DECK THOSE HALLS!

 THOSE HALLS HAVE SECRETS!

I know I said I was putting my pen down for a bit of time off from writing, and just getting out to enjoy life without thinking too much. When interesting and intriguing things are happening all around, it’s just to darn hard to sit back from what I love to do most.

So today I attended a free Christmas Choir concert at the local Maple Ridge Library, to enjoy the SILVERTONES — a group of Ridge Meadows seniors who love to sing. I arrived just in time to get a very cozy, padded chair with armrests and a swivel. I brought my own Earl Grey teabag and found a room where hot water was awaiting in the kettle. I had the song sheet in hand and I was all set for the event.

The choir leader introduced each familiar song with a bit of history and explanation. Many had origins stemming back to the 16th Century and up to our 19th Century. Most (but not all) were embraced as lovely lullaby type songs, with a nice jingle to emulate the spirit of the Christmas season.

Ironically, and even to my surprize, some of our familiar favourites are actually metaphors of secret, and then verboten, parlour-style behaviours —in other words: naughty metaphors, hiding the actual behaviours behind choral lines like FaLALALALA. Of course, my innocent self had no idea, until today!

Back in the earlier centuries, and up to not that long ago, it was unheard of for certain types of interhuman behaviour to be talked about, written about or demonstrated in public. To avoid prosecution and humiliation, the experiences within parlours only happened within a closed society, and any reference to the moral-less people, unethical or perverted  establishments or perverse activities were only carefully whispered or expressed metaphorically to keep them going with vim and vigour. If authorities were ever called into those parlours, they could not decipher the suggestive messaging or prove any wrongdoing, so they just walked away.

The song tunes, however, were catchy and simple, and easy for groups of happy men and women to sing along, lifting their spirits, setting aside their troubles or taking a break from the realities of life, by indulging in acting out the secret messaging in ways that were impossible elsewhere.

So there I was, dressed for the respectable occasion and ready to be at my best behaviour, to get into the spirit of the season. Out of respect for the season, however, and for the love of singing century old seasonal tunes — tunes that likely make God cringe and shrivel every year — I have come to finally realise why some of those familiar  tunes are never actually sung in devout Christian places of worship.

As the choir master stipulated, some of the tunes are just happy sounding lyrics and others are “special”, reflecting the secret behaviour of the times that needed to be wisely camouflaged in a very strict, religion driven society.  With that in mind, go have a look at the lyrics of Deck The Halls and ask yourself “what halls?” “decked with what?” “What apparel?” “what is blazing?” “What could strike the harp mean or what is merry measure?” “What does ‘heedless of the wind and weather’ mean and when are people heedless?” It’s all quite intriguing and ingenious code writing of those lyricists of the days of yore! But, shhhhh, keep it to yourselves. This is not the time!

Okay, I will stop now and leave the analysis on a To Do list for 2025! The learning curve never ends. I’m smiling and the next Christmas tune I hear will be an interesting cerebral challenge I will embrace with vim and vigour.

Welcome to an endless wonderland! Ho Ho Ho