There is no mention of holiday or Christmas in lyrics to the song, White Winter Hymnal. Or winter, for that matter. There is a reference to snow, turned “red as strawberries in the summertime” — presumably, by blood.
Nonetheless, the song has become a modern holiday standard, sung by children’s choirs in countless school assemblies. Its plays on Spotify — more than 180 million for the two most popular versions — spike on Christmas Eve.
The story of White Winter Hymnal is a reminder of how songs can take journeys in the public consciousness that even their composers can’t fathom.
“The universe has