decking the halls

As darkness burns the candle ever dimmer at both ends, my family prepares for our grandest holiday celebration, the Winter Solstice dinner and candle-lighting tradition.  I invite you to read (or sing) with new mindfulness my favorite and most pagan of the classic carols....

Deck the Halls

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol!
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

See the blazing Yule before us,
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Follow me in merry measure,
While I tell of Yuletide treasure.

Fast away the old year passes,
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
Sing we joyous, all together,
Heedless of the wind and weather!

This version uses "troll" in the 4th line, but I have also seen "toll" here.  This webpage gives some interesting etymological detail on the language of this carol, and here you can read some history which suggests that further research could be fun.  And in doing some of that further research, I discovered that there is a tradition of madrigal singing in the Philippines!  Please enjoy some sounds of the season.

Apart from all the interesting history, I love these words and this melody for their joyful and energetic  uplift--amid the cold and dark, we should deck! don! strike, hail and sing! be jolly and merry all together, heedless of the wind and whatever climate-change induced weather may come! (It will be 70* here on the 25th, they say.)

To you and yours, I wish jolly and merry and fa la la la la la la la la!
Round up today with Diane at Random Noodling.