Deck The Halls With Balls of Holly
©Lisa Barker

You can learn a lot about Christmas carols if you just sing along with your kiddos. I like to sing in the van. The kids aren’t old enough to be totally embarrassed by this so I can still get away with it. Here are some of the lyrics I’ve heard my little improvisers come up with.

Silent Night: Round young virgin, mother and child. (Older child: Momma, if she was a virgin why was she round?)

Deck The Halls: Deck the halls with balls of holly…Don we now our game-a-barrel. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixus…Comet and Cupid and Donner and Bit-sez…

Jingle Bells: Bells on bobcat bling, making spirits right, oh what fun it is to sing a sleighing song tonight…JINGLE BELLS!! JINGLE BELLS!! JINGLE ALL THE WAAAAAY!! (For some reason kids love to shout out this chorus. It might scare the ba-jeebas out of you and shoot you through a red light if you aren’t ready for it.)

We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Now bring us some piggy pudding, oh bring us some piggy pudding….

Hark, The Herald Angel Sings: Hark, the Harold angel sings, glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy my-o God and sinners reckon silo. (Momma? Is Harold the angel in the Bible?)

Up On The Housetop: Up on the housetop reindeer paws…. (Momma, I thought reindeer had hooves.)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town: He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for (be)having sakes!

Oh, Christmas Tree: Oh, Christmas tree! Oh, Christmas tree! Your branches green Delilah.

Winter Wonderland: In the meadow we can build a snowman and pretend that he is parse and brown. He’ll say are you married, we’ll say NO, MAN but you can do the jaw-ber runaround…

Silver Bells: City sidewalks, city sidewalks dressed in all-the-day-style…hummm-hummm-humm…SILVER BELLS!! SILVER BELLS!! SOON IT WILL BE CHRISTMAS DAY!! (This is another favorite chorus to shout out!)

Twelve Days of Christmas: Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers pie-ing, ten lords-a-leaping, nine lords-a-leaping, eight lords-a-leaping, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!! Four collie birds, three frenches, two turtles does and a partridge in a pair of trees. (This one gets funnier and more creative each time it’s sung.)

Joy To The World: Joy to the world the Lord has come! Let earth receive-eee-ing! Let every heart prepare a room. And having Annette sure sing and having Annette sure sing and having and having Annette sure sing!

I don’t know who Annette is but I am sure she really loved Christmas because, boy, could she sure sing! If you haven’t yet taken the time, go ahead and sing with the kids. These are the Christmas memories you will hold onto.