Dashing through the snow#

 Dashing through the snow
  In a one-horse open sleigh
  O'er the fields we go
  Laughing all the way
  Bells on bobtail ring
  Making spirits bright
  What fun it is to ride and sing
  A sleighing song tonight!

  
  Jingle bells, jingle bells,
  Jingle all the way.
  Oh! what fun it is to ride
  In a one-horse open sleigh.
  Jingle bells, jingle bells,
  Jingle all the way;
  Oh! what fun it is to ride
  In a one-horse open sleigh.

Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul,

With a corn cob pipe and a button nose, and two eyes made of coal.

Frosty the Snowman, is a fairy tale, they say.

He was made of snow, but the children know he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found,

For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around!

Oh, Frosty, the Snowman, was alive as he could be;

and the children say he could laugh and play,

just the same as you and me.

Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,

look at Frosty go.

Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,

over the hills of snow.

Frosty the Snowman, knew the sun was hot that day,

so he said, "Let's run, and we'll have some fun now, before I melt away."

Down to the village, with a broomstick in his hand,

Running here and there, all around the square,

sayin', "Catch me if you can."

He led them down the streets of town, right to the traffic cop;

and only paused a moment, when he heard him holler, "Stop!"

For Frosty, the Snowman, had to hurry on his way,

But he waved goodbye, sayin' "Don't cry, I'll be back again some day."

A gift of peace and hope

The story behind the carol, "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day"

Tragedy struck the home of America's most popular poet.  On July 9, 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's wife, Fanny, was near an open window sealing locks of her daughter's hair in a packet, using hot sealing wax.  It was never known whether a spark from a match or the sealing wax was the cause, but suddenly her dress caught fire and engulfed her with flames.  Her husband, sleeping in the next room, was awakened by her screams.  He desperately tried to put out the fire and save his wife. He was severely burned on his face and hands.

She, tragically burned, slipped into a coma the next day and died.  His grievous burns would not even allow him to attend her funeral.  He seemed to lock the anguish within his soul.  Because he continued to work at his craft, only his family knew of his personal suffering.  They could see it in his eyes and observe his long periods of silence.  His white beard, so identified with him, was one of the results of the tragedy - the burn scars on his face made shaving almost impossible.

Although a legend in his own time, he still needed the peace that God gives to His children.  On Christmas Day, three years following the horrible accident - at age 57 - he sat down to try to capture, if possible, the joys of the season.  He began:

"I heard the bells on Christmas day.
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
As he came to the third stanza he was stopped by the thought of the condition of his beloved country.  The Civil War was in full swing.  The Battle of Gettysburg was not long past.  Days looked dark, and he probably asked himself the question, "How can I write about 'peace on earth, good will to men' in this war-torn country, where brother fights against brother and father against son?"  But he kept writing - and what did he write?

"And in despair I bowed my head:
'There is no peace on earth,' I said,
'For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!"
It seems as if he could have been writing for our kind of a day.  Then as all of us should do, he turned his thoughts to the One who solves all problems - the One who can give true and perfect peace, and continued writing:

"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
And so we have the marvelous Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  A musician named John Baptiste Calkin wrote the musical setting that has helped make the carol a favorite.

Just as that Christmas in 1864 was made better for Longfellow, may we experience a Christmas that will be the greatest ever.  May we actually find the peace that Longfellow wrote about in the carol - true peace with God, for this is one of His greatest gifts to us.

Jingle bell rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock

Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring

Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun

Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock

Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time

Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square

In the frosty air.

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away

Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock

Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell rock

Here comes Santa Claus

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, 

Right down Santa Claus lane

Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer

Pullin' on the reins

Bells are ringin', children singin'

All is merry and bright

Hang your stockings and say your prayers

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight! 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, 

Right down Santa Claus lane

He's got a bag that's filled with toys

For boys and girls again

Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle, 

Oh what a beautiful sight

So jump in bed and cover your head

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight! 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, 

Right down Santa Claus lane

He doesn't care if you're rich or poor

He loves you just the same

Santa Claus knows we're all Gods children

That makes everything right

So fill your hearts with Christmas cheer

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight! 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, 

Right down Santa Claus lane

He'll come around when the chimes ring out

That it's Christmas morn again

Peace on earth will come to all

If we just follow the light

So lets give thanks to the lord above

That Santa Claus comes tonight!