For those bummed that they will not be Christmas Caroling this year from door to door, there is a new website that celebrates caroling and lets families sing Christmas songs together while safe at home. Think karaoke!  The Joy of Song website gives free access to melodies and lyrics of the most popular Christmas carols. The newly launched caroling site has been developed to keep the Christmas caroling tradition accessible to households big and small despite social distancing and other COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic restrictions.

The Joy of Song site makes it possible to start Christmas caroling with your loved ones within minutes, and you can sing in one of six different languages! The recently launched version of the site includes musical accompaniments and lyrics for 12 of the most popular Christmas carols in six languages:  English, German, Latvian, French, Spanish and Latin.

High-quality musical accompaniment varies from simple piano melodies to full-blown orchestral pieces so that anyone can find a version that’s close to their heart. The site is easy-to-navigate and even suits people without any music skills – especially those who believe they can’t sing.

There are four lyric packages available for download on the Joy of Song online page alongside the streamable musical accompaniment. To begin an instant Christmas carol singalong, choose a song, download the lyrics and start singing!

The author of the idea and head of the project is Baiba Rubesa, a well-known Canadian-Latvian entrepreneur and experienced international business manager. The idea for such a caroling tool is deeply rooted in her family’s traditions.

“Every year, I host a caroling event – a gathering of friends, colleagues, families – a tradition that I’ve kept up since my parents started it 52 years ago,” Rubesa said. “For me, it’s not Christmas without collective singing.”

This year brings a Very Covid Christmas, leaving people unable to celebrate the holidays with the usual traditions and family gatherings worldwide. The Joy of Song project’s team comes from Latvia – one of the many European countries with significant restrictions imposed to reduce the current rate of coronavirus infections.

Be it in Atlanta or Riga, many countries have pandemic limitations that reduce holiday gatherings to a single household. The Joy of Song project’s team believes that a merry and safe Christmas singalong is just what people need after a year like 2020 – even if a household this year is reduced to a single person.

The Joy of Song Christmas caroling site is available at https://www.thejoyofsong.app/.