This is a collection of 24 short histories on popular Christmas carols. Each day contains the lyrics to the song and a QR code to a performance of the song. I found this collection to be highly informative and I learned a lot about some of America’s favorite songs that originated all around the world over the past centuries. I believe that this would be a great read-aloud advent calendar for families with children of all ages and those who just want to learn more about the history of carols.

5 Stars

Content: no issues

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required. ( )

Fascinating history, and I enjoyed having access to the songs themselves. It didn't occur to me before I picked this book up (though it should have) that most of our christmas songs with a lot of history are religious in nature. So this is a book with a clear religious bent. That's not a bad thing per se, it simply is. It is in the whole book, it is immersed. ( )

I’m always on the hunt for new Christmas traditions to share with my family. This delightful book is just what I was looking for! It offers a unique way to enjoy beautiful Christmas carols in a count down to Christmas.

The 24 carols range from beloved favorites like Silent Night and Away in a Manger, to carols I wasn’t as familiar with like In Dulci Jubilo (In Sweet Rejoicing). Each day in the countdown has one carol complete with all the lyrics, a brief well-researched history of the carol, and a QR code you can click on with your phone or tablet that takes you to a video or audio performance of the carol with famous artists including the Tabernacle Choir.

I loved the way I could click on a QR code to immediately take me to the carol. It’s also nice to have all the lyrics so my family and I can sing along while listening. The histories of the carols were so interesting. One of my favorites was the story of I Wonder as I Wander. The carol was first known as Appalachian Carol by John Jacob Niles who published collections of folk songs and poems he’d both written and adapted. He first heard a version of the carol sung by a young preacher’s daughter named Annie Morgan while traveling in the Appalachians in 1933. He took the song and arranged and adapted it into the familiar carol we know today.

I’m looking forward to sharing this book with my family and using it as a fun way to count down the days to Christmas. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. ( )

What a gem this little book is. It is something I will put with my Christmas treasures, and have handy from the 1st of December through the 24th.
A gift that keeps giving each day as you are receiving a blessing of the beautiful music of the Tabernacle Choir, one beautiful carol for each day, along with the lyrics. Just use the QR code and you are linked to an audio or video performance!
We begin on December 1st with The Holly and the Ivy, first with the lyrics, and the the QR code along with About The Carol, something as an adult I found interesting, how and where it originated! This continues each day with cherished carols, and then on the 24th Silent Night.
So much packed into a 120 page, and sure to become an anticipated part of your Advent each year!
I received this book through the Publisher Shadow Mountain, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )