Now that we are past the celebration of Thanksgiving and into the season of Advent at our house, Christmas music is already playing during much of the day. Over the years we have collected a rather large group of Christmas CDs. Montavani soars with “Joy to the World” with all the extra violins. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir backed by the massive sound of the pipe organ sings the old and new favorites. We have popular singers like Barbra Streisand and Jonny Mathis. We have James Galway on the flute and New Orleans style jazz Christmas carols. There is a Scottish Christmas and a set of Italian carols. The Gaither Vocal Band makes an appearance and there is a light sprinkling of country. Several Manheim Steamroller CDs blast through the speakers and there are Celtic Christmas songs to recall our time in St. Andrews, Scotland. The Vienna Boys Choir with Placido Domingo and also a Pavrotti CD are there so the operatic voices are not missing. Handel’s Messiah has several CDs and Alfred Burt Carols bring in a jazz motif. We have a capella groups like Take 6 and many instrumental collections by non-famous groups. Heather Bays, who sang at our church for our anniversary celebration, calls up memories of that occasion. We have so many that this year I decided to play all of them in a random order. In the process I discovered our most unusual Christmas CD. In the background of the traditional carols one can hear water lapping or the shore, bird calls, wind on the trees and other natural sounds. It is wonderfully soothing to hear. It is slow and quiet, and quite the opposite of loud blaring speakers in stores. While this Christmas is different than past Christmas times, I still feel the need to slow down in the business of the season and find a way to hear ”How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven”.