Christmas songs can bring special memories

One day I asked my dad what his favorite hymn was. It was a gentle prodding at a time when it became important to talk about funeral plans without specifically saying we were talking about funeral plans even though we both knew we were talking about funeral plans. He caught me completely off guard when he said, “Well, you know, I’ve always liked Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

My mom wasn’t a fan of Christmas, and both my folks had distanced themselves from church for a long, long time. I pondered his choice in my heart — was it his favorite because his father was named Harold, and so it was a...