One of my favorite Christmas carols is Silent Night. And one of my favorite memories is the Christmas Eve when our family visited the Austrian site where Silent Night was first sung almost 200 years ago.

We'd been living in a communist country where Christmas was not officially celebrated. Wanting our three young daughters to observe and celebrate Christmas, we accepted an invitation from friends to spend Christmas with them in their home near Salzburg, Austria.

Our friends told us that the carol Silent Night was written in 1818 in the nearby small Alpine village of Oberndorf, Austria. So on Christmas Eve, we drove there to participate in the outdoor service and singing of Silent Night.

At midnight a sacred hush settled over the crowd. Everyone was ready for the service to begin. However, a woman, oblivious to time and surroundings, continued her loud, animated conversation about her cherry pie recipe. People turned and stared at her, some signaled her to stop, but she was insensitive and clueless. Finally, she did stop talking, much to our relief.

We joined our voices with hundreds of others from around the world in singing Stille Nacht in German, the language in which the song was originally written. It was a beautiful and memorable experience.

The history of Silent Night

An Austrian priest, Joseph Mohr, wrote the words of Silent Night as a poem in 1816. On a cold Christmas Eve in 1818, Mohr asked his friend, Franz Xavier Gruber, to compose the music for the midnight Christmas Eve service. Gruber was a choir master and organist. However, because the organ was broken, the small congregation of Oberndorf, Austria, sang Silent Night with guitar accompaniment instead.

Known as the most famous Christmas carol, Silent Night has been translated into over 140 languages. With its beautiful words, simple melody and harmony, it continues to be a favorite even today. 

Three things I've remembered from this experience:

1) To be aware of and attentive to the sudden sacred moments

• As I remember the woman who was unaware of her sacred surroundings and only interested in telling someone her pie recipe.

2) To be faithful to the tasks set before me

• As I remember that Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber wrote the carol for a small congregation assembled for a simple Christmas Eve service, never imagining their carol would be sung by millions around the world even 200 years later.

3) To link my gifts and talents with another for greater impact

• As I remember that Joseph Mohr wrote the poem, but needed Franz Gruber to write the music, and only together did they create something better than what each would've created alone.

May you have an opportunity this Christmas season to sing this beautiful timeless Christmas carol.

What is one of your favorite Christmas carols?