What makes Christmas a special time for you? For some of us, I realise that is a difficult question when Christmas might be a time of painful memories or challenging circumstances.

For me, something that makes Christmas particularly special is singing carols.

I love singing. Many carols have tunes that are simple but beautiful to sing.

Often, they are traditional folk melodies used to support words that celebrate the moment when God came close to us as Jesus Christ. Some we have sung since we were very young, others are new to us, but we enjoy having them become part of our personal repertoire.

While some have words that seem poorly thought out – I wonder if a real baby Jesus would be recognisable in the phrase from Away in a Manager ‘no crying he makes’. A baby that doesn’t cry is just not realistic! But many have phrases that stay with us through the days after we have sung them.

One of my favourites is Hark the Herald Angels Sing. It has a soaring descant to the final chorus which I’d love to be able to sing.

When I see the sun rising through the mists of the Exe Valley, near where I live, on a frosty winter morning, gently thawing the fields back to life, I can get a sense of the meaning of the sun that brings healing. But as Christians we know that this is a metaphor for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Despite the pressures and challenges of life, we are held by the everlasting arms of God, and trust that in the words of Julian of Norwich ‘All shall be well’.

This light and healing comes for me best when I am singing with others. As our voices combine together to fill the church with music, my spirit is lifted and I feel I am held not just by God but by the company of those with whom I am singing.