How a group of London men is keeping the Christmas carolling tradition alive

In an era of Ring doorbells and No Soliciting signs, breaking the evening silence of a suburban London street can sometimes feel like a radical act. 

But a group of men is undeterred in its quest to bring warmth to otherwise cold December nights by doing just that, knocking on doors across the city and breaking out into song when those doors swing open.

They’ve been carolling for four years, and they don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“It’s been very touching. Sometimes you get a really great reaction,” said David Charlesworth, whose idea to start carolling four years ago has become one of the highlights of his year.

“We’ve seen tears. We’ve seen people who are struggling. People who are wearing coats inside and you wonder if maybe they don’t have heat or they’re really struggling, but they say they love it, and they really needed this a lot.”

The group first started in Stratford, Ont., where residents came to expect the singers every year.

In London, they sing in neighbourhoods such as Old South and Argyle. Their carolling sessions last hours, with the men knocking on many dozens of doors to spread the holiday spirit.

The men are unaccompanied by backing tracks or instruments. The allure of caroling comes partly from seeing the reactions of people, and partly from being a part of history.

“It harkens back to the days when people were unemployed over the winter. They would go to the homes of the employers, the rich, and they would sing. The idea was that if they put pressure on the upper class to take care of them, they would,” he said.

When Charlesworth got the idea to start a caroling group, he had no idea where to begin, he said.

“The problem, is I have no musical acumen at all,” he said. "I shared it with my friend Greg. He sort of took the ball and ran with it … and he’s [musically inclined] and helped put it together.”

Friend and fellow caroller Greg Borris has a degree in musical theatre performance and the two got a bunch of guys together.

“There’s an expression: Those who sing, pray twice. I like to think of this as a beautiful spiritual offering to the world, to a lot of potentially lonely people, to say, ‘There’s a season of hope,’” Borris said.

The carollers have a small but mighty repertoire of songs. Some are more well known, such as Silent Night and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.