Sounds of the Season

Sure, Christmas music can be the background for baking cookies, driving in your car, or shopping at a store, but it can be so much more.

Profound truths set to music. Lyrics that double as poetry.

Sister Rose Martin Huong Le, OP, explained, “For me, Christmas hymns are not just seasonal music — they are theology set to melody. They carry the mystery of the incarnation in every note, reminding us that the Savior’s coming is both a historical event and a living reality.”

Catholics have a vast treasure of Christmas hymns, with the earliest dating back to fourth century Rome and new ones being composed each year.

The style has changed over the centuries, but the 2,000-year-old Good News of the birth of our Savior continues to inspire musicians and the faithful who sing along.

Christmas music is written for a diverse audience too, from the simplicity of children’s songs such as “The Little Drummer Boy” to the sophistication of Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.”

I invite you to follow along with this Christmas Music series, in which eight individuals share their thoughts on Christmas music. 

I also extend an invitation to fully engage as you sing the songs of the season, contemplating the joy, the hope, and the wonderful mystery of Emmanuel, God with us.

Follow along this series each day during the Christmas Octave!

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• First Day in the Christmas Octave: Sister Rose Martin Huong Le, OP, organist for the Blessed Imelda Convent

Sister Rose Martin Huong Le, OP, prepares to play the organ for the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate at a Nov. 23 Mass at Blessed Imelda Convent. (NTC/Ben Torres)

• Second Day in the Christmas Octave: Mat Burkepile, director of music, St. Peter Parish, Lindsay 

Mat Burkepile plays the violin in St. Peter Church in Lindsay, where he serves as director of music. (NTC/Thomas Otto)

• Third Day in the Christmas Octave: Father Raymond McDaniel, pastor, St. Philip the Apostle Parish, Flower Mound

Father Raymond McDaniel plays the organ at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Flower Mound in this NTC file photo from 2023. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

• Fourth Day in the Christmas Octave: Dr. Christina Alves, director of liturgy and music, St. Andrew Parish, Fort Worth 

Dr. Christina Alves directs the choir at St. Andrew Church in Fort Worth on Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent. (NTC/Richard Rodriguez)

• Fifth Day in the Christmas Octave: Frederick Bob, choir president, Our Mother of Mercy Parish, Fort Worth 

  

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• Sixth Day in the Christmas Octave: David Gilmore, director of music, St. John Paul II University Parish, Denton

David Gilmore welcomes the audience to a concert produced by the St. John Paul II Music Ministry in Denton on Sunday, November 23, 2025. (NTC/ Kevin Bartram)

• Seventh Day in the Christmas Octave: Dr. Brandy Cope, music teacher, St. Martin de Porres Catholic School, Prosper

  

  Dr. Brandy Cope teaches music to a Pre-K3 class at St. Martin de Porres Catholic School in Prosper. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

• Eighth Day in the Christmas Octave: Annette Calderon, St. Stephen Parish in Weatherford 

Annette Calderon plays guitar and sings during Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Comanche in 2024. (NTC file photo/Juan Guajardo)

• Encore! A bonus excerpt from Carolina Imperial, local singer/song-writer

Carolina Imperial poses in front of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Fort Worth in 2024. (NTC/Juan Guajardo archive photo)