I have been trying to find a good list of the the most popular Christmas carols of all time. Unfortunately, there are a hundred different sites with a thousand different lists. So, I have used AI to help me and here is their list:
Traditional:
Silent Night: A German carol known for its peaceful melody, famously sung during the WWI Christmas truce.
O Holy Night: A French carol reflecting on the birth of Jesus.
Joy to the World: A classic praising the coming of the Lord.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: A popular hymn celebrating the birth of Jesus.
O Come, All Ye Faithful: An invitation to worship the newborn king.
The First Noël: Tells the story of the first Christmas. *
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen: A traditional English carol.
Away in a Manger: A gentle carol about Jesus's birth.
In the Bleak Midwinter: Based on a poem by Christina Rossetti, with music by Gustav Holst.
O Little Town of Bethlehem: A reflective carol describing the town where Jesus was born.
Popular:
Jingle Bells: A quintessential winter and Christmas song.
Deck the Halls: A festive Welsh tune with "fa la la la la".
We Wish You a Merry Christmas: A carol with wishes for good cheer.
Frosty the Snowman: A beloved winter classic.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A story about Santa's most famous reindeer.
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree: A popular, upbeat holiday song.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Celebrates the festive season.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: A warm, comforting song.
Feliz Navidad: A bilingual Christmas hit.
Winter Wonderland: A joyful song about a snowy scene.
What do you think? Did you recognize them all? Is your favourite song among them? And which one is missing in your opinion?
* Yes, I know they write Noël differently in English but it's a French word and I refuse to write it incorrectly.😉
Merry Christmas to you & your family, Marianne! Not 100% sure why, but I'm fond of "I Saw Three Ships"....
ReplyDeleteOh yes, that's a lovely one, Kitten. It was not on there but I think that is a big mistake.
DeleteMerry Christmas, Marianne! No awkward family photos, but we did eat too much food!
ReplyDeleteDon't we all, Lisa? ;)
DeleteMerry Christmas! My favorite carol is God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen followed by Hark, the Herald Angels Sing and Oh, Come All Ye Faithful. Wishing you a Happy New Year! :D
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. So many great carols. Wishing you also a Happy New Year, Lark.
DeleteMerry Christmas! Every night we light our Christmas tree and sing traditional German and English Christmas songs, starting on the 24th all through January 6th. All the ones in your "traditional" list are ones we sing, but we sing none from the "popular" list. Most songs that are not on your list and which we sing are from German and English Christmas song books and hymnals.
ReplyDeleteFor example, today, on the feast of St. Stephen, we sang "Good King Wenceslas."
DeleteWe also have quite a mix of German and English songs, Eva. I think, the popular list shows more the carols that people listen to on their various devices rather than sing themselves.
DeleteAnd yes, Good King Wenceslas is also fantastic! Who doesn't remember Hugh Grant now when hearing it?
Bing Crosby also has a version.
DeleteOh yes, he does. And that's much older.
DeleteOh, and one of my favourites is We Three Kings, even though, technically, that's not a Christmas song.
ReplyDeleteYou have all my favorites except Good King Wenceslas, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, and Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella, and The Holly and the Ivy.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually care for the "popular" ones, which I think of as department story music. I especially could live without The Little Drummer Boy!
I assume favorite lists vary by country. I have bought some lovely cds of carols while traveling in England.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas!
Constance
Thanks, Constance. Christmas was quiet just with our two boys which is always great.
DeleteI also love the first two and the last of your songs mentioned but never heard Bring a Torch ... Mmmmh, must google it since I have the suspicion I might like them at well.
I love the expression "department store music". LOL Mind you, I quite like The Little Drummer Boy. As I said above ^^, We Three Kings is also one of my favourites that is not in that list.
I don't know which country this would be from but it must be an English speaking. In Germany, there are lots of other popular ones.
I hope you also had a lovely Christmas.
I think I need to save this post for next year for great suggestions!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome to do that. I have some suggestions in former years under the link Christmas. And these were all AI, so I am sure you would find them. But I love how everyone added their own favourites. I hope you had a good Christmas, Tina.
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