I just love Christmas music! Even though I start to look for new Christmas arrangements or write Christmas music and programs in June to plan ahead for choir and school, I still love singing the songs in December! Christmas music strikes such an emotion of happy memories for me when singing “Joy to the World”, “Away in a Manger”, “Rudolph”, “Jingle Bells” and countless other Christmas songs. My father was a minister, so our family grew up singing a wide variety of Christmas music both at church and at home.

My parents were very musical, so we would sing around the piano at Christmas. My mother would tell me stories about her Dad taking her to school in a horse drawn sleigh when the weather was snowy. She had the bells from that sleigh – which I still own – and I would ring those bells while she played “Jingle Bells” as our family sang. The story about her riding in a sleigh and the bells from that sleigh gave a whole new meaning to the song “Jingle Bells”.  I share that story with my students and they are fascinated to know that someone actually rode in a sleigh besides Santa. Santa is holding those bells from Mom’s family sleigh in the picture above.

Mom was a wonderful pianist, organist and songwriter. She taught kindergarten and wrote many programs and musicals for her students. I grew up singing and being in her programs. When I got older, I helped Mom with her kindergarten programs and was her assistant teacher for a year while in college. I guess she “passed the torch” to me to continue the family tradition of writing music, programs, and working with children.

One of the songs Mom wrote and used in many of her Christmas programs is “Sleep Baby Jesus”.  I can remember singing this song as a child and hearing the song many times in programs at church. I added some parts to the song over the years and have used the song many times in my own Christmas programs. I feel like I am sharing a little part of my Mom’s music legacy when I hear my students sing that song.  My good friend, Janene Limberger, recorded “Sleep Baby Jesus” for a children’s TV show we were working on a few years ago. She did a great job of singing both parts!  The sheet music, full track and background track  for “Sleep Baby Jesus” are for sale at the website store.  I think you and your students or children will enjoy the song as much as my children, students and I do!

“Sleep Baby Jesus, in your manger bed.

Mary’s close beside you, rest your tiny head.

God o’er you His watch will keep.

Sleep, sleep, sleep.”

-Hester Hill