McDonough and Hilty, who each share Irish heritage and traditions, join the Choir and Orchestra, trumpeters and bell ringers in delivering a deeply personal program that weaves together well-known holiday tunes, classic Christmas carols and hymns with some traditional Irish musical numbers. In addition to favorites such as “O Holy Night” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory” (“Angels We have Heard on High”), the program includes several unique cultural flourishes and nods, such as when a penny whistle, Irish fiddle and bodhrán (a frame drum used in Irish music) join Tabernacle organist Richard Elliott in a lively jig.

McDonough serves as the evening’s narrator, delivering thoughtful reflections on the role that family, heritage and traditions play at this time of year. McDonough, whose own parents emigrated from Ireland to Boston in the late 1940s and early 1950s and who instilled in him a deep love of his homeland and heritage, shares with the audience the symbolism behind traditional Irish customs, many of which have been embraced and are well-recognized around the world. From whitewashing the walls of the cottage and a “Christmas morning dip in the icy sea” to placing a candle in the window and decorating homes with holly, McDonough shares how these simple traditions serve as reminders to embrace the spirit of the season, wash out the old and welcome in the new, clean out our hearts, and love and serve the weary and downtrodden.

With the music and musings intertwined, the result is an uplifting holiday and musical feast that inspires hope, stirs reflection and invites the peace of the season for any viewer, regardless of background or belief.