Sunday, November 14, 2010      The idea of Christmas caroling
brings to mind a jolly band of churchgoers, dressed in shawls
and top hats, going door-to-door spreading the spirit of
Christmas through hymns.  Whether it's "Deck the Halls", "Joy to
the World" or "Silent Night", Christmas Carolers have been known
to travel on foot, by truck or on horseback.  Despite a recent
re-examining of caroling's political correctness, including one
incident where carolers were banned from marching in a prominent
parade in Denver.  It remains a popular Christmas tradition. 
But how exactly did this tradition begin?  Who wrote the
carols?  And why do we feel compelled to sing them on the front
porch of a total stranger's home?     The root of the word
"carol" lies not in song, but in dance.  In Old French, "carole"
means "kind of dance".  In Latin "choraula" means "a dance to
the flute", and in Greek, "choraules" means "flute player who
accompanies the choral dance".  Although there are some carols
centering around religion,