Have you ever wondered if people still go Christmas caroling? If so, I’ve got an unequivocal answer for you. After that, I’ll show you one of the prettiest New England towns on the east coast.
Let me begin this post by wishing you a very happy new year. For many, 2023 had its ups and downs. I’m hopeful that 2024 will be prosperous and bright.
It’s been a busy end of year. I’m not so sure what’s different about this year than last, but it seems as though we’ve been running around like crazy. Perhaps the reasoning behind it all is that I’ve been drinking tea with caffeine in it. No joke. It’s a terrible thing that caffeine is bad for a person because it truly adds a pep to the step. In my case, I’m about 100% more productive during the day and my positive personality blossoms like the flower it is.
In this post, I’ve got some things to share. I’ll start off with the most entertaining story I’ve told in a long time. It has to do with Christmas caroling. After that, I’ll discuss and show off some photos of Laura’s and my recent trip to Rockport, Maine. To wrap things up, I’ll post some photos of this past Saturday’s snowfall. It was quite the welcomed surprise. I plan on having fun writing this post and I hope that fun shines through.
Christmas Caroling in Farmington
In my own life, it seems like traditions have been falling by the wayside – it’s been happening since the 5th grade. Back in elementary school, my entire class used to decorate our classroom door for the Christmas holiday. We’d first cover the door with some shiny gold wrap-type paper and then attach little cutouts of Christmas trees and wreaths to the gold, along with some “chains” we created by linking loops made from slices of construction paper. The days before Christmas break were like none other. I can still recall the energy today that coursed through each and every body of every soul who attended my school. That’s how strong it was. Teachers and students alike ate cookies and cake during classroom holiday parties, we had Christmas concerts for both the chorus and band, and even the bus drivers wore Santa hats. I can remember walking out the front door of my elementary school one year. It was the last day before Christmas break and the snow was falling hard. There was slush on the ground and chains wrapped around the bus tires. I stepped onto my bus and the driver gave me the biggest smile. I not sure who was more excited about having a week off, the driver or me. Personally, I think she just enjoyed driving in the snow, but that’s only my opinion. Snow always added some extra flavor to the rides to and from school.
When break began, my family and I would set up our Christmas tree and we’d decorate it. Cousins, aunts, and uncles would visit. We’d visit them. We’d visit my grandmother who lived right up the street. Everything during that time seemed like so much fun. The best part of it all was that pretty much the same things occurred year after year. Each activity was part of a larger tradition and our traditions were something I looked forward to the most.
As I got older and began buying gifts for friends and family, those purchases and the gift giving became my own traditions. And even today, Laura and I do a lot of things that I would consider long established. But honestly, nothing I’ve done since the 5th grade has measured up. And for the longest time, I thought people had begun doing away with those favored yearly activities altogether. Sure, I’ve seen Christmas lights attached to houses and strung along trees and have heard Christmas songs carried along the airwaves, but something has been missing. That thing. I’ve had to ask myself, “Is it just me or has the beauty of the holidays begun to fade?” To this day, I’m not sure I have the answer.
About Christmas Caroling
I’ve heard of caroling. You know the type; when a person knocks on someone’s door and when the door is answered, a small group of people begins singing a Christmas song or two. I’ve seen and heard caroling in movies and television shows, but up until recently, never in real life. The closest I’ve come to caroling is when Laura and I spent Christmas Eve and night at the Red Lion Inn in the Berkshires. A family sang songs around the piano in the lobby. I’ll admit that I found the evening odd because I had never witnessed something like that up close. It was actually the first time I’d experienced something that I found to be truly New England. It was all so Norman Rockwellesque.
The Problem with Christmas Caroling
When it comes to Christmas caroling, we can’t sit around and wait for others to do it. We have to do it ourselves. Before I began writing this post, I did some reading on a few websites. I searched Google for “Does Christmas caroling exist anymore?” What I found is discouraging. Apparently, most people in the western world have heard about, experienced, or have partaken in such an event, but those same people have watched the entirety of the activity fall by the wayside. To them, it’s gone. It was definitely a favored and treasured occurrence, but it seems to have dwindled with the passage of time. “Strange,” I thought. I asked myself, “If these people loved the idea of caroling so much, why don’t they go do it? Right now.” It seems to me that if a person loves a tradition, they mustn’t wait for it to bring itself to them. Eventually, they’ll need to head out to make it happen themselves. Traditions don’t live on their own. Individuals and groups are what keep them alive. And remember, each and every year, those who once kept a tradition going might not be able to anymore. It’s up to us to make things happen.
Which brings me to the point of all of this…
This past Christmas Eve, Laura and I went walking in the town of Farmington, Maine. This activity began years ago during the summer when I realized that fewer black flies existed in town as compared to our property and the road upon which we live. Laura and I enjoy walking, so we’d do it in Farmington as opposed to our more local area. I suppose we forgot about our initial reasoning because we’ve been continuing on in Farmington since we began. Besides the black fly avoidance, it’s also much more stimulating having things to look at while we’re out and about. And the fact that we’re able to mix things up and walk different routes is a nice perk.
While driving into Farmington, we passed a group of about 15 carolers. I saw them and said, “Hey look! Christmas carolers! Oh the poor soul. They’ve stopped at someone’s house. That person must be so embarrassed.” I don’t know what type of person you are, but I’m not the type to be sung to. It’s sort of like when someone brings you out to a restaurant on your birthday and secretly tells the wait staff what day it is. All the waiters and waitresses come over to sing loudly and in turn make your face turn beet red. I know so many people who would be mortified if they were ever sung to. It’s a very good time for everyone else involved though and it’s even a good time for the target person – after the fact, of course.
We passed the carolers, walked a few miles and then returned almost to where we parked. For some reason, I had this itch that told me I wanted to see the group singing some Christmas carols. Again, I had never seen this sort of thing in real life, outside, in a village setting, on a doorstep or front yard. I really did want to see it, from afar.
On our way to the car, I turned to Laura and said, “Hey, why don’t we keep going to the road where we saw the carolers. Maybe we can get a glimpse of them singing to someone.” I think I heard something like, “Ugh…” in response. It stemmed from her direction. Laura is all too familiar with how my ideas evolve. She hesitantly agreed and we continued on.
As we rounded the bend, we saw the group. It had at least doubled in size. They were standing on someone’s lawn singing. We weren’t close enough to hear which song it was or to see who they were singing to, but the carolers were loving every minute of it. We inched closer. I whispered, “I want to see how this works. Let’s continue walking up the sidewalk across the street. Let’s act like we’re minding our own business.”
I’m sure you know where this story is heading.
As we continued on, the carolers finished their song. They left the front lawn of the house and began making their way down the sidewalk across the street. They were heading in our direction. They saw us. Their eyes trained upon us. They waved to us. I waved back.
And then one of them, the guy I presume who was in charge, yelled across the street, “Merry Christmas!” I yelled the same and then mentioned that we wanted to see them sing, meaning, we’d follow them to the next house. He replied, “Stay right there, we’ll sing to you!” I yelled, “Oh no…” and I grabbed Laura’s hand and began pulling her away from the group, down the sidewalk, in an attempt to get away and hide. I couldn’t even imagine someone singing to the two of us. I made it only about two feet before I realized what I was doing. I thought to myself, “Really Jay. When in the world is something like this ever going to happen again? Enjoy the song.” So I encouraged the group to sing, which they did very loudly and with the utmost jubilation. There Laura and I stood, on the sidewalk, alone, listening to Jingle Bells from across the street, sung by 30 real live Christmas carolers. The song lasted about four minutes. I held Laura’s hand for two and then put my arm around her for the rest. My only regret is that I didn’t dip her and kiss her at the end. If I had done that, I think I would have made the caroler’s night as much as they made ours.
While indeed mortified, I believe Laura had the time of her life.
I’m thankful that this group of people took the initiative to keep the caroling tradition alive, at least here in our little corner of Maine. It’s comforting to know that there are folks out there who smiled and laughed this past weekend and who brought so much joy to others.
Rockport, Maine
About half way through December, Laura and I made a visit to a small coastal Maine town named Rockport. We’d never been to Rockport before and we didn’t know what to expect. I can now say with no uncertainty that it’s one of the most lovely places in Maine. It’s quaint, inviting, extraordinarily New Englandly, and utterly beautiful. The sheer number of photo opportunities was mesmerizing.
For instance, this is one of the views. All one needs to do to see something like this is walk down the road – pretty much any road.
While in Rockport, Laura and I visited a few establishments. We explored and took photos in the Rockport Marine Park, saw the Rockport Lime Kilns, walked up the road and visited the brand new Rockport Harbor Hotel, Rockport Public Library, Rockport Opera House, and the ever so cozy Barnswallow Book Shop. Everything was just about perfect; the weather, the people, the entire town. I love exploring interesting places like this and plan to do a lot more of it in the coming weeks.
This is a picture of the harbor from the second floor of the Rockport Harbor Hotel. It’s an incredible hotel and an incredible harbor. I have dreams of sailing around the Maine islands and visiting harbors like this one. Perhaps I’ll do that one day.
If you’re interested in reading about Rockport and learning about some of its interesting history, I invite you to click through to read the recent blog post I wrote about it. To do that, simply click this link:
By the way, if you enjoy looking at photos of beautiful places, I include 38 pictures in the post. Enjoy.
A Winter Wonderland
This past Saturday, we woke up to a surprise winter wonderland. The forecast told me to expect rain and snow. I thought I’d wake to just rain. Snow it is and it’s better this way. I took a morning hike for the pictures. I thought I’d share some of them with you.
It really doesn’t get much better than this. The way the White Pines tower over the Balsam Firs…
I hope you get to enjoy some snow this year, wherever you are.
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