Merry Christmas Eve, my friends! I don’t know about you, but I feel like this is just about exactly the right time to watch the Candlelight Processional. I’m guessing you’re not in Epcot right now and jonesing to wait in a 4-hour line, so YouTube is fine.
I myself have seen the show live twice now and find the whole thing just as lovely as the next person, but there’s one particular segment that stands out as a favorite. I rather think it might be your favorite too. It certainly seems to be a hit with Neil Patrick Harris, who reliably bops along because, well, this song is a bop.
Believe it or not, I’d never heard “Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy” before its inclusion in the Candlelight Processional. I don’t know, maybe the Methodists aren’t real big on rejoicing. And I spent the entire last week in the car with my parents with their radio tuned to “Holiday Traditions” the whole time and I STILL didn’t hear it.
There’s internet evidence to suggest that this song does in fact exist outside the Disney bubble, but I’m reluctant to listen. What if the orchestration is what makes it? What if the setting is what makes it? What if Neil Patrick Harris performing the dignified Christmas equivalent of headbanging is what makes it?
Now, you can listen to the song isolated and professional on a session recording:
Or you can listen to it with the barely controlled chaos that is pretty much all live shows plus vintage ShakyCam vibes, which somehow feels even more right:
Either way, I highly suggest it for all your yuletide runs this week.
Happy holidays, dear Disney buddies! Please know that I love you all. Imma bow out until the New Year, but I’ll see ya right back here for more Disney and running adventures in 2022. See ya real soon!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!