My catechist's guide recommends that I start my last 2014 class — the third Sunday of Advent — with "Christmas carols playing, and encourage the kids to sing along. Oh, and wear reindeer antlers or a Santa's cap." I'll pass on the get-up — as if we can't trivialize this season enough? The suggestion to play Christmas carols doesn't feel quite right to me.
Our Advent Masses stick closely to Advent hymns during Advent — and I like this. Growing up on auto-pilot, the cultural norm is to sing Christmas songs during Advent and maybe sing (or, mostly, listen to) Christmas song or two on Christmas day, and then on St. Stephen's day we strike up the marketing machine for New Year's Eve paraphernalia? How can we prepare our souls the longing of for His coming if we don't call to mind that ancient period before God came to earth — and then relish His birth, and all that it means?
Anyhow, I'd like for my class to follow suite with the Advent season, and stick to Advent songs. Unsurprisingly, I had some difficulty finding Advent songs my students might know. Here's a few that I like — any suggestions?
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