The ukulele lessons have been going great! For the last month I’ve been working on Christmas songs. Since there are requests to hear what I’m doing, the easiest way is to put videos online. I’ve got a set list of seasonal tunes for this “uketide” concert, and there may even be props and help from family members throughout December…

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is Once in Royal David’s City. The lyrics were written in 1848 by Cecil Frances Alexander and set to music a year later by Henry John Gauntlett. I’ll always remember it as the Christmas Eve processional hymn at church. The choir sang the opening verse with the organ joining on the second. It was always majestic.

While the humble ukulele isn’t quite as regal as a pipe organ, this is a beautiful song, and the first Christmas carol I learned to finger pick:

Another song coming next week!