CHRISTMAS TIME'S A-COMIN'

My wife loves Christmas.  I love Christmas (but could do with less of the hubbub and folderol).  Our son and daughter-in-law love Christmas. Our two grandchildren love Christmas (with all the hubbub and folderol).

The Christmas decorations go up at our house a few days before Thanksgiving and usually stay up until a day or two before New Year's Day.  While we have toned down on the outside decorations, Jan spares no detail with the inside decorations, right down to two dancing Santa Clauses, one of which is Burl Ives singing his classic "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" as he dances around  the room. 

I wait a little longer to break out the Christmas music, but I now have it going.  In addition to all the old familiar Christmas carols, I especially love the Judds' or Emmy Lou Harris' rendition of "Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem."  The non-religious Christmas songs also have a place in our listening enjoyment – "White Christmas," Elvis' "Blue Christmas," "Sleigh Ride," "Silver Bells," as well as others.

As a country music fan—old-time, traditional country music, may I emphasize—there are several country Christmas classics that I enjoy.  Willie Nelson's haunting song "Pretty Paper" is unforgettable in its message of the beggar at the street curb hawking his Christmas wares of "pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue; pretty pencils to write your darling I love you."  And then there is Alabama's "Christmas In Dixie" that takes one from New York City to California and then across the South, winding up in their hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama and wishing everyone "A Merry Christmas."

But perhaps my most favorite of all the country Christmas songs is Bill Monroe's "Christmas Time's A-Comin."  I downloaded it from YouTube several years ago as Ralph Emery, legendary country music disk jockey introduced Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys in the performance of this classic.  Ralph, who was reared in the church of Christ and hails from the little town of McEwen, Tennessee where I have preached in several meetings, said that when he began his career as a country music dee-jay back in 1951 country music performers did not have many Christmas songs on record.  Ernest Tubb had "Blue Christmas" and "How'd You Like To Spend Christmas On Christmas Island," and perhaps there were one or two by Red Foley, father-in-law of Pat Boone.   But Bill Monroe had just cut "Christmas Time's A-Comin'," and Ralph said the country dee-jays  nearly wore it out at Christmas time.

Anyone who has ever been away from home for any length of time—in the military, at school, on a job, etc—can identify with the song, as it speaks of the joys of being at home for Christmas. 

Snow flake's a-fallin'
My old heart's a-callin'
Tall pine's a-hummin'
Christmas Time's A-Comin'.

Can't you hear them bells ringin', ringin'
Joy, don'tcha hear them singin'
When it's snowin', I'll be goin'
Back to my country home.

White candles burnin'
My old heart's a-yearnin'
For the folks at home when
Christmas Time's A-Comin'.

Holly's in the window
Home where the wind blows
The cane foam's a-runnin'
Christmas Time's A-Comin'.

Christmas Time's A-Comin'
Christmas Time's A-Comin'
Christmas Time's A-Comin'
And I know I'm goin' home.

I do not know the day and month of Christ's birth.   No one else does. The Bible doesn't tell us.  But I am glad that He was born, lived on earth as a man, and died for the sins of all. Enjoy the season . . . and the music.

And from our house in Gallatin,Tennessee to your house, we wish you a Merry Christmas.

Hugh Fulford

December 13, 2011