Christmas songs have been in the spotlight this holiday season.
Earlier this month, some Canadian radio stations announced that they would not be playing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" this year because of lyrics that—to our modern, #metoo movement ears—sound inappropriate. (CBC reversed the decision after public backlash.)
This has unleashed much anger, many jokes and plenty of think pieces.
But, as Alison Hunter points out, there's a big difference between Christmas songs—which tend to be the ones that are polarizing—and Christmas carols.
As the director of Whistler Singers and at the helm of the annual, long-running Christmas Eve Carol Service, she's in the business of Christmas carols.
"There's a really big difference between traditional carols and Christmas songs," she says. "Personally, I hate 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' and 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.' What we sing is so traditional; 'Joy to the World,' 'The First Noel,' 'Silent Night.'"
The essence of the Christmas Eve Carol Service—which marks its 35th year on Dec. 24, making it one of Whistler's longest-running events—is leaving behind the internet, along with politics, controversy and myriad opinions, and coming together with people from all corners of the community to sing carols and take in the sounds of the Whistler Singers and Whistler Children's Chorus.
"I really view it as put your cellphone away, sit for an hour, sing carols, hear the traditional story of Christmas and leave the outside world behind," Hunter says. "We have so many people who need support and love; it's a community hour."
Over three-and-a-half decades, the event has had a long and storied history. It started out at the long-shuttered Skier's Chapel, before moving to the Whistler Conference Centre—where it teamed up with Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church on costs with the church's midnight mass taking place afterwards—then to its current location at the Westin Resort and Spa. "The Westin, I have to tell you, they are amazing," Hunter says. "We ended up without a place to go for our carol service. They welcomed us with open arms. It's really hard to find a place that seats 2,000 people."
You read that right; around 2,000 people attend the carol service every year. Along with locals—some who have been every year—visitors to town also drop in. "I get emails through the children's chorus website starting in the summer with people going, 'What time is the carol service?'" Hunter says. "I think it's a wonderful hour. Janet (Hamer, choir co-director) and I breathe a huge sigh of relief when it's done. We have a good friend who hosts a fondue dinner after so we can relax ... It's part of the whole idea of community."
This year's service will include seven carols for attendees to sing along with ("We used to have six, but we realized people want to sing more," Hunter says), with the choir performing three to four songs, alongside the Whistler Children's Chorus. Every year, Hunter also recruits community members to read during the event as well. This year, the selection ranges from Councillor Jen Ford to Pique's own sales manager Susan Hutchinson to local teacher Ali Williams.
"We specifically invite people to be readers who we feel are good examples of people in our community," Hunter says. "I hate to say they're well-behaved, but they're community-minded people."
The event has always been non-denominational and open to everyone, she adds. "People in Whistler quite often have to create their own families because their blood relatives are so far away," she says. "They create new traditions and family and it's wonderful ... It's really, truly for everyone."
The Christmas Eve Carol Service: An Evening of Readings and Carols takes place on Monday, Dec. 24 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Westin Resort and Spa. Entry is by donation.
