II. ADVENT.

Mariah Carey's Christmas album brackets her popular hit, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth You" as band 2 with "Silent Night" leading and "O Holy Night" following.  Both of those recordings have made their way onto the music channels' Christian channels during the festive season.

"O Holy Night" has musical accompaniment that sounds like it might have been recorded gospel style, and the video confirms it.

The hymn is an Italian composition, and as such more amenable to popular arrangement and orchestration than hymns from more northern climes.

But why, particularly given the setting, did she and the choir director cut the stanza that includes "Chains shall He break, as the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease?"

Or perhaps I should not carp.  Enjoy.  And if there is no Festive Season train coming your way, see fit to send in-kind or cash assistance to your local food pantry.