Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas Morning 5:00 AM


Every Christmas Morning some hardy souls in this town gather at a firehouse and spread out in small groups to sing Christmas Carols in front of every house with a porch light left on. This is a ninety eight year old tradition. It is one of the reasons we live "in town " rather than in the surrounding township (the other reasons involve finances and a desire to occasionally have some place to walk to). This year I awoke, as I always do, just before the carolers arrived. I lay in bed listening in the pre dawn stillness and I started,as I always do, hallucinating music- every rustle outside the window , to my half asleep brain, seemed to contain music- until, as if carried by the wind, a real song appeared before my front door and was sung to our porch light. This year it was "O Holy Night". Voices sounded, and then drifted off as quietly as they had come. When the kids were little this was our cue to wake them up and open presents before the sun shone. Now we just roll over and go back to sleep for a few more hours. If I ever get so grumpy that I leave my porch light off Christmas eve, so as not to be awaken by the carolers, please shoot me.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is so cool! hope you had a merry merry!

cheatymoon said...

I want to wake up that way! Wicked fun!! :-)

Cristin said...

That is the coolest... you're lucky..

Pseudo said...

You live someplace very special.