Update: near the end of 2025, I was placed in charge of our church Christmas program, and I decided to use this song as a basis for the theme. As I worked on that project, I decided to add a violin part to the accompaniment and, at the suggestion of the singers, also a cello. I think they have greatly enhanced the piece, so I've updated this post to include the current version of the music. I've wanted to write a Christmas song for about as long as I've been writing music, wh