Ken Weber, Cris Smith, Jeanne Backes and Mollie Adams sing carols for their neighbors. //Caroling photo by Chad Riley, Recipe photo by Elizabeth Gelineau
It’s a scene pulled straight from a classic Christmas storybook: a cheerful crowd of all ages, some with jingle bells in their hands and all dressed in festive fashion, go from house to house singing carols. As they sing, they spread the Christmas spirit in their wake. This timeless practice unfolds every December in the Church Street East neighborhood in Mobile.
The tradition has been going strong and bringing joy to neighborhood residents for over 20 years. Cris Smith, Jeanne Backes and Paula Broadwater came upon the idea one night by happenstance. “Church Street East used to have a progressive dinner and one year, when we were walking from one house to the next, some of us decided we would start singing a carol,” says Backes. “I had lived there a little longer, so as we were walking, I said, ‘With y’all moving into the neighborhood, we basically have a professional choir now. We should make use of that,’” says Smith. “I thought we should go caroling, but we should show them we can do it by walking into the door of the next house singing ‘Joy to the World,’ and that’s how we announced that it was happening.” The Christmas caroling tradition officially launched the next year.
Members of the neighborhood as well as other singers and friends assemble each year to bring music and Christmas joy to Mobile’s oldest historic district. Inspired by the singing group’s founding members, they sing together as a choir rather than using one voice. “Because the three of us that started it 20 years ago were all different sections, we were able to sing in the three parts,” says Backes. “That’s what got people really excited about it. We have a real ensemble sound.” Although structured, the group doesn’t get too formal; there are no practices or run-throughs beforehand and sheet music is optional. “We’ve had some people who suggested we set it up in the park and perform a concert,” says Smith. “But that defeats the whole point of the tradition. It’s based on hospitality and sharing that with others. That’s why the Christmas spirit is so important and rekindled every year.”
Christmas truly kicks off in Church Street East as the carolers go from one house to another, stopping by as many as 10 houses in a night to see neighbors who gather their grandkids and families for the occasion. Songs sound into the darkness in an expression of festivity as the carolers share their talents. After several carols, they are often invited onto the front porch or living room of some houses for Christmas cookies, rum punch or other Christmas treats. As a rule, the group mostly sticks to a repertoire of recognizable carols and hymns, but one out-of-the-box request several years ago introduced a more elaborate song to the lineup. “We were at someone’s house, and they said, ‘You’re all good. Can you sing the Hallelujah Chorus?’ kind of as a joke,” says Smith. “So, we did. Since then, we throw it in every year.”
The group has sung through cold nights, pouring rain and even COVID, with the customary precautions in place. Nothing yet has dampened their spirits, and caroling happens without fail each Christmas season. “There is no way that we could ever let it not happen because we have neighbors and the people that come and sing. They all have so much fun doing it,” says Backes. Although the tradition has remained generally the same, participants are consistently surprised at the impact it has each year. One year, the group went to sing for a neighbor’s mother who was convalescing at home. A week or two later, the neighbor’s mother passed away. “It made that lady’s Christmas for us to sing to her mom,” says Smith. “I can’t see her now without it being mentioned. We have sung at someone’s very first Christmas, for someone’s newborn baby. It means so much to people; you never know what they’re going through, but all of a sudden, there’s a group of people who care about them at the door.”
Some members of the group have created their own traditions within the broader caroling custom. Backes hosts fellow carolers for eggnog and celebrating at her house after they’ve finished their route. In Charles Dickens fashion, Smith wears a top hat and tails, carrying a thermos of hot wassail with him each year. “That just started because we’re wassailing, so I thought it would be fun to have it. It’s a red wine wassail that I make,” he says. For Smith, it symbolizes the true spirit of caroling and the Christmas season. “It’s all about hospitality,” he says. “That warm drink is hospitality shared and we are sharing in singing the songs. It’s that reciprocal hospitality, that we sing as our gift and then someone returns with a gift of inviting us into their home.”
Mulled Wine
Recipe by Amelia Rose Zimlich
Serves 10
2 satsumas
1 lemon
1 lime
1 cup sugar
2 bottles Chianti or other Italian red wine
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 fresh bay leaves
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
1 vanilla pod
2 star anise
1. Zest large sections of peel from the satsumas, lemon and lime.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and just enough red wine to cover
it over medium heat. Add pieces of peel and juice of both satsumas. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and about 10 gratings of nutmeg.
3. Using a paring knife, half the vanilla pod lengthways and add to the pan.
Simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved into the red wine, then bring to a boil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until a thick syrup forms.
4. Once syrup is ready, turn the heat to low and add star anise and remaining wine. Gently heat the wine until it’s warm, about 5 minutes. Ladle into heatproof glasses and serve.
Cook’s notes:
- You can make the mulled wine ahead and reheat in a slow cooker set to low heat for an hour before serving.
- It’s important to make a syrup base first and then add the rest of the wine. If you try to combine the sugar with both bottles of wine, the alcohol will burn off before the sugar dissolves.
- To take your mulled wine to the next level, add a splash of brandy to each glass.
Mulled wine and wassail are two drinks emblematic of Christmastime. They both consist of a wine, ale or liquor base that is blended with fruit juice and aromatic spices and served warm. The distinction between the drinks lies in the ingredients — wassail traditionally uses apple juice, while mulled wine is made with citrus — and personal preference. Nevertheless, the practice of “wassailing” comes from the Norse expression “ves heill” meaning to “be in good health.” People would make one of these hot drinks around the Christmas season, carrying them as they sang and drank to the good health of their neighbors.
