Posts

Original Christmas Songs by Tim Coons

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Original Christmas Songs
by Tim Coons

Eric Long, director of music at Frontier Academy Elementary in
Greeley, CO, commissioned me to write 4 Christmas songs a few years ago.

The concert was in December so I decided to do a song cycle of the famous poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. The music was received wonderfully from kids and parents so I thought I’d offer them as a download here, just for this Christmas season.

Here’s the link! You can download the songs for FREE here:

https://timcoons.bandcamp.com

Midnight Matins Playlist

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

 Several years ago I had to work on Christmas Eve, which is a common hangup when in ministry. But Betony and I still wanted to be home on Christmas, celebrating with her family. So we devised a plan to make the long late night drive awesome.

We began the 8 hour car ride at 9 that night, I found the best ceramic coating for cars 2018 to protect my car from those long rides… We packed some intentional surprises, like opening our stockings and favorite car-trip snacks. But the most memorable thing we did was celebrate Midnight Matins.

My best friends growing up were Catholic and they would go to their church service at the stroke of 12 AM. I always felt there was something intriguing about trudging through the cold as the clock struck with full-tolls for a late worship experience.

So Betony and I had our own Midnight Matins. When the digital car-clock hit 12 we played a CD of 10 songs. These songs corresponded with readings of scripture Betony would say aloud and she had pictures of ancient artwork she’d printed that embodied the different parts of the nativity story.

Here is our playlist of the Midnight Matins. As you can see we sometimes got creative with it. We hope it brings mystery and depth to your season as it still does for us.

Midnight Matins Playlist

Once in Royal David’s City • Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing  • Vince Guaraldi Trio

Messiah, oratorio: For Unto Us a Child is Born  •  The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Peace on Earth  • Disney Studio Chorus & Donald Novis
Mary  • Patty Griffin
Dickens’ Dublin  • Loreena McKennitt
Lo! How a Rose E’re Blooming  • Linda Ronstadt

Ding Dong! Merrily on High • Chanticleer
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing  • Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
We Three Kings  • Sufjan Stevens
Magnificat • Mary Behan Miller

An Evening of Carols & Ale

/0 Comments/in /by

Items needed:

•A Song Leader

•A Source for Christmas Song Lyrics (ie. a carol book, a website, some printouts)

•A Fancy Drink: preferably a friend bringing some homemade brew for the season! Hot Chocolate or floats made with sprite and peppermint ice-cream are great options to enliven the dry, non-beer-ing households!

A few summers ago I had a chance to experience a great event. At a Christian festival called Wild Goose I played guitar and helped lead “Beer & Hymns”. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

A great micro-brew business from South Carolina provided craft beers and all of us, pastors and concert goers alike, pulled out the old favorites. We sang songs like “How Great Thou Art” and “Come Thou Fount” with Irish Pub abandon. It was a really special time of connection for me.

That winter I wanted to try to host something like what I’d experienced while back home. As the holidays approached I thought it would be perfect to change it from “Beer & Hymns” to “Carols & Ale”.

We broke out the songs people love to sing at Christmas time, mostly religious, but throwing Rudolf and Frosty in there too. And we asked friends of ours who brew their own beer to make an ale for the occasion- a nice dark, malty beverage to compliment the season.

So here’s a toast for you adventurous folks wanting a spin on caroling – May your beer be dark, your voices loud, and your joy be bright!