Song: Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming
Album: Songs for Christmas
Performer: Sufjan Stevens
Writer: Traditional
Year: 2006

There are plenty of really fun Christmas songs whose main purpose are to celebrate the electric excitement and joy of the holiday season in general but there are also a lot of sacred Christmas songs. Those were a big part of my celebration of Christmas growing up, especially in the advent season. Sufjan Stevens’ piano rendition of “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming” is entrancing. There is a steady 8th note pulse throughout the song, mostly as a pedal. I came back to it often this past Christmas season and found it could transport me into a meditative state. It is simple, but majestic in it’s simpleness – to me, this is the magic of the story of Jesus’ birth. “Lo, how a rose e’er blooming/From tender stem hath sprung” The magic of something so magnificent coming from something so everyday is captured beautifully in this recording.