Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Antonín Dvořák, and Fritz Kreisler (using a melody of Arcangelo Corelli).

O Thou Joyful Day (O Sanctissima) on the piano.

How to make a trimmed vintage pod ornament

Left, the backside of the pod decorated with gold glitter.
Right, the front side with gold braid, red velvet and a tiny plastic, trumpeting angel.

      I found this example of a milkweed pod ornament at a flee market a few years ago. These were very trendy back in the 1960s and 70s. You will need to gather a few pods, glitter, gold braid, velvet, cotton balls and tiny figures to make something similar for your own tree. Then it's just a matter of gluing everything in place. Use white school glue to apply an even layer to the backside of the pod before drizzling the pod with glitter. Let this dry. Then do the same with a bit of velvet for the inside of the pod and let the white glue harden again. Next, use a hot glue gun to stick on the gold trim, cotton batting for clouds and finally the tiny figure of an angel. You can find these figures at hobby shops during the holiday season.

More Milk Weed Pod Transformations:

• Milk Weed Pod Christmas Ornament from Create It-Green
• Old-Time Milkweed Pod Ornaments
• Milkweed Pod Ornament by Martha B.
• Assemble Our Milkweed Pod Baby Ornament

A free pattern for a Chrismon Crown cross stitch...

A free cross stitch crown pattern for those
of you who enjoy needlework.

        For this crown cross stitch use five strongly contrasting colors of: wool, floss, embroidery silk, filoselle or crewel. Any one of these fibers may be handsomely commingled in a design of this kind. The squares marked alike are to be alike in color, and the colors may be whatever you choose. Although a Chrismon crown would be traditionally worked in gold, silver, white and or yellows. The design may also be embroidered on canvas of any variety, or on a cloth, felt, velvet, plush etc...

More Chrismon Cross Stitch Patterns:

• 55 Cross Stitch Chrismons by Designing Women and here
• Learn more about the history behind Chrismon designs and download free patterns for churches and crafting at home
• A crown Chrismon for the Christmas Tree...

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