Noel!

This is the one period of the year that fills my heart with joy, sadness, nostalgia and longing all at once. I could go on and explain why, but I do not think this is necessary: one can easily discern the reasons lying behind each of these feelings, as (I suspect) everyone - to a greater or letter extent- experiences the same strange mixture of emotions before Christmas. 

I think these feelings are sweetly captured in one of my favorite carols, "Candlelight Carol", composed by the great British composer John Rutter, a man who has written (and continues to do so) inspired Christmas music. 

Here are the lyrics of the Candlelight Carol - written by the composer:

How do you capture the wind on the water?
How do you count all the stars in the sky?
How do you measure the love of a mother
Or how can you write down a baby's first cry?

Candlelight, angel light, firelight and star-glow
Shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn
Silent night, holy night, all is calm and all is bright
Angels are singing; the Christ child is born

Shepherds and wise men will kneel and adore him
Seraphim round him their vigil will keep
Nations proclaim him their Lord and their Saviour
But Mary will hold him and sing him to sleep

Candlelight, angel light, firelight and star-glow
Shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn
Silent night, holy night, all is calm and all is bright
Angels are singing; the Christ child is born

Find him at Bethlehem laid in a manger
Christ our Redeemer asleep in the hay
Godhead incarnate and hope of salvation
A child with his mother that first Christmas Day

Candlelight, angel light, firelight and star-glow
Shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn
Silent night, holy night, all is calm and all is bright
Angels are singing; the Christ child is born  

... and here is the music, sung by the Cambridge Singers (a choir founded by Rutter himself, back in 1981).