Photograph of my mom, Ethelda…she really puts her heart and soul into singing this special song!

Go Tell It on the Mountain

“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.” (excerpt taken from the lyrics of the song, “Go Tell It on the Mountain, by John Wesley Work, Jr.)

I am a firm believer that the holidays should be spent with family and friends.  It is then, more than any other time of the year that many traditions are started and shared.  When we can “let our hair down,” be ourselves and celebrate the glory of the season with those that we hold dear to our hearts.  This is certainly true of my family, and although we can’t always be together to celebrate Christmas, our long-standing family traditions and our memories of them, seem to bring us together no matter how far the distance is between us.

One of my family’s Christmas traditions that we started and enjoyed during my childhood, and that I truly love still, is when we would gather together on Christmas Eve night.  Long after dinner was finished, probably around 9:00 pm or so, I got to help prepare a tray full of savory snacks and sweet treats, including my Grandmother’s Italian Christmas cookies that I’d helped to bake, (see my earlier post “A Christmas Memory:  At Grandmother’s House”). Grandmother was right, the cookies did look like little works of art adorning the tray.  Being an artist, this was probably my favorite task every Christmas Eve, because I got to arrange the goodies, the colorful napkins and other accoutrements in a festive display for all to enjoy!

“Shout To All the Earth,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

My dad would select scripture verses for each of us to read aloud.  Hearing the words spoken from the Bible, telling the story of the birth of Jesus always sent chills through my body. Continue reading →