Children love to sing, especially at Christmas. When they hear a favorite carol, they start singing with gusto. However, many stumble over the words and have no real understanding of the phrases in the songs. The words and sentence structures are not contemporary so children have trouble trying to interpret them. Breaking the song down phrase-by phrase and teaching the children what the words mean makes it more enjoyable. Two of the favorite songs are Silent Night and Deck the Halls. “Silent night” Silent night, Holy night Children get that the night was quiet. Holy night is much harder to explain. Search for holy in the dictionary and you will find that it is important to look up several words. What you end up with is that the night had a “divine quality directed to a deity who was exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful”. That is much too hard to explain to any child. Simplify it and explain to the child that God had sent his son to the earth and all the animals, people and angels were happy. All is calm, All is bright Again, children understand that the night was calm. There were no storms or wind. They get confused with the bright and think that there was sunlight, even when it was night. Explain that the star over the manger was so bright that it lit up the hills and the ground. They may want to know if it lit up the houses too because they are very literal. Round yon virgin, Mother and Child A child once drew a picture of Silent Night in Sunday School. In the background, he had drawn a small ball. He told everyone that it was a “round yon virgin”. Explain that Mary and baby Jesus were surrounded by the calm night and bright star. Teach them that the word “Yon” is short for yonder, a place that is “over there”. This also adds a new word to their vocabulary. Holy Infant so Tender and Mild Having already covered holy, explain that the baby’s parents loved him. Children understand that the little baby needed care and that his parents did everything that they could to make him comfortable. Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Sleep in Heavenly Peace This is easy for children to understand. When they are scared and someone understands their fear and stays with them, they feel safe and fall asleep. For them, it is heavenly peace. “Deck The Halls” This is a fun song for the children. The Fa la la la la, la la la la is easy and they love the rhythm. They simply do not understand the rest of the song. Deck the halls with boughs of holly Skateboards and boats have Category:Home › Home • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 2 • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 1 • Should the crew of the Sea Shepherd board whaling ships? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 13 • Grandparents: Can blogging chronicle your genealogy? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 12 • Are teachers unions the cause of public school problems today? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 11
