Here is the second post (of 4) of Carl’s 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge:

When I was a child, up until about the age of 12 or 13, I went to church each Sunday; I even sang in the choir. I never did like it very much…except for Christmas time. I love to sing Christmas songs:

Silent Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Away In A Manger
Deck The Halls
Angels We Have Heard on High
Do You Hear What I Hear
We Three Kings
Joy To The World

The soaring organ music, the candles, the boughs of pine, the whisper of turning hymnal pages…there’s something so magical about attending a Christmas service, even if one isn’t particularly religious.

A couple of years ago, a blogger I used to read invited me to attend her church’s Christmas service. Megan came with me and as we arrived at the church, I thought it lookeded very familiar, couldn’t place it, tho. We went in, found seats (it was quite small and crowded) and got comfortable.

As we were singing, I kept catching glimpses of a woman sitting directly in front of me. Lo and behold, it was the sister of my high school boyfriend, along with her husband and daughter! Her brother and I had attended the church with her for a Christmas service years ago! She and I had been very close, but drifted apart when her brother and I broke up and I married someone else; I was stupid and thought it would feel too weird to still be friends. It was SO great to see her and her family.

A Christmas miracle? Maybe…

Do you have a favorite Christmas song?