The Christmas album I’ve listened to the most this year comes from Hymns from Nineveh, the project of Danish musician Jonas Petersen. Unlike so much Christmas music, there is nothing precious about Endurance in Christmas Time; these are songs of exile and longing, with occasional whimsy and celebration.
I know there’s only a few day’s until Christmas, but this album will be relevant long into the new year. Here’s one of my favorite songs, “Christmas is Here,” which ends with this lovely refrain:
You are still here
And I’m still there for you.
And Christmas is here,
And swans appear
like snow in the air.
And suddenly we hear,
The kingdom is near
And Christmas is here…
David W. Swanson 