I love Christmas music and never tire of it. I love the carols, “Silent Night,” “O, Come All Ye Faithful,’ “The First Noel,” the first one I sang as a toddler, “Away In a Manger,” and “O, Holy Night,” as my late sister sang it every year.
Then the “Hallelujah Chorus” always gives me goose bumps. As a pianist I was fortunate to accompany many groups and singers performing these songs at Christmas.
Then there are the popular songs and I am thinking today of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” a song that had much meaning after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor when the U. S. entered the war and many, many of our citizens were called to serve.
That song was sung Monday evening on the Amy Grant Christmas program from Nashville.
The program had a special meaning for me as my cousin, Kristin Click, was the associate producer. Kristin has roots in Cardington. She is the daughter of Doug and Cindy Click of Ashland. Doug is a 1961 graduate of Cardington High School. Kristin’s grandparents, the late Jacob and Evelyn Axtell Click were 1932 graduates of Cardington.
I never tire of the popular songs, “White Christmas,” sung by Bing Crosby, “Have Yourself a Merry, Little Christmas,” by Judy Garland, “Blue Christmas,” by Elvis Presley. I even appreciate the novelty songs, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth,” “The Chip- munk Song,” etc.
I can listen to Christmas music 24 hours a day on a certain channel in my television line up. But I make a dive for the “off” button when the first chords of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” are played.
I can’t imagine Christmas without music and I’m sure that will never happen.
Looking back at Christmas editions of the Cardington school newspaper in 1955, a Christmas assembly was taking place when a trio composed of Lois Betts, Joan Fleming and Mary Daniels was to perform; Belva Boone was singing a solo and Jim Murphy was playing a flute solo.
In 1969 the school concert was to include a solo by Lois Shoewalter. More school Christmas news from past editions next week.
December, 1938: Subscribers on the Cardington telephone exchange could call the Marengo and Mount Gilead exchange for free. Calls to all other exchanges in the county were toll calls.
December, 1948: Answering a mutual aid call early on the morning of Dec. 19 to a major fire in downtown Mt Gilead, the Cardington Fire Department arrived at the scene and pumping water in only 16 minutes. This was despite icy roads and a long detour due to the East Main Street bridge being out.
Morrow County’s only centenarian, Sarah Rhodebeck, turned 100 on Dec. 17.
December, 1968: Julia Gompf, Harold Myers, Marvin Myers, Jean Ebert, Brenda McClenathan, Dixie Foust, James Myers and Dick McGinnis, all of Cardington, won special 4-H Awards.
