Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (eBook)

Behind the Christmas songs we love to sing lie fascinating stories that will enrich your holiday celebration. Taking you inside the nativity of over thirty favorite songs and carols, Ace Collins introduces you to people you've never met, stories you've never heard, and meanings you'd never have imagined. The next time you and your family sing "e;God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,"e; you'll have a new understanding of its message and popular roots. You'll discover how "e;Angels from the Realms of Glory,"e; with its sublime lyrics and profound theology, helped usher in a quiet revolution in worship. You'll learn the strange history of the haunting and powerful "e;O Holy Night,"e; including the song's surprising place in the history of modern communications. And you'll step inside the life of Mark Lowry and find out how he came to pen the words to the contemporary classic "e;Mary, Did You Know?"e;Still other songs such as "e;O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"e; trace back to mysterious origins--to ninth-century monks, nameless clergy, and unknown commoners of ages past. Joining hands with such modern favorites as "e;White Christmas"e; and "e;The Christmas Song,"e; they are part of the legacy of inspiration, faith, tears, love, and spiritual joy that is Christmas. From the rollicking appeal of "e;Jingle Bells"e; to the tranquil beauty of "e;Silent Night,"e; the great songs of Christmas contain messages of peace, hope, and truth. Each in its own way expresses a facet of God's heart and celebrates the birth of his greatest gift to the world--Jesus, the most wonderful Christmas Song of all.

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Enrich your holiday celebrations as you discover the incredible stories and the inspiration behind the Christmas songs you know and love.Jingle Bells MaryDid You Know?The First NoelO Holy NightSilver BellsWhite ChristmasThe songs that you've sung since you were a child continue to bring Christmas to life each year. Now, you'll learn how your favorite Christmas songs came to be. Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas reveals the surprising and fascinating origins of over thirty of your favorite Christmas songs and carols, both secular and religious. Along the way you will uncover spiritual insights, heartwarming stories, and tales of the humble men and women of the past who wrote what remain the most beloved Christmas songs today. Discover how:Iconic artists such as Judy Garland and Nat King Cole were influenced and inspired to record instant classics like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Christmas Song.God-inspired words given to an unlikely musician became Mary, Did You Know?One of the oldest Christmas songs still sung today, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, changed from a hymn sung in Latin only in Catholic masses to a carol embraced by every Christian denomination in the world. From the rollicking appeal of Jingle Bells to the tranquil beauty of Silent Night, the great songs of Christmas contain messages of peace, hope, and truth. Each song in its own way expresses a facet of God's heart and celebrates the birth of his greatest gift to the worldJesus. These stories will warm your heart and bring extra significance to the carols you sing each December.