Caroling

In all the Christmas cheer, I got a bit messed up with so many activities going on. So in the process, I forgot to write about my caroling experience. Earlier in the month of November, I signed up for the church caroling group. That started the whole adventure. Before I start the adventure, I would like to tell you that I hate singing, especially singing solo. So, I kind of suffered in primary school. Why? Because The music teacher would ask individuals to sing four times a year for marks in the four yearly examinations. I dreaded it all! Luckily it doesn’t happen in secondary school. However, I don’t mind singing in groups, because the other voices will drown out all your words so you can sing as loud as you want (just don’t shout). And after this caroling experience, I kind of liked singing in groups! So, now I regretted not joining the caroling team last year.

Now I will begin the “adventure”. Somewhere in the beginning of December, all who signed up for caroling had to stay back after the first service to practice. For your information, I attend Tabernacle of Worship. So week after week, we practice after the service, improvising the songs to make them sound better (or more modern =P). The songs we sang included Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard On High, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, O Come All Ye Faithful, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Holy Night, Emmanuel, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, It Came Upon The Midnight Clear, The First Noel, Away In A Manger, Mary’s Boy Child, Little Baby Jesus, Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls. My parents had a complain about the song choosing and after looking at it, I, too felt that Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls should be replace by other carols that proclaim the birth of Jesus.

The 23rd of December was when we gathered at the church for last minute practices before setting off to house after house. Earlier in the month we were categorized into two groups. One would go to the houses from the left side of the church while the other will go to houses from the right side (the road opposite my church is a T-junction), I was in the latter. My group had 7 houses to go to, and it turned out to be a great experience. At each house, we would sing two songs, read a few verses from the bible, pray for the host’s family and food, let the host choose a song for us to sing and finally eat the refreshments the host had prepared. And I must say that the food was delicious, especially at Mr. Chu, Johnson and Henry’s house. Thanks a lot!

I enjoyed the whole thing, not only because of the food, but the excitement and joy of spreading the story of Jesus. I think you will enjoy it too. So, next Christmas, why not you join your church’s caroling group? It will be a whole new experience.