Today’s #ListenWithCaroline is, of course, something Christmassy – Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols.

Whilst I love the tradition of singing the same litany of carols of every Christmas, the twelve short pieces that make up this work have long been a favourite of mine, ever since a friend recommended them when I was at university – I still have the original cassette tape recording they made for me. The version I have now is this one by the Choir of Trinity College in Cambridge.

While the music is 20th century, composed by Britten in 1942, many of the words are Middle English and date back to the early 15th century, giving them a timbre that is wondrous strange and conjuring the spirit of long ago Christmasses, before we all went shopping.

Thank you so very much for supporting my book. If you have a moment to help spread the word on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), with a link to my Unbound page (https://unbound.com/books/listen-with-father) I'd be so grateful - personal recommendations really do lead to others signing up.

I wish you a very happy, and healthy...and musical Christmas

Love from Caroline x