Wednesday, December 9, 2020

The 2020 Virtual Advent Tour: Christmas Caroling (from Afar)

 


What is the Virtual Advent Tour?

Has there ever been a year that is better suited for a Virtual Advent? 

2020 has been a hard year for everyone, and the current world scenario doesn’t suggest the upcoming holidays are going to be any easier. We’re all thinking about how to celebrate differently at a time when tradition is particularly dear. But there are some annual events that can continue unabated, and the Virtual Advent Tour is one of them, hosted for the sixth time by Sprite Writes

As you likely know, the typical Advent calendar is a season-marking device, often paper, but sometimes crafted of other materials, to count down from December 1st until Christmas. Each day, you open a door to unveil a hidden scene or piece of chocolate or some other delight. The Virtual Advent Tour is a bloggers’ take on that. In our version, each morning Sprite Writes will point you to a post at someone’s blog in which they share something about their holiday season.


Christmas Caroling (from Afar)

I never was a good guitar player, but kids don't care. One of the fun traditions I celebrate is singing Christmas carols while playing guitar.


I acquired a nice box of rhythm instruments---cymbals, castanets, maracas, bells, rhythm sticks, triangles, shakers, tambourines, wood blocks, drums---and let every person choose an instrument. (It helps those of us who don't have much of a voice to have an instrument that drowns us out.)

At school we caroled down the halls, in assemblies, in the library, and even walked down the street to the nursing home. I led church groups, Boy Scouts, family gatherings, women's groups, and senior citizens in caroling. 

Here's a Google Doc of Christmas songs with guitar chords. Maybe this year you can carol...from afar.






17 comments:

  1. I don't think our music teacher played the guitar, but we definitely did some percussion-based Christmas caroling through the halls of our elementary school.

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    1. I can't think of one thing I learned to do that has given me more happiness than playing the guitar.

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  2. I have never played the guitar. The music teacher in my elementary school played the piano.

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  3. This is a great idea! I love the concept and I love seeing you play guitar with all your "kids!"

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  4. Fun! I love Christmas carols. I'm not much of a singer, but I love hearing other people sing the songs of the season. It's especially fun when groups show up at my door unexpectedly to carol.

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  5. In Germany advent is very much celebrated with a fir wreath and 4 candles ! Each candle represents 1 week before Christpmas. So the wreath is put on the table 4 weeks before and each Sunday one candle more is lightened. At least it was like that in my childhood. In Belgium thehy havge wreaths now but don't know their signification.

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  6. Oh, I bet those kids had a great time, that was wonderful of you!

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  7. My daughter has a guitar that she inherited from her grandfather but she never learned to play.

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  8. I think there will be a lot of that this Christmas

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  9. I can imagine the kids having a great time, and the people from the nursing home too :)

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  10. We used to go to a friend's house for caroling each year. Her husband was an amazing piano player who improvised and made it all really fun. Sadly, they have both died so the event no longer happens. I still think about it each year and smile.

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    1. I have never heard a really amazing piano player who could improvise. What a great memory.

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  11. My mother always organized the neighborhood kids to carol from door to door on our block, then we'd go back to our house for hot chocolate. Also, I've been caroling with many church groups. My favorite was when we took our fourth graders to sing to shut ins and ended up at the preacher's house. His two year old little girl came to the door to see what was going on as she was being prepared for her bath--naked as a jaybird! The fourth graders couldn't sing for giggling!

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  12. it is really good we have the Internet nowadays. We can still meet. :)

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  13. Thanks for sharing this Advent memory. I once had great ambitions to play the guitar. I took lessons but my hands never got fast enough to play anything. I got coaxed into playing with several teens at church the year I was confirmed and had to hide behind the skilled ones (I had almost forgotten that mortification!). However, I love Christmas carols!

    I am also extremely impressed with your ability to manipulate your images. Blogger tells me what to do, not the other way around, I am afraid.

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