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
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:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
We love to see you shining.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Especially when we're dining
On Christmas cookies, cakes and pies
For 'neath your boughs a treasure lies.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
We love to see you shining!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
The humans love to meet here.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
And when they do, they eat here.
Religiously, when Christmas comes,
They snack and leave a lot of crumbs.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
We love to see you shining!
oOo
oOo
I am in the middle of writing another Christmas Story for the mice, and I was amazed to find that even Church Mice get excited when it snows. This picture, from an old American Greeting card shows what fun it is to ride on a teapot for a sleigh.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in a teapot for a sleigh!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride on a Mouse's Holiday!
A day or two ago I thought I'd take a ride
And soon my Uncle Joe was seated by my side
The teapot had a lid that wouldn't stay on top.
We got into an awful skid, and Whee! We got upsot.
Oh, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in a Teapot for a sleigh!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride on a Mouse's Holiday.
Now the ground is white. Go it while you're young.
Bundle up outside and sing a sleighing song.
Just get an old teapot. Hold on and let it go –
Sliding up and down the hills of sparkling winter snow.
Oh, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in a Teapot for a sleigh!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in a Teapot for a sleigh!
oOo
oOo
Read Mrs. Middlejoy Aloud this Christmas!
It would make me so happy if you read Mrs. Middlejoy and the Minister's Cat (A Church Mouse Christmas Story) 
Keep checking Amazon Christmas Store for special prices over the next few weeks.
Have a wonderful Christmas, full of stories and songs, and the joy of family and friends.
Love,
Susan Call Hutchison
by 
by
started out as Halloween songs I wrote for my daugters over 25 years ago. I thought there should be a Halloween CD to go with the 
You can find