It is not officially winter here in the northern hemisphere, but it is December, the month in which winter begins. It is also, of course, the month of Advent, the month of expectation and anticipation leading up to Christmas proper. So, as this month of seasonal change and hopeful waiting begins, I thought we'd celebrate both winter and the coming holiday season with songs about Christmas and about winter itself.
There's a pagan myth about two kings: King Holly and King Oak. At the longest and the shortest days of the year, they battle for supremacy. On the longest day, King Holly wins and the days begin to decline toward winter. At the shortest day, it's time for him to be defeated and for King Oak to succeed him, bringing the promise of spring. So, while Christmas brings the promise of peace and hope to mankind brought by the incarnation of Christ, the Word of God, so the coming Winter Solstice brings the promise that the sun will return from the darkness and will herald the coming of the new spring. So, taken together, there's a lot to draw on for inspiration during this time of hustle and bustle and rampant consumerism. We're going to pause a moment this week and reflect on what exactly we're waiting for as the holidays get closer.
We've got our usual features all decorated with festive frills, including a neat "What's That About?" song in the Breton language! We've even got some Chris de Burgh in the playlist, who, let's face it, is truly a Celt at heart. So, join me on Sunday night at 8:00 PM Eastern as we celebrate the beginning of December on Come By The Hills, the Celtic Music Show! Also, don't forget the replay on Friday morning at 4:00 AM Eastern!