Mrs. Middlejoy and the Church Mice Sing Christmas

Have you ever wondered what kind of Christmas carols church mice sing?

If you have read Mrs. Middlejoy and the Minister's Cat, you already know.

From the viewpoint of a mouse, the most exciting part of the Christmas Story is when the animals in the stable and in the fields are the first to learn about the Christ Child.

After all, the story says that there were shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Since the story says that the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, naturally mice (being animals themselves) understand that the word “them” means the sheep – and maybe the shepherds, too.

So the favorite Christmas Hymn of church mice tells the story the way they would like to believe: There must have been mice in the stable and in the fields that first Christmas night.

The Carol of the Church Mice

(from Mrs. Middlejoy and the Minister's Cat)

There must have been mice in the stable that night

When the Lord of All was born.

Maybe Joseph made sure to clear away

A nest of mice from the manger hay

That Mother Mary might gently lay

Her Babe there on Christmas morn.

There must have been mice in the fields that night

When the angel told the sheep

(and the shepherds who watched them) not to fear

For there was joyful news to hear

As glory shone round and Heaven drew near

In a song of Love and Peace.

So, sing, every mouse in the church here tonight!

Give thanks and Christmas praise

To the Lord who made both Heaven and Earth

Yet came down to us in His humble birth.

Sing, every mouse, of the marvelous worth

Of blessed Christmas Day!

oOo

The Church Mice Keep Singing Christmas Carols

Ever since I first heard the mice singing that hymn, (as I was writing Chapter Seven of Mrs. Middlejoy and the Minister's Cat), the mice have been trying to teach me more of their Christmas Carols.

Their songs remind me a lot of carols I have heard humans sing at Christmastime, but these are definitely mice songs.

For example, their “Twelve Days of Christmas” describes what it is like to go Christmas Shopping in the Lost and Found Closet, discovering what the humans have left:

Twelve bags of shredding.

Eleven quiet books,

Ten yards of quilting,

Nine ladies' earrings,

Eight melted Milk Duds,

Seven saltine crackers,

Six greasy crayons,

Five golden….things.

Four calling cards,

Three Bic pens,

Two purple gloves

And a partially eaten Twinkie.

oOo

You can listen to it here!

oOo

The mouse version of “O Christmas Tree” celebrates the joy of finding crumbs left after human celebrations: