The oldest Christmas carol we have is usually said to be the 12th century Veni Emmanuel - O come, O come, Emmanuel. However, it has been pointed out that this is actually an Advent carol, and that the oldest English one is Susanni (this word from the old German means “sing to sleep”) in a 14th century manuscript.
Here are the words -
A little child there is y-born,
Eia, eia susanni, susanni, susanni,
And he sprang out of Jesse’s thorn,
To save us all that were forlorn.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Now Jesus is the childès name,
Eia, eia susanni, susanni, susanni,
And Mary mild she is his dame,
And so our sorrow has turned to game.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
It fell upon the high midnight,
Eia, eia susanni, susanni, susanni,
The stars they shone both fair and bright,
The angels sang with all their might,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Three kings came with their prèsents,
Eia, eia susanni, susanni, susanni,
Of myrrh and gold and frankincense,
As clerkès sing in their sequence,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Now sit we down upon our knee,
Eia, eia susanni, susanni, susanni,
And pray we to the Trinity
Our help and succour for to be,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
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When I was a boy, Christmas Day was just like any other day. We were on holiday from school certainly, but people in offices, factories and shops were working as usual. Hogmanay and the New Year were more important, and it would have been difficult to find a shop open on New Year’s Day.
I believe there was midnight mass in Roman Catholic churches on Christmas Eve, but the other churches didn’t have services, either then or on Christmas Day.
Each year we children went to the Sunday School party where we played games and received a gift from Santa Claus. I remember there was always a big Christmas tree, beautifully decorated, and I’m pretty sure that very few people in those days would have a tree in their homes.
Like most folk, our living room had coloured paper decorations round the walls and extending across the ceiling. This transformed our home into something really exciting, and from then on, Rita and I would be shouting our requests up the chimney. I must add that I was most annoyed when I discovered that Santa wouldn’t hear us, indeed that there was no such person! Shame!
Our parents usually took us to Glasgow to see Santa Claus in a big store. On one occasion we were passing through a number of corridors lined with toys and novelties, when we came to a huge teddy bear, taller than an adult. As we passed it, my father took hold of its paw, and said “How d’you do?” and it’s head fell off and rolled along the floor!!!
It wasn’t till the late 1940s that Scotland began to make more of Christmas. Perhaps the change was brought about by our servicemen and women coming back to civvy street, having experienced Christmas church services elsewhere. That was certainly the case in our own church when the Service of Nine Carols and Lessons was introduced. I think it would sometime later that services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were begun.
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This is a 16th century carol “Gaudete“ sung by the Mediaeval Baebes
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I came across this poem last week. It was new to me, and I think it’s probably American.
I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas,
Mommy and Daddy are mad.
I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas,
'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad.
Broke my bat on Johnny's head,
Somebody snitched on me.
I hid a frog in sister's bed,
Somebody snitched on me.
I spilled some ink on Mommy's rug,
I made Tommy eat a bug,
Bought some gum with a penny slug,
Somebody snitched on me.
I won't be seeing Santa Claus,
Somebody snitched on me.
He won't come visit me because
Somebody snitched on me.
Next year I'll be going straight,
Next year I'll be good, just wait,
I'd start now, but it's too late.
Somebody snitched on me.
So you better be good whatever you do,
'Cause if you're bad, I'm warning you,
You'll get nuttin' for Christmas.
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I found this little video amusing. Please stick with it to the end.
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