December for our family is usually such a bustling, busy time of year.

Between the band concerts and classroom cookie contests and Reindeer Runs and hosted holiday parties for track clubs and Bible studies and friend groups and family members, the merriment and noise of the season is somewhere near the decibel of a 76-trombone parade.

But this year, with no community parades or classroom parties or Sunday celebrations or holiday presentations, the usually brassy noise of this season has decrescendoed, and what’s remained of the normally festive, flashy parade is a single soloist … pointing us back to that “O Holy Night.”