December is the shortest month.
Okay, technically, February is the shortest month. It’s just that February seems to last forever. You struggle through the horrible weather, the unnecessary stress associated with Valentine’s Day, the curious lack of days off work, and then you glance at the calendar…and it’s still only February 17th.
By contrast, December hits the ground running. It races from milestone to milestone before ending with a literal bang on the 31st, leaving you dazed and hungover, wondering where the time has gone.
So let’s get your December off to a good start, courtesy of a Christmas carol by Herbert Howells, who managed to live through 90 Decembers. And if possible, take the advice he wrote on the sheet music for this piece and apply it to your attitude as we begin this hectic, fast-paced month; try to get through it “with easeful movement.”
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. In the first verse, the voices sing in harmony, but match each other’s rhythm, like a family walking in brisk lockstep through the snow.
2. For about ten seconds starting at 1:36, the choir holds a delicious chord while the tenor soloist finishes his verse.
3. The final cadence slows everything down before resting on a cozy final chord.
Recommended listening activity:
Wearing socks (or if possible, stockings) to bed.