Merry Christmas from Vanderhacks!

Sing with your loved ones to make a festive day even merrier

A very merry Christmas to all who are celebrating!

I promised a tip every weekday, and today is a Monday, if a very different one. For many folks it’s already been festive, but if you want to make this festive day even merrier, try singing! Most people know at least a few holiday songs. Indeed, these are often among the few songs folks know by heart.

So choose a handful (Jingle Bells? Silent Night?), gather your family or others who are celebrating with you, and sing together. You can usually find instrumental versions of well-known tunes online. That can be your accompaniment.

There is something so powerful and elevating about singing together in a group. Likely this is how our early ancestors shared information and bonded. The experience can almost immediately make you feel part of something bigger than yourself. This is true even if no one in your group is a trained singer. Don’t let people tell you they are tone deaf. Almost no one is truly tone deaf. They just haven’t practiced singing anything regularly except Happy Birthday!

So let today be the occasion to start a habit of regular singing. You know you have a favorite holiday song. So sing it! Life will be a lot happier as a result.