Tonight I went caroling with a house mate, a friend, and friends of friends. We walked down our street on a dry, cool night and sang from a songbook. We looked for the festive looking houses with lights and sang in front of their porches.

On the first stop we came to a house inhabited by a middle-aged couple with two young children that i had met briefly a time or two. We could mostly only see silhouettes and after half a song, we could see the mom and kid putting on shoes and a coat to come outside and listen to us. the dad came out shortly afterwards holding another young child wrapped in a blanket. Everything was multicolored from the chirstmas lights. The scene of this early part of (probably) their marriage and their childrens' lives washed over me in a wave of emotion. i had to stop singing because i moved to tears.

We went to another house with colorful lights and soon the parents and kids came out and the same thing happened. After that we sang to houses that turned out to be empty, and to an appartment complex where a woman took this photo. We also sang in front of the entrance to safeway and to the youth hostel. It got a little rowdy at the end but was a great experience.