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Last week, I wrote about connecting your life to
the songs we play, specifically at Christmas. You can see that
article here:
http://www.hisair.net/columns/sterling_tarrant12-4-11.htm
I talked about having
some Christmas song thought starters, and thank you to those who
wrote in for them. In the Spirit of Christmas, I want to give these
as a gift to everyone, no strings attached. So, here’s the list.
Basically, these bullet points either give you something a little
spiritual that you can say about the song, or they prompt you about
things in your own life that you can remember to relate an
experience to the listener.
I’m continuing to write
more of these through the season, and if you’d like the updates,
just let me know at
sterling@takingitdeeper.com.
God bless and Merry
Christmas!
Breath of Heaven
• This song is a prayer of uncertainty.
• It is Mary wondering why she was
chosen, and expressing how frightened she is to go through this plan
of God’s.
• Tie that in to how uncertain our lives
are.
• Mention that “maybe, just maybe Jesus
came to give us one thing that is certain in our uncertain world.”
• What a gift that is!
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• Do you need to sing “Breath of Heaven,
hold me together” to help you face the holiday stress?
• Does the thought of seeing certain
family members put you on edge?
• The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit
being a “comforter.”
• He is someone Jesus has sent to us,
one we can pray to, to give us strength.
• He’s a family member you wouldn’t mind
seeing.
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• The middle part of this song is
amazing, where Mary wonders if a wiser one should have had her place
- yet she offers her all for the mercy of God’s plan!
• Do you have something that God has
called you to do, and yet out of fear or uncertainty, you haven’t
done it?
• Mary’s example is something you can
hold on to, to give you faith to do amazing things!
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• “Pour over me your holiness, for you
are holy.”
• If you are feeling overwhelmed and
stressed and defeated and worthless this season, remember that by
accepting the gift that is Jesus, you can have His holiness
over you.
• That’s much better than having all the
negative stuff that the world says hanging over you like a piece of
dead mistletoe.
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• During the time of year when the
nights are the longest we celebrate that Jesus came in the midst of
darkness to bring light,
• ...and life, and warmth, and peace,
and security -
• ...and all other kinds of things that
are the opposite of “dark”.
• So here’s your prayer if you’re not
feeling very bright today: “Breath of Heaven, lighten my
darkness.”
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• This is the time of year when
loneliness is quite fierce in the hearts of many.
• One of the many gifts that God gives
through Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the gift of companionship.
• When the words “be forever near me,
Breath of Heaven” are sung here, let those be your words if you’re
feeling alone.
Christmas in Our
Hearts - Downhere
• This song shows us that there is
something inside ourselves that knows that there is a power
outside of us.
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• There is something in our core that
knows there’s something more, and this song speaks to that.
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• Let the listener know that you
understand about having a little trouble finding Christmas joy.
• However you and they should take
heart. It’s OK to have trouble finding it. It’s normal. It’s human.
• Remember - we first have to take
Christmas into our heart, before we can express it outside
our heart.
Deck the Halls
• Deck the Halls is all about decorating
and making a merry space to celebrate the most joyous holiday of
all.
• Talk about how your family decorates
using a nativity set.
• Talk about how it is more than just a
decoration, how it represents everything about the Christmas season.
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• Talk about your favorite decoration,
maybe it’s something that was handed down to you, maybe a special
homemade ornament.
• Talk about how a decoration like that
can help you remember your past with fondness.
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• Encourage the listener to celebrate
what God is doing in their life by commemorating it with a special
ornament or decoration.
• For instance, you could say something
like “my daughter started playing the flute this year, so we bought
her a flute ornament.” or “My wife bought hourglasses for our family
members to signify how precious and fleeting the time we spend with
them is.”
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• Take the line “tis the season to be
jolly” and talk about Christmas parties.
• Talk about fun ones you remember, or
ones you look forward to each year.
• Remind the listener that Jesus came so
that we can have that kind of joy 24/7.
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• There’s something about a line like
“tis the season to be jolly” - it’s in a language that we don’t
speak anymore.
• We don’t tend to use words like “tis”
and “jolly” in normal conversation nowadays.
• Remind the listener that Christmas is
all about remembering glorious things in the past - going all the
way back to the beginning of our calendar,
• ...and remembering how the birth of
Jesus then changes our future.
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• Talk about decking yourself out in
festive apparel, or about some of the silliest Christmas-wear you
can remember in your family.
• Talk about how stuff like that results
in great family memories that you end up laughing about, and how
that is a gift in itself.
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• Talk about a family Christmas story,
like the one Christmas where it did snow, and how you
couldn’t ride the new bike you got.
• Remind the listener how blessed they
are to have great memories and great stories.
• Remind them to “tell of these Yule
tide treasures” and to enjoy the connections they bring with loved
ones.
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• One chorus reminds us of how “fast
away the old year passes,” and how we should “hail the new, ye lads
and lasses.”
• Encourage the listener that God is
there to give them a hope for the future.
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• The final chorus says “Sing we joyous
all together, heedless of the wind and weather.”
• That’s a perfect line to go into or
come out of a wintry weather forecast.”
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• Here’s a fun family memory maker:
Tell the parents that every time they hear those repeated requests
from their child for the “toy they just gotta have” they should
stick their fingers in their ears and shout out “Fa la la la la, la
la la la.
Hark the Herald
Angels Sing
• Have you ever been reconciled to a
family member? A wayward mom, daughter, son, dad who came back –
tie that story into “God and Sinners reconciled”
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• With the line “God and Sinners
reconciled – share about how God wants to be reconciled to your
listener, and that He never moved away from them.
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• Describe when you got the best toy
ever, and you wanted to show all your friends.
• Tie that into the same excitement of
the Angels proclaiming the good news of Christ’s arrival.
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• This song is about proclaiming.
• Talk about how - If you were able to
get some Peace on Earth this Christmas - wouldn’t that be a gift
that you’d proclaim?
• Good News always is proclaimed.
I’ll Be Home For
Christmas
• This song was recorded by Bing Crosby
for the first time on October 4th, 1943.
• It was especially moving for an
America that was then in the midst of World War II.
• It became the most requested song at
Christmas U.S.O. shows for the troops.
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• This song was played for astronauts
Frank Borman and James Lovell in December 1965 when they set the
record for the then longest flight in the U.S. space program.
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• Connect this song to how we all dream
of a better place, and how there is one - heaven, which is our
ultimate true home.
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• Don’t you find it amazing how a song
can give you such strong feelings of “longing.”
• Talk about how we long for peace, and
security, and the love that is found from an innocent childhood
home.
• Mention that God can satisfy that
longing no matter where you are.
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• Some versions say “Presents on the
tree”
• Some say “Presents under the tree?”
• Which is better?
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• Talk about when you transitioned from
Christmas being at your family’s home, to Christmas being at your
adult home. What did you do to make new traditions?
Let it Snow, Let
It Snow, Let It Snow
• Who’s your favorite person to spend
time with at Christmas, and give one sentence as to why you like
getting together with them.
• Mention that Christmas is a time when
we all long for that kind of companionship.
• Encourage the listener that, even if
they have no one else, God is there to hold them tight, so that all
the way home they can be warm.
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• Tell the listener that you’re having a
tough time justifying going to the mailbox on a cold winter’s night.
• Then invite them to turn up the heat
and turn up this song.
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• How do you pop popcorn?
• Microwave or on the stove?
• Ask the listener which is better.
• Then let them know that this is the
perfect song to string popcorn to.
O Come, O Come
Emmanuel
•
Recall having to wait at the top of the stairs on Christmas
morning.
•
Remember the joy and exuberance when you were finally allowed to
come downstairs and open presents?
•
Compare that to the joy you feel when you realize that Jesus
releases you from your sin.
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• Have you ever had a Christmas where
you felt in lowly exile?
• Maybe one where you wished you could
be home?
• Talk about how, as Christians, our
ultimate home is heaven, so that means all of our Christmases are
spent in exile.
• It puts the joy we feel of going home
in perspective. It also encourages those who feel sorrow at
Christmas,
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• One verse of this song says “disperse
the gloomy clouds of night.”
• One of the great gifts provided by
Christmas music is that it gives you reminders of what Jesus will do
for you.
• Encourage the listener to really
listen to the words while they’re alone in their car. Have them
take them to heart, and trust Jesus to encourage them.
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• Listen to this song in a new way
today: Listen to it as someone praying for a rescue.
• Do you wish someone would rescue you
from the stress of the holidays?
• This song is about how that rescue
will come.
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• Christmas is a time when we look for
people to show up.
• Like family from out of state, friends
to a party, or kids waiting for gifts to arrive.
• This song is about Jesus showing up,
and not just 2000 years ago.
• He will show up for you today, when
you need Him, and if you ask Him.
O Come, All Ye
Faithful
• Think about a person you know who
gives you hope.
• One who builds you up, and encourages
you.
• Don’t you love spending time with that
person?
• Well, there is a person like that who
you can see anytime - it’s Jesus.
• And you don’t have to go to Bethlehem
to behold Him anymore.
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• Talk about someone you know who just
had a baby.
• Talk about going to see the baby for
the first time.
• Isn’t it exciting to see that new
life, to hold the little one for the first time?
• That’s the way you should always
approach Jesus.
• With excitement, with expectation, and
with joy, knowing that He always has something new for you.
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• A still pond reflects the trees on the
bank
• However, when it’s iced over, it
doesn’t reflect anything.
• Are you feeling a little icy this
Christmas?
• Is the Christmas Spirit just not
reflecting off of you?
• One of the best ways to let it show
again is to warm your heart by adoring the baby in the manger.
• And by singing “Glory to God in the
Highest.”
Oh Little Town of
Bethlehem
• When was the first time you spent
Christmas away from your family?
• Tie that into Mary and Joseph going to
Bethlehem.
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• Describe a Christmas where you saw
hope displayed.
• Tie it into “the hopes and fears of
all the years are met in thee tonight.
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• When did God meet your needs
unexpectedly?
• Tie that into “no ear may hear Him
coming” – and how He meets needs when you least expect it.
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• Share salvation based on the line “the
dear Christ enters in”
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• Ask Mom if she’s ready for a deep and
dreamless sleep? – and if it’s not going to come until AFTER
Christmas?
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• There’s a line that says “While
mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.”
• Ever had a time when you thought
Angels were watching over you?
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• Did you grow up in a little town?
Describe how everyone knew each other, and watched out for each
other.
• Tie that into Jesus watching out for
you.
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• Paint the picture of a family member
taking Super 8 movies using a bright light bar.
• Explain how that light bar is like an
“everlasting light” that sticks in your mind
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• Are you a parent who wishes your child
would come back to you?
• Tell the listener that the words “O
come to us, abide with us” are a prayer that you are praying for
their child.
Rockin’ Around
the Christmas Tree
• Regarding the Brenda Lee version,
Brenda was only 13 when she recorded this song in 1958.
• Let the listener who has teens know
that it is possible to get them to do great things in life and that
you’ll help pray for them.
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• “Mistletoe hung where you can see,
Every couple tries to stop.”
• Ask the listener if they’re stopping
down to show some love to their family, or if they’re just rushing
through a to-do list this season.
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• Share a memory about a Christmas
tree. Here’s some ideas:
• Maybe it involves an ornament you made
as a kid, or an ornament your kid has made.
• Colored lights or white lights?
• Steady or blinking?
• Star or Angel on top?
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• This song is all about singing and
dancing.
• Remind the listener of the line from
Buddy the Elf: “The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing
loud for all to hear.”
• If they’re not feeling the Christmas
spirit, maybe they just need to turn this song up loud in their car
and belt it out.
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• This song talks about the Christmas
party hop.
• Talk about an annual Christmas party
that you look forward to.
• Share a story as to why it’s
memorable.
• Or talk about a party from your past
where a song like this would have been played. Tie it into the line
about getting a sentimental feeling.
Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Remember, as little kids, how we’d
hide behind the couch when the scary Bumble the Abominable
Snowmonster showed up in the 1960‘s TV classic?
• Now we’ve grown up and he’s not so
scary anymore.
• If there is anything about your
Christmas that scares you, like not having enough money, or dealing
with relatives, there is someone you can stand behind.
• Through prayer, God will help you put
your fears in perspective.
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• It always hurts to be teased because
you’re different.
• The Bible has characters like that. A
guy named Zacchaeus was teased because he was both a tax collector
and a “wee little man.”
• But he led the way as an unlovable
person who was changed by an encounter with Jesus.
• Maybe you know someone unlovable - we
can help you pray that they will come to know God.
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• Rudolph came along just in time to
save the day.
• There’s a character in the Bible named
Ruth.
• God put her at just the right place at
just the right time to save a lot of people.
• We’re praying that each and every
listener will come to know exactly the purpose that God has for
them.
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• Rudolph wasn’t liked very much at
first
• But he went on to become the greatest
reindeer of all.
• That’s really the story of Christmas.
• God became flesh and dwelt among us as
a helpless lowly baby in a cattle stall. He grew up to become King
of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Silver Bells
• Talk about a time when “In the air
there was a feeling of Christmas” in your life.
• Was it on a street corner, or when you
were rushing home with your treasures?
• Or was it at a church service?
• Remind the listeners that “that
feeling of Christmas” usually shows up when we least expect it,
• and usually when we don’t force it.
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• Today you hear the ring-a-ling of the
city’s Silver Bells by the red kettle.
• Remind the listeners that the best way
to get that “feeling of Christmas” is by giving to the less
fortunate.
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• This song mentions how even the
stoplights blink a bright red and green.
• Let them know that if they’re stopped
at one that a great thing they can do is pray for the person or
people in the car next to them. That they will know the true
“feeling of Christmas.”
Sleigh Ride
• This song reminds you to cuddle up
• Because even if the weather (or life)
is brutal,
• It’s easier to get through it
together.
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• This song practices the lost art of
“yoo hooing”
• It’s the proper term for “inviting
others over”
• Do you have someone that you could
“yoo hoo” over tonight?
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• Tell your kids that the Spirit of
Christmas isn’t about everything they can “get”
• It’s about everything that they can
“give”
• And one of the best things to give is
the gift of a great memory.
• And this song is about “the wonderful
things we remember all through our lives.”
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• Share a memory of playing in the snow.
• Here’s mine...my dad tied inner tubes
to the back of his Jeep and pulled us behind it on icy country
roads...can you imagine!
• Let the listeners know that great
memories are a gift from God. He didn’t have to make us so that
we’d remember, but He did.
• This song is a memory of a joyful
time.
• And God wants to bring you joyful
memories again.
The Christmas
Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
• This song was written in 1944 by Mel
Torme and Bob Wells during a blistering hot summer in an effort to
“stay cool while thinking cool.”
• That’s a good technique to adopt. If
you want to be successful, or positive, you need to think about the
positive things that God has to say about you in the Bible.
• Things like: “you are wonderfully
made” and “He has a plan for you to prosper you and bring you
peace.”
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• When Jack Frost nips at your nose, you
tend to put on a scarf.
• In the same way, when the world nips
at you, you need to put on the armor of God which is found in
Ephesians 6.
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• Describe a time when you heard
yuletide carols sung by a choir. Maybe it was at a school program
or a church cantata.
• Describe how it lifted your spirits.
• Maybe you have a “community calendar”
at your station, and you could highlight some Christmas concerts and
events coming out of this song.
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• The Nat King Cole version of this song
is one that is extremely peaceful.
• Talk about what you’re going to do to
make your Christmas a little more peaceful this year.
• Maybe all you can do is take three
minutes right now and listen to this song.
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• What I want to know is, what about the
kids who are older than ninety-two, can’t they have a Merry
Christmas too? :)
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• Talk about Christmas mischief. About
kids spying to see if reindeer can fly.
• Maybe talk about something creative
you did to present a gift to someone else, like wrapping it in
multiple boxes, or hiding it with clues, or bringing out a big gift
after all others were opened.
• Talk about how Christmas can be a
creative way to show our love to others.
• How Jesus being born as a baby was a
creative way that God came to be reconciled to us.
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• Talk about a Christmas when you were a
kid that you found it hard to sleep, or talk about how early your
kids get up on Christmas morning.
Winter
Wonderland
• Talk about the wonder of taking a
young child sledding. About how most of them are fearless, wanting
to tackle the big hills immediately.
• Remind the listener that we tend to
want to hide away when our world is wintery, cold, and brutal,
• but instead -by trusting in God - He
can help us survive the big hills and big chills. Almost to the
point where we can enjoy it - like a child sledding in a winter
wonderland.
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• One night a dad and his young daughter
went out walking after a big snowstorm.
• They came across a lighted plastic
nativity set, and the daughter had to go up and brush the snow off
of Baby Jesus.
• Then she leaned down and gave Him a
kiss.
• Ask the listeners if they keep a clear
view of Jesus, or do they let Him get covered up in their lives by
their day to day busyness?
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• Ask your listeners if they “dream by
the fire” and if they “face unafraid, the plans that they’ve made.”
• Let them know that God is available,
prayer is available, and Jesus wants them to go after the dreams
He’s given them.
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• As you go into this song thank the
listeners for listening as the sleigh bells ring this season.
• Remind them that they’ll hear a much
more uplifting sound than just sleigh bells, here all year round.
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•The bluebird has gone away, and here to
stay is a new bird.
• Remind the listener that this station
is here to chase away the blues with positive music all year long
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• There’s a story in here about mean
kids knocking down a snowman.
• Did you ever have that happen to you?
Tell about a friend who had some kids do that to a snow “bunny” his
daughter built. She was devastated.
• However she went back out and built it
again.
• Remind the listeners that when the
meanness of this world knocks them down, they can get back up and
rebuild, and God is there to help them do it.
White Christmas
• One definition of a “dream” is “a
cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal, and this song is about
that dream of an ideal Christmas.
• Ask your listeners if they are
stressed because they’re trying to make it a perfect
Christmas.
• Remind them that God is the
only one who can make it snow for Christmas, and that He is the only
one who can make their lives merry, no matter what their
circumstances.
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• Ask your listeners what they are
dreaming of?
• Is it a White Christmas, or do they
have dreams of a better life?
• Remind them that there are dozens of
instances in the Bible where God speaks to people through their
dreams.
• Encourage them to stop and think that
maybe God is trying to say something to them through what they
dream.
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• Remember a White Christmas season when
you walked outside at night and noticed how quiet it was?
• A heavy blanket of snow just absorbs
all the sound.
• Encourage your listeners to practice
getting quiet during this hectic season.
• If they do, God will probably speak to
them.
• Remind them that He doesn’t tend to
shout over all the Christmas noise, he tends to speak in an intimate
one-on-one conversation.
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• In 1942, when Irving Berlin wrote this
song, America was in the midst of a World War, and Bing Crosby’s
version struck a deep emotional chord with the soldiers and their
families.
• That’s why this song is one of the
most popular ever written.
• It resonates with a deeper principle -
one that says “no matter how deep your stress, or pain, or
heartache, there can be dreams that all will be made right.”
• All will be “merry and bright” once
again.
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Here are some
memories from the movie “White Christmas” that will get a response
in your listeners minds:
• The train ride to Vermont: “Snow,
snow, snow. snow” “I want to wash my hair with snow”
• “Sisters, Sisters”
• Danny Kaye’s hilarious fake ankle
sprain.
• Counting blessings instead of sheep.
Bing’s song to Rosemary at the piano.
• The bizarre musical number
“Choreography”
• “What do you do with a General, when
he stops being a General?”
• The final scene when they open up the
barn and the snow is coming down.
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• The modern version of this song should
say “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, with every status update I
write.”
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Sterling Tarrant is the Production Director at
KSBJ in Houston,. Since 1978 he has specialized in connecting people
to products through copywriting, voicework, and production. He also
helps other stations message effectively. He does that through the
KSBJ Mentoring Department, and also through his own company, Port of
Entry Communications, which exists to connect messages to people’s
hearts. He can be reached at
sterlingtarrant@gmail.com
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