Do You Hear What I Hear

 Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.  I love Christmas carols – in fact I’ve been known to sing them year round.  When my children were young, a bedtime practice was for me to go to each of their rooms and tuck them in with a song.  I’d let them pick the song and among the ones frequently requested were Christmas carols.  Many's the night I would get requests for The First Noel, or Away In A Manger or Gloria in Excelsis Deo. 

Today, however, I wanted to focus on Do You Hear What I Hear. Not only have I always loved this song but I was also curious to learn its history.  What I discovered when I dug in surprised me.

 

I’d always assumed this was a long standing traditional carol with European roots.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  In fact, it wasn’t even written as a Christmas song at all. 

 

Here’s a little of what I learned.  A Frenchman named Noel Regney penned the lyrics (how’s that for an appropriate name!).  Born in 1922, he was trained as a classical composer.  During WWII Noel was drafted into the German army.  But he hated the Nazis and in fact joined the French Resistance in secret.  The horrors he witnessed during the war would continue to haunt him throughout the remainder of his life.

 

After the war, Noel worked in French Indochina for the French Overseas Radio Service and then in 1952 he moved to the United States.  There he met his future wife Gloria Shayne who was working as a pianist in a hotel dining room.  During the 50s and 60s the pair wrote several successful songs.  Gloria usually wrote the lyrics and Noel composed the music.  But during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Noel was moved to write the lyrics of this song as a plea for peace.  In a later interview, he made this statement “I am amazed that people can think they know the song and not know it is a prayer for peace. But we are so bombarded by sounds and our attention spans are so short.”

Noel’s favorite version was the one sung by Robert Goulet.  You can hear it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xABgIBUaWrE

 

My favorite is this one, sung by Bing Crosby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f5cyiTH3KI

  To all of you out there I’d like to wish you a very peace filled and joyous Christmas!

 

And now for a recipe. This is a corn dish called Cajun Corn Maque Choux. It makes a great side dish for both a down home family meal and a festive holiday meal. This recipe is one a friend gave me many years ago but I’ve modified it a bit over time.

 

Ingredients

• Butter - 1 Tablespoon
• Onion - 1 cup chopped
• Red Bell Pepper - 1 med chopped, about 1 cup
• Jalapeno - 1.5 tblsp, chopped
• Bacon - 6 slices, crisp cooked, crumbled
• Corn - 4 ears fresh or 3 cups frozen
• Tomato - 1 large, chopped
• Green Onions - ¼ cup, chopped
• Cajun seasoning - 1 tblsp
• Milk or chicken stock - ½ cup

 

Directions

• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes, or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add bell pepper and jalapeño pepper; continue sautéing for 3 minutes.
• Stir in corn, bacon and tomatoes with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, adding small amounts of liquid if needed.
• Add Cajun seasoning. Lower heat, cover the skillet, and cook, 5 to 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
• Add the milk (or chicken stock). Let it warm for about 2 minutes, stirring a bit, then remove from heat and serve.