Christmas Carols and Songs: Here are the top and all-time best Christmas carols and songs for your Christmas holiday celebration. The list of Christmas carols is categorized by country, language, or culture of origin. Originally, “Christmas Carols” refers to vocal music in the form of a carol whose lyrics are based on Christmas or the Christmas season.
Christmas Carols
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
English; 1760
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Granz Xaver Gruber (German); 1818
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices
Oh, night divine
Oh, night when Christ was born
Adolphe Adam (French); 1847
O Come All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
John Francis Wade, 1744; most common version by Fr. Frederick Oakeley (England); 1841
We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
John Henry Hopkins (American); 1857
What Child is This?
What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.
William Chatterton Dix (England); 1865
The First Noel
The first Noel, the angels say
To Bethlehem’s shepherds as they lay.
At midnight watch, when keeping sheep,
The winter wild, the light snow deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
Carols Ancient and Modern, English; 1823
Away in a Manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Original words by Martin Luther (German) in a poem to his children in the early 1500s; Variations are by William J. Kirkpatrick (1895) and James Ramsey Murray (1887).
Joy to the World
Joy to the World; The Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King:
Let every Heart prepare him Room,
And Heaven and Nature sing.
Joy to the Earth, The Savior reigns;
Let Men their Songs employ;
While Fields & Floods, Rocks, Hills & Plains
Repeat the sounding Joy.
Repeat the sounding Joy. Repeat; repeat the sounding Joy.
Isaac Watts (English); 1719; It is the most published Christmas hymn in North America.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
Rev. Phillips Brooks and Lewis Redner (American); 1868
Christmas Songs
- Last Christmas” by Wham!
- All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Jackson 5
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Harry Connick Jr.
- Please Come Home For Christmas” by Jon Bon Jovi
- (There’s No Place Like) Home For the Holidays” by The Carpenters
- The Little Drummer Boy (Peace on Earth)” by Bing Crosby & David Bowie
- Pretty Paper” by Willie Nelson
- Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes