Christmas is coming (soon!?), and this month on Acoustic Blend we are getting into the holiday spirit with some classics. If you’re not feeling festive just yet (rain in the Midwest, anyone?), I have three friends who I hope will help change that in the Vince Guaraldi Trio — cue “O Tannenbaum” from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Ben Rector will make an appearance, and we’ll also hear some Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald. One of the great things about Christmas music is that seemingly everyone has recorded a holiday album. There’s so much variety! Hopefully you’ll find something that suits your fancy this month and perhaps something that will be a favorite for years to come.
After our first couple sets, we’ll begin exploring the mystery of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival.” The Message has the prophet Isaiah saying it this way:
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
light! sunbursts of light!”
I read those opening lines of Isaiah chapter 9 and wonder what it would really be like to live in a land of shadows and then see sunbursts of light. Overwhelming? Maybe. Unbelievable? Yeah, probably. But most of all? Hopeful.
In my own daily wandering, I need to see light burst forth anew and have a fresh encounter with hope. Sometimes that comes through stillness, sometimes through a friend, and sometimes through beautiful art. Speaking of which, as we wind down we’ll hear some of my favorite tunes from Josh Garrels and Jess Ray, and we’ll pause for a reading of the poem “O Emmanuel” by Malcolm Guite (from his wonderful compilation Waiting on the Word). We’ll close the hour with the hopeful song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
Acoustic Blend airs Saturday, December 9 at 8pm EST on WBAA AM 920 in Lafayette / West Lafayette, and streaming live on wbaa.org. You can view the full playlist below. ‘Til next month!