My first choice was “Still, Still, Still,” an Austrian traditional melody that I was introduced to through Ward Choir—first in the Price 7th Ward and then again in the Heber 8th Ward. It not only brings fond memories of the friends I sang with, allowing us to praise our Savior together, but the words tell of the peacefulness of that night of Christ’s birth.

My favorite words from the song are:

“Dream, dream, dream,

Of the joyous day to come.

While guardian angels without number,

Watch you as you sweetly slumber.”

My second choice was “Mary’s Boy Child,” a song that announces Christ’s birth and was always one of my favorites in my youth because of how it unapologetically praises Christ as Savior. It reminds me of being home at Christmas time.

The song was written by Jester Hairston, a famous singer, choir director, and actor who appeared in more than 40 films. He was the grandson of slaves in North Carolina and attended the University of Massachusetts and Tufts University, as well as studied music theory at Juilliard. Hairston broke down many racial barriers, served as a musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department, and was even the first Black guest conductor of the Tabernacle Choir.

The song was originally written in a Calypso style, but later adapted into its current version for Walter Schumann’s Hollywood Choir. Harry Belafonte heard it and asked for permission to record it in 1956; it went on to become the first song to sell one million copies in the U.K. and was a huge success in the U.S. as well.

My favorite words from the song are:

“Hark, now hear the angels sing,

A new King born today,

And man will live forevermore,

Because of Christmas Day.”