Make this Christmas special by singing your way through December! Here are some ideas for how you can use your voice and spread joy in and around you.
I LOVE December. I love the crisp fresh air in the daytime, the cosy dark evenings, the Scandinavian Christmas cookies, the lights, the traditions. And the beautiful Christmas songs.
At the same time, I’ve sometimes wondered why we put so much action into the shortest month of the year. It’s a bit crazy, really. And by the time we get to Christmas, everyone is a bit tired. After all, it’s winter. Nature is telling us to relax.
To begin with, I’ve lowered my level of ambition. And that’s a good thing. Secondly – and maybe more importantly – I have decided to give focus to joy and presence. Lot’s of good things and especially singing.
I sing the Christmas songs as lullabies to my two sons before they fall asleep, and we sing by the piano, sing in the car (until they say “NO, stop singing, mom!”). I actually also sing as part of my job, so yes, I sing a lot.
And I’m going to sing my way through Christmas.
There’s no doubt that the last couple of years have been challenging for all of us. We’ve been stretched, different values have become more evident and the uncertainty of this new shift in the world can be quite unsettling.
We need to keep our spirits up! And singing is an excellent way of doing just that. When we sing together with our families, the songs and the music connect us and dissolve any different values that we might have.
Singing brings us into the present moment. Singing brings us together.
Here are some ideas of how you can spread Christmas joy around you
- Make a play list
If you haven’t done so yet, make a play list with your favourite Christmas songs. You can do that on Youtube or Spotify and many other places, I’m sure. It’s so nice to sing along. - Send a Christmas song to your loved ones
Make a recording of a Christmas song that you think your friend will appreciate. Make it simple, and don’t listen to your voice. Just send it. - Create a Christmas song pamphlet
Make pamphlets with your favourite Christmas songs and have them ready to go. Bring them out when uncle John has had a couple of drinks too much – or maybe even before, and who knows, he might not look so deep into the bottle… - Enjoy yourself – and forget about other people
If anyone comments on your voice in less than positive ways, ignore their words and make sure you enjoy yourself.
Listen: You’re here to have a beautiful experience, and you can’t be limited by other people’s limitations.
Go on and sing!
Happy Singing!
© Nína O’Farrell 2021
Singing Naturally 