Silent Mice

Hannah and Leah, My little church mice

This past Christmas, Hannah and Leah participated in a children's choir program at a nearby church. Hannah's piano teacher is the church pianist there, and they know many kids from school who attend church there as well.  Throughout the fall months, the kids got ready to perform a Christmas musical called "Silent Mice." The play told the story of how and why the famous Christmas Hymn, "Silent Night" was written.

The story starts in Austria, when a young pastor pens the lyrics on a cold, winter night. The little country church where he lived was infested with mice. The resident cat was too fat and lazy to chase the little critters out, so the pastor picked up a broom and shooed them out the door. As he did, he looked up into the clear night sky full of twinkling stars.  Words popped into his brain....

"Silent Night. Holy Night. All is Calm. All is bright."  

A few years later, the church's mouse situation was no better. In fact, the pesky little creatures had ruined the bellows of the church organ. It was Christmas Eve and the parishioners were coming for the midnight service, and there was no organ to accompany their singing. The young pastor remembered the beautiful lyrics he had written years before. He quickly grabbed them and ran off to find his friend who could play the guitar. Together, they came up with the famous tune we all know today. So if it hadn't been for those silly little mice, "Silent Night" might never have been written!

And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you know the rest of the story!