Christmas caroling: A lost art or treasured tradition?

I tend to get nostalgic around the holidays, remembering Thanksgivings and Christmases gone by that are now safely tucked away in my photo album of memories.  I’m quite certain I’ve romanticized many of these recollections, likening them to a scene from one of Hallmark Channel’s unapologetically sweet and sappy holiday movies. But one memory that is true to the real thing is Christmas caroling with family and friends when I was a young girl.

It was a tradition started by my mom, one she took very seriously.  There were weekly practices, complete with song sheets and a keyboard player. After mom was satisfied with our performance, we gorged ourselves on homemade hot cocoa, brownies and cookies.

When the big night arrived, we would bundle up from head to toe and then hit the neighborhood streets, pulling a red Radio Flyer wagon that contained a kerosene heater and more of mom’s cocoa. The reception we received from the homes where we sang our very best “fa la la la la” was overwhelming. I recall smiles, laughter, tears, and offers of money, treats or a warm drink. So, it got me thinking – does anyone Christmas carol anymore?

In my quest for information, I decided to post on a few local Facebook Community pages asking if anyone still went Christmas caroling. To my dismay – but pleasant surprise – I got quite a few responses from folks who are keeping this centuries-old tradition alive.

Caroling is reported to have started thousands of years ago in Europe, but not necessarily as a Christmas tradition. Rather, pagans used carols – a word meaning a dance or song of joy and praise – all year long for important celebrations such as the Winter Solstice. Fast-forward a couple of hundred years or so, and you find early Christians adopting pagan celebrations and using them in the observation of Christmas. In 129, it is said that a Roman bishop ordered that a song known as “Angels Hymn” be sung at Christmas services. It seems that the idea caught on over the next several centuries and by the 700s, Christmas carols were being written and sung. However, these early carols didn’t gain much popularity as they were penned in Latin.  St. Francis of Assisi changed all of that in 1223, when he began writing nativity plays in Italy, in which the actors sang carols in native languages so that spectators could join in.

Caroling continued to gain popularity throughout Europe, especially in France, Germany, Italy and England. But when the Puritans came to power in England in the 1640s, the celebration of Christmas and the singing of carols almost ceased completely, according to many Christmas history websites. It wasn’t until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert took the throne in 1837 that Christmas once again became a treasured holiday, with the introduction of the decorated Christmas tree, gift giving and much more. It’s also when Christmas caroling as we know it began, much like scenes from Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” People would gather in the streets or go from house to house singing carols to wish their neighbors good cheer.

Christmas enthusiasts maintain that caroling has gone by the wayside over the years, partly because one cannot assume a neighbor’s religious proclivity. They also cite safety concerns as a contributing factor in the demise of caroling. But here in Center Moriches and the surrounding communities, it seems the tradition lives on. From scouting troops, to school musicians, to families and friends, people are still getting their carol on.

Where are they caroling in Center Moriches?

Twenty-five Center Moriches middle and high school music students will perform some of the season’s favorite carols at the annual Chamber of Commerce Tree Lighting Ceremony, on Friday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m., at the King Kullen Shopping Plaza. Then, on Friday, Dec. 20, student musicians will embark on their annual Holiday Tour, explained middle school band director Sara Greene, which will start at Clayton Elementary School, where the group will carol from classroom to classroom. Joined by high school band director, Paul Conefry, the group will then move on to Main Street, where they will carol at a handful of local retail shops.

“Our music department strives to spread holiday cheer through music,” Greene noted. Her grandfather, Edward Pinto Sr., was also a music teacher, and Greene has fond memories of Christmas caroling with him throughout the neighborhood. “All those years, performing alongside my sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandfather, spreading holiday cheer to those in the community is one of my most cherished childhood memories.”

South Bay Bible Church in East Moriches will also carol with parishioners on Friday, Dec.13, from 7-8:30 p.m., said pastor Martin Hawley. Carolers will congregate at the church at 578 Montauk Highway before heading out to the community for “some good old-fashioned Christmas caroling to help spread Christmas cheer,” Hawley said. Carolers will give each home they visit a candy cane with a gospel message attached.

Girl Scout Troop 251 of Center Moriches will spread holiday cheer when they Christmas carol on Sunday, Dec. 21. According to co-troop leader Michelle Mitchell, the group has been caroling for the last several years. They have visited a nursing home and an assisted living facility, so this year they plan to Christmas carol in their local neighborhood.

“Our girls love to sing and even though they are getting older, are eager to put smiles on some neighbors’ faces to spread the spirit of Christmas. They love the idea of helping others, which is what Girls Scouts is all about,” said Mitchell.

But it’s not just organized groups that are caroling; there are local folks who plan to gather with friends and family to carol during the holiday season as well.  Every Christmas Eve, Diane Mastrole eagerly awaits the arrival of her neighbors, who traditionally go caroling on their block in East Moriches. 

Meanwhile, Christian Migs of Mastic has been sharing in a 30-year Christmas caroling tradition for the last five years. The crowd ranges in age from 60 years old and younger; some years there may be as many as 30 carolers who visit at least 20 houses, where they sing a set repertoire of holiday favorites. “Everyone gets in the spirit. It’s a great time and super fun,” said Migs.

So be on the lookout this holiday season for Christmas carolers in your neighborhood! Rumor has it that other scouting troops will sing at Oasis Rehab Center in Center Moriches.  If you live in the community commonly referred to as the “the Berries,” also in Center Moriches, you may be treated to a rendition of “Deck the Halls” or maybe “Good King Wenceslas.” And if you plan to do some last-minute holiday shopping at East Moriches Hardware on Main Street the Saturday before Christmas, you might be lucky enough to enjoy some carolers there as well.