Where was I?
Sitting on the back of an open truck bed on itchy hay bales in temperatures just above freezing sounds like torture. But it actually didn’t feel that way for me many, many years ago. Teens from our church and young adults used the open, long bed of an International Harvester truck as the setting for a mobile Christmas caroling choir, the driver maneuvering us over hill and dale.
Who was there?
I wore pink ear-muffs, a white neck scarf, a wooly winter coat and red mittens as we circled from house to house in the country close to Elizabethtown, Maytown, and Rheems, Pennsylvania. We sang “Silent Night,” “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” to shut-ins and the elderly, probably much the age I am now. Songs familiar to us from the church hymnal were printed as sheet music. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” was in the repertoire too. Always the last song before the truck and singers chugged on to the next stop
Probably twenty young people were huddled together behind the truck’s cab, some on top of hay bales, others on the truck bed. At first, body heat and my warm wraps kept me comfortable, but eventually the cold seeped in, chilling me to the bone. Just when I felt cold through and through, even my gloved hands feeling frost-bitten, the truck screeched to a halt at a cozy rest stop. Maybe it was my Aunt Ruthie’s house or Mother’s house, where we were treated to hot chocolate or cider and cookies—often sand tarts, gingerbread, or molasses cookies.
What I Think Now
I imagine those bedfast or others finding it hard to get around waited for the age-old sounds of the carolers from Bossler Mennonite Church, singing the beloved tunes—probably in four-part harmony. And always with the glorious message of peace and good-will.
(This post appeared first on Substack, December 9, 2025)
Your thoughts on Christmas Caroling welcome here.
Wishing you a happy and holy season with high hopes for a
blessed new year!
©MLB
I’ll be taking a break now and connecting with you again in the new year.
Good morning, Marian! I think it must have been so lovely for people to hear the carolers (even if you were cold and uncomfortable)! No kids in open truck beds filled with hay traveling around our streets though. 😊
Our kids were in a madrigal group in when they were in high school, and they used to do some caroling, as well as performances in Renaissance costumes at schools, churches, senior centers, etc.
I have heard of madrigal groups; I admired their Renaissance costumes and moody music.
Also–pink earmuffs sound very “fancy.” 😊
Happy holidays to you and yours and enjoy your break!
I grabbed fancy wherever I could find it. If you recall, my plain mother made little girl dresses for us that looked fancy too. Thanks for the good wishes and the same to you–even the break!
I used to love to go caroling! We used to walk around the neighborhood.
I’m glad you guys reached that rest stop before the cold got to you!
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Marian! Happy New Year to you!
It’s good to know my experience is not unique, L. Marie. And I’m sure you had a cold experience too. Thanks for the good wishes–and the same to you! 😀
This rang so true to my childhood memories in the 50’s! (I grew up in an Anabaptist home). This could have been word for word of my experience except for the location. I grew up in the Pottstown/Birdsboro PA area. What fun it was as a child to stay out late, warming up with hot chocolate. It felt like it made Christmas morning come sooner.
Welcome, Elaine. And thanks for sharing your memory, especially the idea that caroling felt like it made Christmas morning come sooner. My, my!
Have a blessed holiday season! 😀
My Dad would drive his hay wagon — sometimes for caroling, other times at Halloween…. what great memories. Recently we had the option in Oct. to join a hay wagon with a nearby church (where we enjoyed a lovely fall supper) and we politely declined the hay wagon…. too cold. Did you used to hold hands with boyfriends on the wagon?? Yaaaa, that too. Blessings to you and your family.
Ah, you can understand the experience totally.
No, I did not hold hands with boyfriends on the wagon, but that doesn’t mean hold-handing didn’t happen: a cold, dark night, what a better place!
Thank you for the memories, Melodie! 😀
Oh Marian, that brings back so many memories. And to think that we are the age of the ones we visited that night!
Yes, as I was writing this story through the lens of long ago, it struck me that I was the age of those we sang to. Time flies, leaving us with memories.
Thanks, Arlene, a church friend from the 1950s and 60s. 😀
Our youth group went caroling also, but mostly close to the church where some of the elderly members lived, including my great grandmother. Lot’s of Christmas joy to you and all your family, Marian!
I believe you went to a town church, so no hay wagon required. Great memories though!
Thanks for the comment and also sending a lovely Christmas greeting via Facebook, Shirley. You are recording family history year by year, a very good thing! 😀