In July 1959, some friends and I decided to form a folk song circle to further interest in traditional folk music from different countries. We welcomed anyone who wished to sing, play or listen. It was a great success. Soon our house became too small and we moved into a local hall where we met every first and third Wednesday of the month. Performers usually were limited to three or four songs as closing time came quickly. Forty-six years on we are still meeting.
On December 30, 1960 we were holding our Christmas party at our house. Friends came with guitars, lutes, dulcimer and banjo. One brought a book of Oxford carols. These we sang, as well as contemporary ones. Some of our friends were from foreign countries to study at the University of British Columbia, so we heard foreign carols too. I had three children who were helping to decorate the tree, singing and listening to the music. During the evening I took them up to bed telling them they could listen but not to get out of bed! When I went later to check them, I got halfway up the stairs and heard a guitar quietly playing and someone singing. I looked in the half open door. Our good friend Rolf from Norway was singing Silent Night to them in Norwegian. I crept quietly back downstairs. The children are grown up now and Rolf is back in Norway but I have never forgotten the scene that night. Silent Night will always bring back precious memories to me and sometimes a few tears.
