#208 "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

I am ashamed to say that this Christmas hymn wasn't one of my favorites until recently.  President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk at a First Presidency Christmas Devotional a few years ago and he quoted the third verse in such a way that I realized the great message of this hymn.

How silently,how silently

The wondrous gift is giv'n!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heav'n.

No ear may hear his coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

I think the one little word, gift, is what made the difference.  I think before really paying attention to its message, I thought this hymn was referring to giving gifts (plural) at Christmas.  Now I see that the word gift (singular) refers to the Christ Child.  With that one attention to detail, this has become one of my favorite Christmas hymns.

Hymns of Worship, vol. 3 by Larice Music Corp. has a nice arrangement of this hymn.  T.T. Noble has a free hymn accompaniment to this hymn, too.

The words of this hymn can be sung to the tune of Hymn #15 "I Saw a Mighty Angel Fly".  I've tried it and it works very well!