Worthing Local Group “At Home” Session – Wednesday 2nd December 2020

My greetings to all SDFS singers and friends as we approach the Yuletide season. It’s a time to sing songs of winter in a mood of celebration and also reflection, and to cheer ourselves as we look towards the turn of another year. Perhaps this year more than ever we wish for better times in the year ahead. It seems a very long time since our cheery meeting at “Ye Olde House at Home” last December – and I hope it won’t be too far into 2021 before we can all be of good cheer and singing together again. Meanwhile, for this month’s session at home let’s fill the air with a predictably seasonal selection from our SDFS collection. I’ve picked some of the songs requested as favourites by the gathered throng last year, but please add any extra or other choices you fancy. Happy Singing from now until New Year – and beyond!

• Warm up with The Holly and the Ivy before the winter moods of the Coppers Christmas Song and Fields Lie Silent. Whilst in this quiet pre-Christmas mood The Angel Gabriel is another lovely one.
• Then pick up the pace with Wassail Wassail All Over the Town (the Gloucestershire Wassail) followed by Masters in this Hall.
• The Moon Shone Bright and the Sussex Mummers Carol also take us back to ‘pre-tinsel’ times, and in a similar but rather more austere mood Christmas is Drawing Near at Hand (a song sung by the Coppers but which has proved to be is a bit of a ‘marmite’ song in the Worthing sessions!).
• The rounds Child of Light, Hey Ho Winter Snow and I Heard a Bird Sing are each pleasing even as solos, and add to this list Alan’s Stir-up Sunday round in anticipation of the season’s special puds and cakes.
• The Woodcutters Song and Deck the Halls bring the winter woodlands into our thoughts and homes.
• Then a trio of favourites, Pentonville, the Falmer Carol and, returning to our hardworking shepherds still watching their flocks, Sweet Chiming Bells.
• Finally, knowing this difficult year will finish soon and our hope and resilience must carry over into the new year, let’s get in the mood with that good old perennial Country Life!

With my very best seasonal wishes,
Henny