Have you ever thought of writing a Christmas carol?
Every year, the radio begins playing Christmas carols earlier and earlier. Whatever music idiom you listen to, along with the classical carols, people write lyrics and melodies that might be sacred, simple, clever, enlightening, danceable, or just plain funny.
Have you ever wondered if you could write a Christmas carol?
As a singer, songwriter, and arranger, I do some arranging of various carols for choirs or singers each year, and I either write a carol or try to improve on a carol I wrote a year or more earlier.
One evening, some years ago, I was thinking about Christmas and began writing a poem meant to inspire readers about Christmas. As I wrote, I discovered I was writing lyrics that said: “When you see the signs of Christmas and hear the carols ring, people think of all the things that Christmas brings.”
Next, I wrote several sentences to describe the magic of Christmas. I chose the sentence that seemed strongest: “The stores are all aglitter, building hopes and dreams so real, even stardust from a rainbow cannot end the way we feel.”
Now I had to stop a minute, re-read what I had written, and think of the message I wanted to emphasize in the Refrain. To add a spiritual twist, I wrote: “Open your heart this Christmas, judge not your fellow man. Be the spark that lights the dark, and help all those you can. Open your heart this Christmas, it’s the best gift you can give: not the songs we sing, nor the bells we ring, only love will help you live.”
Thinking next of the second verse, I began by asking the listener: “Can you find love in a box or hanging from a tree? Can you know what’s in a human heart that waits for you and me?”
Turning practical, I wrote: “Let the peace of Christmas touch you ‘til you set the spirit free, for the true joy of the Season lights the way for you and me.” Again, I turned to the Refrain: “Open your heart this Christmas, judge not your fellow man. Be the spark that lights the dark and help all those you can.”
I ended the carol by repeating: “Open your heart this Christmas, it’s the best gift you can give: not the songs we sing nor the bells we ring, only love will help us live.”
To complete the carol, I wrote a lead sheet with the lyrics and melody. Then I sent it to my son, Dan, for any suggestions and a piano arrangement. Dan made a few changes and sent the completed arrangement back to me.
“Open Your Heart This Christmas” moved me, as I hope it will move you. I will sing it here for you now, accompanied by my wife, Mary.
Blessings, Mike Murphy