Caroling, caroling, now we go, Christmas bells are ringing! Caroling, caroling through the snow, Christmas bells are ringing! Joyous voices sweet and clear, sing the sad of heart to cheer Ding dong, ding dong, Christmas bells are ringing! (Alfred Burt/Wihla Hutson, 1954) Remember Christmas caroling? Long ago (well, lets say the 1950s), and far away (well, lets say in your hometown), door-to-door Christmas caroling was as much a part of the holiday season as setting out cookies for Santa, or pretending you liked fruitcake. Sometimes the singers were members of a church choir. Sometimes, they were kids from the neighborhood, chirping out their best, in hopes of being offered a hot cocoa. More often than not, they were just assorted happy neighbors, gathered to musically welcome in the Yuletide (and perhaps get offered something a bit stronger than hot cocoa). Caroling. It was a Christmas tradition. And if the night was cold and crisp, with bright stars against a velvety black sky, and just a few snowflakes falling, so much the better. Ah. Now you remember. While angels are credited with the first Christmas carol, serenading sleepy shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem, more earthbound renditions can be traced to the 13th century, and St. Francis of Assisi. Music celebrating the spirit of Christmas had been around for centuries (the first actual carol, the Angels Hymn, dates from 129 A.D.), but was primarily confined to religious settings. And, it was in Latin, not the first choice for a community sing-along. Any secular holiday tunes bordered on the bawdy. Francis had other ideas. In 1223, following a visit to the Holy Land, he came up with the concept of a living Nativity. Locals took on the roles of the familiar Biblical figures. Shepherds and farmers supplied the livestock. All that was missing was music to frame the familiar story. Latin? No. Bawdy ballads? Certainly not. But how about words in the native tongue (in this case, Italian), set to the tunes of those well-known melodies? Definitely a keeper, as the hordes of villagers who flocked to St. Francis re-enactments proved. As the tradition of living Nativities spread across Europe, so did the custom of singing the newly-christened Christmas carols in the language of each country. Roaming minstrels made a profession of singing in the season, but it wasnt until the mid-1800s that Christmas caroling became cemented as a holiday tradition engaged in by the general public. Prince Albert, whod married Queen Victoria in 1840, brought many of his beloved Germanic holiday customs along with him to England. In addition to the best-known, the Christmas tree, Albert also popularized the lively singing of holiday music. This proved an ideal match for the old English tradition of wassailing, where friends traveled from home to home bearing seasonal wishes that all be well and of good health (a rough translation of the Old Norse ves heill). Soon, door-to-door caroling began in earnest with the widespread distribution of Christmas carol pamphlets, containing all the words and music of beloved holiday hits. Usually the pamphlets were free, presented with the compliments of whichever advertiser was featured on the back cover. As an apt symbol of the season, decorative items with Christmas caroling themes swept mid-20th-century America. There were joyous ceramic carolers, angelic wall hanging carolers, assorted blow mold, candle, and fabric carolers, and a Santas sleighful more. Today most of these festive decorations can be yours for a song, with prices on eBay averaging well under $50. Additional gifts to treasure are caroling recordings by popular stars of the 1950s and 60s, and caroling-related vintage paper goods (including those once-complimentary carol pamphlets). Garage sales offer many, at under $10. This holiday season, why not pull out those song pamphlets and pack on the parkas? Let your hearts be gladdened by crisp winter nights, a gentle snowfall, and caroling under the stars. Merry Christmas! Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann. All photos by Donald-Brian Johnson. Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries (or Christmas greetings) to: donaldbrian@msn.com.