And His shelter was a stable

You have to admit that the Victorians were aces at writing Christmas carols and songs. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Away in a Manger”, “We Three Kings” and “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” all date from the years when that little woman reigned over the empire and set the standards for middle class stuffiness and rectitude that still pervade the Anglo-Saxon world today.

She also jump started Ye Olde Christmas Traditions (including the Christmas tree that her husband brought over from Saxe Coburg) that pretty much define what the holiday should be in a the minds of millions today. Between her and Charles Dickens, we have a lot to live up to.

“Once in David’s Royal City” dates from 1848. My pals at King’s College, Cambridge, begin their Christmas Eve service with it as their processional. The arrangement they use has a boy chorister sing the first verse solo and unaccompanied; second and third verses are the full choir; and the congregation and organ join in on the fourth. It’s truly stunning, especially the last verse with the descant.