I’m so glad you got the Macy’s one! I was trying to send it to you and my e mail kept bouncing back. One of my friends was singing on the 3rd floor of the store.
I’m going to be the voice of dissent here. The one in the department store was done before Halloween. I *hate* how the Christmas season extends every year. It’s bad enough it starts before Thanksgiving. There is no reason why it has to start before Halloween.
If I had been in that department store, I would have left. And the only thought in my mind would have been, “We can’t have one more month of peace? Really?”
If you celebrate every day as , eventually the actual holiday isn’t going to mean much anymore.
I love me a good flash mob, I love this hymn, I love Christmas AND I’m Christian…
BUT…WAY too early for this sort of thing, though the second one was at least closer to the season AND it felt a bit “churchy” to me. Uncomfortable to walk away and appear ungrateful for so beautiful and spontaneous a performance but, if I’m not a hymn kind of girl, maybe I’m a bit peeved as I continue my shopping? I think that there will be those who might think that Christmas themed flash mobs should stick to the secular jingles like Rudolph and leave the “Jesus lives forever” stuff to the church crowd.
Well, since Handel’s Messiah was originally written as an oratorio for Easter, you could argue that they weren’t starting Christmas too early, but still celebrating Easter instead.
To us, Christmas and Easter mean so much that we need more than just a day to celebrate. At our house Christmas starts this Sunday and keeps on going until January 5th. We also listen to Messiah all year long.
The Hallelujah Chorus isn’t really the start of Christmas. In the UK, it’s not even really seen as Christmas music. It’s just a wonderful, glorious, stirring piece of music that can be loved any time, any place. And these examples of flash mob choral singing were spectacular.
I really, really, really want to get “caught” in one of these flashmobs some day! My face hurts from smiling every time you put one of these videos up, Miss Jeanne!
@TychaBrahe – the Hallelujah chorus is not a Christmas song. It just made me think of christmas because it’s a song with a religious theme being sung by a gorgeous choir. But it can be sung at any time of the year.
Also I think it is one of the most beautiful and uplifting pieces of music ever written and if I were on a remote Carribean island relaxing under a palm tree and a choir emerged from the ocean and sang it I STILL wouldn’t see it as disturbing the peace, but that’s just me.
If it had been some Muslims, Hindus, Rattafarius people singing in the mall, that would be OK. It is just not OK if it is Christian, even though Christmas is a Christian festival.
Many of our contributors are correct. The Oratorio “Messiah” was written for Easter. When Handel wrote it he described it as “I thought I was in heaven itself and did see the Great God before me.”
Anyway, it was described as a “Random Act of Culture.” I don’t think anyone would have objected to any other religion singing in a mall or in Macy’s. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
My hairdresser is Hindu and she thinks we are crazy to think that other religions are offended. She tells me she and her family love Christmas and celebrate it. They are very devout, good-living people and follow their religion very closely. They go to special retreats to learn more about it. Yet they also celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Thank you so much for posting these. The Hallelujah Chorus always makes me cry, especially now, when I’m so homesick. I would love to have been there for either of these performances.
I think it’s more of a boo and hiss at Macy’s for putting up the Christmas decorations so early! Don’t blame the flash mob.
On the lighter note, I love Christmas music. I’m not a Christian, but it’s just fun good music that cheers me up, and I play it in my car during the summer too.
If you were caught in a flash mob that wasn’t a Christian religious song you wouldn’t complain… Can’t we just enjoy music for what it is and just enjoy it? I love all music.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
How can you not love the Hallelujah Chorus? Now it feels like Christmas has really started
Wonderful! Thank you for finding these.
Nice way to be reminded that “That’s what Christmas (and Black Friday) is all about, Charlie Brown.” Thanks for posting.
Wow, That was so beautiful, Thank You!!
I’m so glad you got the Macy’s one! I was trying to send it to you and my e mail kept bouncing back. One of my friends was singing on the 3rd floor of the store.
I’m going to be the voice of dissent here. The one in the department store was done before Halloween. I *hate* how the Christmas season extends every year. It’s bad enough it starts before Thanksgiving. There is no reason why it has to start before Halloween.
If I had been in that department store, I would have left. And the only thought in my mind would have been, “We can’t have one more month of peace? Really?”
If you celebrate every day as , eventually the actual holiday isn’t going to mean much anymore.
@TychaBrahe:
You’re right! I didn’t notice. Boo hiss!
Love it, thanks!
FWIW, I’m with Tycha.
I love me a good flash mob, I love this hymn, I love Christmas AND I’m Christian…
BUT…WAY too early for this sort of thing, though the second one was at least closer to the season AND it felt a bit “churchy” to me. Uncomfortable to walk away and appear ungrateful for so beautiful and spontaneous a performance but, if I’m not a hymn kind of girl, maybe I’m a bit peeved as I continue my shopping? I think that there will be those who might think that Christmas themed flash mobs should stick to the secular jingles like Rudolph and leave the “Jesus lives forever” stuff to the church crowd.
Well, since Handel’s Messiah was originally written as an oratorio for Easter, you could argue that they weren’t starting Christmas too early, but still celebrating Easter instead.
To us, Christmas and Easter mean so much that we need more than just a day to celebrate. At our house Christmas starts this Sunday and keeps on going until January 5th. We also listen to Messiah all year long.
The Hallelujah Chorus isn’t really the start of Christmas. In the UK, it’s not even really seen as Christmas music. It’s just a wonderful, glorious, stirring piece of music that can be loved any time, any place. And these examples of flash mob choral singing were spectacular.
I really, really, really want to get “caught” in one of these flashmobs some day! My face hurts from smiling every time you put one of these videos up, Miss Jeanne!
@TychaBrahe – the Hallelujah chorus is not a Christmas song. It just made me think of christmas because it’s a song with a religious theme being sung by a gorgeous choir. But it can be sung at any time of the year.
Also I think it is one of the most beautiful and uplifting pieces of music ever written and if I were on a remote Carribean island relaxing under a palm tree and a choir emerged from the ocean and sang it I STILL wouldn’t see it as disturbing the peace, but that’s just me.
If it had been some Muslims, Hindus, Rattafarius people singing in the mall, that would be OK. It is just not OK if it is Christian, even though Christmas is a Christian festival.
Many of our contributors are correct. The Oratorio “Messiah” was written for Easter. When Handel wrote it he described it as “I thought I was in heaven itself and did see the Great God before me.”
Anyway, it was described as a “Random Act of Culture.” I don’t think anyone would have objected to any other religion singing in a mall or in Macy’s. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
My hairdresser is Hindu and she thinks we are crazy to think that other religions are offended. She tells me she and her family love Christmas and celebrate it. They are very devout, good-living people and follow their religion very closely. They go to special retreats to learn more about it. Yet they also celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Anyway, thanks Miss Jeanne for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting these. The Hallelujah Chorus always makes me cry, especially now, when I’m so homesick. I would love to have been there for either of these performances.
I think it’s more of a boo and hiss at Macy’s for putting up the Christmas decorations so early! Don’t blame the flash mob.
On the lighter note, I love Christmas music. I’m not a Christian, but it’s just fun good music that cheers me up, and I play it in my car during the summer too.
If you were caught in a flash mob that wasn’t a Christian religious song you wouldn’t complain… Can’t we just enjoy music for what it is and just enjoy it? I love all music.
My daughter in law’s aunt was at the second one.
These are just SO good!
Kimbubbley, I think you need to lighten up a little bit…
Just lovely. I would love it if people burst into song more often… especially if they sounded this good.