Joy to the World
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
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He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
/http://www.carols.org.uk/index.htm/
Father Christmas. A similar figure with the same name (in
other languages) exists in several other countries, including
France (Père Noël), Spain (Papá Noel, Padre Noel).
In past centuries, the English Father Christmas was also
known as Old Father Christmas, Sir Christmas, and Lord
Christmas.
Father Christmas is said to wear (these days) a bright red
suit, but in Victorian and Tudor times he wore a bright green
suit. Father Christmas typified the spirit of good cheer at Christ-
mas, but was neither a gift bringer nor particularly associated
with children.
A traditional figure in English folklore, Father Christmas is
identified with the old belief in the Old English god Woden. Fa-
ther Christmas and Santa Claus have for most practical purposes
been merged, historically the characters have different origins
and are not identical.
Father Christmas is often said to reside at the North Pole
or less commonly, in the mountains of Korvatunturi in Lapland,
Finland.
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