December Singing Time – Pattie's Primary Place

I have always done some Christmas songs and performed them in Sacrament meeting when I was a primary chorister during all 4 times I have had the calling. Christmas music brings the spirit into the meeting every single time it is sung. But to have little children singing songs of the Savior’s birth, well, that adds a special feeling all its own. And you can use some pretty tone bells, or get one of the kids to play their violin in a simple way. These things add so much to the meeting.

Or you could Borrow a few resonator bells from your neighborhood elementary school for the older kids to chime to the beat. It will add a lot to the songs to have bells chiming, especially during the song Christmas Bells are Ringing, one of my favorites.

Christmas Bells are Ringing Flipchart at Sugardoodle!

Or you can buy one of these xylophones that are a total STEAL at $20 bucks. I have used these for years in my classroom and primary presentations AND school musical productions. They are very high quality and pretty tough even with all the kid use they’ve gotten. I love them and have 3 of them. I highly recommend them. They come in a cool case with 2 little mallets.

I use both of these types of musical instruments in my classroom and I used them often as a chorister. The kids LOVED to come up and use the mallets and keep percussion during singing time.

I just wanted to share that I found a bunch of my relatives on Family Search.com and my hubs and I went to the Draper, Utah temple and did baptisms for them. It was neat to have my hubs baptize me and do the confirmations too. I loved being there.

We both used to be temple ordinance workers for 3 years when that temple first opened and before that were ordinance workers at the Jordan River Temple. I miss it. There is no place like being in that peaceful, otherworldly place.

It is always fun to have the children singing in sacrament meeting sometime in December. You can choose easy songs to teach so they memorize them quickly. I loved to do CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING and AWAY IN A MANGER because they were both so easy to learn.

Picture a Christmas Song When Joseph Went to Bethlehem Song

But I’ve also done PICTURE A CHRISTMAS and WHEN JOSEPH WENT TO BETHLEHEM too. It’s not too late! Do a Christmas number. The parents love it and it special music always adds to the spirit of the meeting.

“You are called of God. The Lord knows you. He knows whom He would have serve in every position in His Church. He chose you. He has prepared a way so that He could issue your call.You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father’s spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives.There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed. One of the ways you will be attacked is with the feeling that you are inadequate. But you have access to more than your natural capacities, and you do not work alone. The Lord will magnify what you say and what you do in the eyes of the people you serve.”

Pres. Eyring

This is why Pres. Eyering is my very favorite. He was my Ricks College President back in the day when I was in my very first year of college. That was a long time ago!!. He was so kind and loving then and he is just as nice now.

If you ever feel overwhelmed or inadequate in your calling, come back and read this again. It simply makes me feel joyful. So for December Primary Singing Time, sing songs that make you joyful!

Enjoy the beautiful music of Christmas this December. And enjoy getting ready for the holidays.

Our family Nativity a few years ago at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. HERE is a copy of my Program that we do. Remember the reason for the season amidst all the shopping and gift giving. He gave us the greatest gift of all, his life and Atonement. Enjoy the beautiful music of Christmas this month.It is fun to get the adults involved in the nativities too. December Primary Singing Time. Remember the joy of Christmas music and to include some familiar songs into your teaching this month.

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It’s time to get ready for singing a Christmas Song for Sacrament Meeting. This is always easy and fun. I usually pick Christmas Bells Are Ringing because it it sooooooooo easy to teach and it is pretty. Everybody learns it really fast. Then you have to pick another one that can be sung with it and this one will take most of your time.

“Christmas Bells are Ringing…Here What They Say to You….Jesus is Born…In Bethlehem…”

A PDF flip chart for Christmas Bells is HERE at Sugardoodle.

Picture a Christmas is my favorite. It is such a pretty song and the words sing of all the cast of characters in the Manger scene. So it is fun to get a children’s type of manger to use and have kids hold up that icon as we sing about them. Another idea I’ve done in the past is to have the kids pass out the manger scene before the song and as we sing about the shepherds, or the angels, the child holding them come up and put them in the manger scene. By the time the song has been sung, the whole scene is back in place.

A PDF flip chart for Picture a Christmas is HERE at Sugardoodle.

It is also a great way to help kids remember what comes next in the song…..they are looking at the little pieces of the manger scene to help them remember the words.

This would be a perfect nativity to sing the song ” Picture a Christ mas” with.

Another one that I’ve done in the past is very easy; Away in a Manger. I think it is so familiar to them you won’t have any problems getting it memorized in a few weeks to perform in Sacrament Meeting.

When Joseph went to Bethlehem
I think he took great care
To place his tools and close his shop
And leave no shavings there.

He urged the donkey forward,
Then, with Mary on its back,
And carried bread and goat cheese
In a little linen sack.

I think there at the busy inn
That he was meek and mild
And awed to be the guardian
Of Mary’s sacred Child.

Perhaps all through the chilly hours
He smoothed the swaddling bands,
And Jesus felt the quiet strength of
Joseph’s gentle hands.

And close beside the manger bed
He dimmed the lantern’s light,
And held the little Jesus close upon
That holy night.

Joseph and Mary at the birth….”and awed to be the guardian of Mary’s sacred child”

A harder Christmas song is When Joseph Went to Bethlehem. It’s harder because of the vocabulary. But it is a sweet song most kids will always remember because it tells the story from Joseph’s viewpoint. It is sweet and tender and one of my personal favorites. A beautiful PDF document with pictures can be found at Jolly Jenn. The link is HERE at Jolly Jenn.

“Sing Praise to Him….remember HIM as we picture Christmas this year! “

I would get started with these songs now so you will be ready to sing them possibly the week before Christmas, since the ward choir will probably be doing the music on Christmas Day. Then the next few weeks you will have some songs to practice for, before starting all over again with presentation songs!

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