Even if Christmas carols are not your bag, an evening with “The Aggies”, as they are affectionately known, is always a warm and pleasant occasion.

The material is the usual mix of the traditional carols we all know from childhood, and some more obscure pieces. Sometimes the songs are not carols at all, but Christmas may be mentioned in the lyrics! A sprinkling of readings, anecdotes or poems is invariably part of the mix.

One thing you can always rely on is The Song That Made You Cry. For me, this year, it was “O Night Divine” beautifully sung by Chris While. A close contender was the perfectly charming “Cedar, Sweet Grass and Thyme” a song reflecting how a native American might approach bringing gifts to the infant Jesus in the stable.

A very modern song “My Religion”, by Beth Neilsen Chapman provided an antidote to the more sugar-sweet material.

“She was Nine” is a song which, in the past, has brought tears to my eyes, being, as it is, the true story of one of Chris While's childhood Christmas’s when she was faced with disappointment. (Aaaah!)

This year however, Chris approached the song in a humorous way, and the Kleenex moment was averted!

Another high point was Julie’s rendition of “Silent Night” preceded by the story of  the soldiers downing weapons on Christmas Eve during the Great War and meeting in No Man’s Land. This followed by the carol, which ended with Chris playing the bodhran to remarkable and subtle effect – the sound of distant guns. Extremely moving.

To temper all this thought provoking stuff, there was more humour, provided by one David Hughes with his wonderful Christmas single “I’ve Got My Lights Up”. And he did too! Audience participation was encouraged.  Also, we were treated to an "interesting" rendition of "Jingle Bells". Not the original lyrics, I suspect.

Audience participation was also encouraged during the singing of another favourite of mine “Follow That Star”. Speaking to Julie during the interval, I said that the audience must look like a right bunch of idiots from the viewpoint of the stage. “No! Not all!” she said, grinning broadly. Yeah, right. 

A lovely evening of warmth, good humour and excellent musicianship. Merry Christmas!