It’s Christmas Day, and if you’ve ever been out “caroling, caroling” you might have sung this well-known staple by American composer Alfred Burt, a jazz trumpeter from Michigan who composed 15 beloved Christmas carols.  His were a continuation of a family tradition – begun back in the 1920s by his father, the Reverend Bates G. Burt, who – every year – composed a new one to send in a seasonal greeting card to friends and family.

Fast forward to the 21st century, when Minnesota composer Abbie Betinis would celebrate Christmas with her Burt family relatives in Michigan. “I knew there were certain carols we’d sing – even joyful ones – that could make everyone cry... and I realized later that these were our family carols. They helped us remember the generations before and feel connected to them and to their traditions.  So I thought maybe I should write one myself.”

And write she did.  With composition degrees from St Olaf College and the University of Minnesota, Abbie Burt Betinis, the great-granddaughter of Reverend Burt, has been writing an annual carol since 2001 – each one premiering on Minnesota Public Radio – before being sent to mailboxes across America as the new Burt Family Christmas card.

Alfred Burt (1920-1954) — “Caroling Caroling” (Choral Guild of Atlanta, William Noll, cond.) Sony 62698

Abbie Burt Betinis (b.1980) — “Carol of the Stranger” (Vox Nova Chorale) MPR 201711