For 20 years, the St. Nicholas Aurora Carolers have been bringing joy to the world
In December 2005, a newly formed caroling group planned to sing at a tree lighting ceremony in Egg Harbor City. Then a Grinch made off with the Christmas lights, and the event was canceled.
“We had a choir ready to sing, but nobody to sing to,” recalled Donna Marie Berchtold, founder of the St. Nicholas Aurora Carolers.
Undaunted, Berchtold placed a newspaper ad offering to sing — wherever, whenever, for whomever — in exchange for hot cocoa or cider and cookies.
Thirteen local homeowners responded, and the show went on.
Twenty years later, the carolers are still singing. The group is comprised of women and men, girls and boys, who sing a capella in period Victorian garb: hoop skirts and bonnets for the ladies, top hats, cloaks and cravats for the gents. Their set list includes traditional hymns like “O Holy Night,” holiday favorites such as “Jingle Bells,” and even novelty songs like “Dominick the Donkey.”
Some of the singers are descendants of the original Aurora Singing Society, founded in 1857 by the first mayor of Egg Harbor City, Philip Mathias Wolsieffer. Many sing with their local church choirs. And some are accomplished professionals who have performed with chorale groups at the Kimmel Center and even Carnegie Hall.
Though the carolers are based at a Catholic church, the group is ecumenical, welcoming members of all denominations, or none.
This holiday season, you may spot them strolling city lanes, singing at holiday parades and festivals, or popping into local shops and restaurants in Atlantic and Cape May counties. They have delighted passengers aboard the Santa Express train from Richland to Tuckahoe, sung at Congress Hall in Cape May, and thrilled listeners at Batsto Village’s Winter in the Pines celebration. They have also performed at benefits for local Girls & Boys Clubs.
Wherever they go, they fill the air with song, taking listeners on a sentimental journey to a simpler time.
Timeless memories
The response to hearing Christmas songs can be surprisingly emotional. One night, the carolers walked into a nearly-empty bar and asked if they could sing. As soon as they started, Berchtold said, “A man at the bar just broke down and cried.”
“I don’t know why you came in here tonight,” he told her, “but I really needed that.”
“He remembered singing Christmas carols as a child, and it brought back such memories for him,” she explained. He then offered to buy a round for the singers, who politely declined.
The St. Nicholas Aurora Carolers are a popular attraction at local senior centers and assisted living facilities, where residents love to chime in. “Even people with memory lapses are soon singing right along,” said Berchtold. “It’s a very touching thing.”
Caroler Melody Warrener agreed. “When we go to Royal Suites, the residents are singing, laughing, smiling — and some are crying. They may not remember their children’s names, but they remember these songs and the warm feelings attached to them. It makes what we do worthwhile.”
One year, a caroler asked the group to visit her aging mother and sing her favorite song: the Italian hymn “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle” (“From Starry Skies Thou Comest”).
“So we sang that, kissed her and said, ‘Buon Natale,’” said Berchtold. “The next morning her daughter called to say her mom had passed overnight. It was our farewell song to her. Now on Christmas Eve, we always sing that song, right before Midnight Mass.”
A season of sharing
Galloway middle school teacher Bridget Arnold has been singing with the carolers since 2022, when her daughter Kate, now 13, joined. Her 10-year-old son Sean sometimes tags along, holding a 19th-century wooden lantern.
“We look like we’ve just stepped out of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’” said Arnold. “It is a really fun bonding experience for me and the kids, doing this together. And it brings a little holiday cheer to people.”
The group is about 25 strong, but the size of the ensemble varies according to who’s available. “We always try to have a nice showing,” said Warrener, an insurance professional from Mullica Township. “But once it was just me and Donna, singing our hearts out in two-part harmony.”
It can be tough to perform outside, especially in winter, especially at the shore. Warrener remembered a challenging time singing near the boardwalk in Sea Isle City. “The wind was whipping and our feet felt like frozen blocks of ice.”
But the biggest struggle? “Try driving in a hoop skirt.”
In the post-holiday season, the group can be heard at community events on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and other holidays, often dressed in red, white and blue. Their patriotic repertoire includes “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.” But one song is on the bill all year long, said Berchtold: “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Alisa Hogan of Galloway, a retired Stockton admissions officer, summed up the experience for carolers, saying, “We’re not performing so much as sharing the music and the spirit of Christmas.” And that’s enough to warm even the Grinchiest heart.
For more information, visit the St. Nicholas Aurora Carolers on Facebook or email st.nicholas.aurora.carolers@gmail.com.
Marjorie Preston is a business writer, editor, ghostwriter and compulsive reader, who gobbles up books like potato chips. For more information (and more book reviews), visit marjorieprestonwriting.com.
