THERE once was a time when ‘Christmas songs’ fit neatly into two categories: Carols or songs. Do you know the difference between a Christmas carol and a Christmas song? With some research, I found that carols generally have a religious aspect, and are suitable for singing in church, while Christmas songs are far broader, and are usually secular in nature.

A Christmas carol always tells the story of The Nativity, while a Christmas song can sing about any event of Christmas.
The sacred and traditional was represented by carols like ‘Hark, the Herald Angels Sing’, ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, and ‘Good King Wenceslas’. On the secular side, there was everything, from ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ to ‘I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus’.
One of our favourite Christmas carols, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, was written by Phillip Brooks in 1865. Mr. Brooks had travelled throughout Europe, and in December 1865, had arrived in the Holy Land to spend a month revisiting the biblical scenes.
He made it a point on Christmas Eve to be in that little town, just over the hills from Jerusalem: Bethlehem. It must have been quite exciting for that young Minister of the Gospel to walk the streets of Bethlehem, and think on those events that occurred so many years ago on the night when Christ was born.
Shortly before sundown, Brooks and his friends rode a short distance east of Bethlehem — to where the fields are — to be where the shepherds were keeping their flocks. Later that Christmas Eve, they attended services at the Church of the Nativity, erected in 345 AD at the direction of the mother of Constantine, who believed it was the place where Jesus was born.
Three years later, at his church in Philadelphia, Phillip Brooks wrote this song for the Sunday-school children. It contains these lines, which reminded him of that experience:
“Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Jingle Bells

Did you know that John Pierpont, who wrote “Jingle Bells”, didn’t write it for Christmas? His father was the pastor of Medford Unitarian Church and, in 1840, had asked his son to write special music for a Thanksgiving Service.
Watching young men riding sleds, Pierpont went out to join them. Recalling many times like this, the melody came to him. It was such a hit that he played it again, by request, at Christmas. Guests took it everywhere, associating it with Christmas.
But has the emergence of what some commentators see as a post-religious age clouded these old distinctions? And if people now think of popular Christmas songs as carols, does it really matter?

History lesson
The Reverend Dr Ian Bradley, reader in Church History at St Andrews University, a Church of Scotland minister and the author of several books on carols and hymns, says that carols originally had nothing to do with religion. They were connected with pagan festivals and popular folklore, and accompanied sensuous dances, which were often related to fertility rites.
Because of this, he says, the Catholic Church condemned carol singing for hundreds of years, until they hijacked the format, and carols became religious. Even then, Dr Bradley explains, carols were prohibited from church services until the 19th Century, as they were seen as a rather low-brow, popular form of celebrating Christmas.
Using this definition, there is nothing to stop Chris Rea calling his song a “carol”, as this form was never purely the church’s domain.
So, has the difference between Christmas Carols and secular Christmas songs disappeared? And does it really matter today, anyway? Does ‘Silent Night’ or ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ best reflect your feelings for the festive season?

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

– Joy to the World
– Silent Night

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
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
No more let sin and sorrow grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make
His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, and wonders of His love

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.

Silent Night, Holy Night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glory streams from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah,
Christ the saviour is born,
Christ the saviour is born
Silent Night, Holy Night,
Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth

CHRISTMAS SONGS
Have yourself a Merry Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yuletide gay,
From now on our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Give Love on Christmas Day
People making lists
Buying special gifts
It’s a time to be kind to one and all
It’s that time of year
When good friends are dear
And you wish you
Could give more
Than just presents
From a store

Why don’t you give love
On Christmas day
(On Christmas day)
Oh, even the man
Who has everything
Would be so happy
If you would bring him love
On Christmas day
(On Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

People you don’t know
Smiling out hello
Everywhere there’s an air
Of Christmas joy
It’s that once a year
When the world’s sincere
And you’d like to find a way
To show the things
That words can’t say

Why don’t you give love on Christmas day
(On Christmas day)
The man on the street
And the couple upstairs
All need to know
That there’s one cares
Give love on Christmas day
(Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

What the world needs is love
Yes, the world needs your love

Why don’t you give love on Christmas day
(On Christmas Day)
Oh, every little child on Santa’s knee
Has room for your love underneath his tree
Give love on Christmas day
(Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love
What the world needs is love
Yes, the world needs your love

Give love on Christmas day
(Christmas day)

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero año y felicidad.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero año y felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart.

[Repeats]

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring.
To you and your king
Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year.
TOP 100 CHRISTMAS SONGS
–For your Christmas Day playlist

1. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
2. The Chipmunk Song- The Chipmunks
3. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
4. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jimmy Boyd
5. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
6. The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
7. Snoopy’s Christmas – The Royal Guardsmen
8. Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
9. Little Drummer Boy – Harry Simeon Chorale
10. Donde Esta Santa Claus – Augie Rios
11. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee
12. You’re All I Want For Christmas – Brook Benton
13. Baby’s First Christmas – Connie Francis
14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Bruce Springsteen
15. Home For The Holidays – Perry Como
16. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town- Four Seasons
17. Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
18. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – John Lennon and Yoko Ono
19. May You Always – Harry Harrison
20. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer – Elmo and Patsy
21. Jingle Bell Rock – Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell
22. Jingle Bells – Singing Dogs
23. Frosty the Snowman – Gene Autry
24. Merry Christmas Darling – The Carpenters
25. Little St. Nick –The Beach Boys
26. Please Come Home For Christmas – Charles Brown
27. It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas – Perry Como & The Fontaine Sisters
28. Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano
29. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
30. Do You Hear What I Hear – Bing Crosby
31. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
32. Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry
33. (Sleep in Heavenly Peace) Silent Night – Barbra Streisand
34. Nuttin’ for Christmas – Barry Gordon
35. Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
36. Step Into Christmas – Elton John
37. The Christmas Waltz – Frank Sinatra
38. All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth – Spike Jones
39. Please Come Home For Christmas – The Eagles
40. Amen – The Impressions
41. Monsters’ Holiday – Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett
42. Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
43. Give Love on Christmas Day – The Jackson Five
44. Dominick, The Italian Christmas Donkey – Lou Monte
45. White Christmas – The Drifters
46. It’s Christmas Everywhere – Paul Anka
47. Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas – Carla Thomas
48. Christmas Dragnet – Stan Freberg & Daws Butler
49. Sleigh Ride – (Instrumental) – Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops
50. Pretty Paper – Roy Orbison
51. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Darlene Love
52. If It Doesn’t Snow on Christmas – Gene Autry
53. What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder
54. Marshmallow World – Dean Martin
55. Winter Wonderland- Aretha Franklin
56. Merry, Merry Christmas Baby- Margo Sylvia & The Tuneweavers
57. Frosty the Snowman – The Ronettes
58. Christmas Auld Lang Syne – Bobby Darin
59. Jingle Bells (Instrumental)- Booker T and The MGs
60. Silver Bells – Johnny Mathis
61. Merry Christmas All Denise Montana
62. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer- The Melodeers
63. Santa Claus is Coming To Town – The Crystals
64. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Frank Sinatra
65. Sleigh Ride – The Ventures
66. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year – Andy Williams
67. Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy – David Bowie and Bing Crosby
68. Winter Wonderland – Darlene Love
69. Happy Holidays – Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
70. Kissin’ By The Mistletoe – Aretha Franklin
71. The Man With All The Toys – The Beach Boys
72. The Twelve Days of Christmas — Ray Conniff Singers
73. Here Comes Santa Claus – Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans
74. We Need A Little Christmas – Percy Faith Orchestra
75. Last Christmas – George Michael & Wham
76. Silent Night- The Temptations
77. We Wish You The Merriest – Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra
78. White Christmas – Darlene Love
79. Santa Claus Is Watching You – Ray Stevens
80. This Christmas – Donny Hathaway
81. A Christmas Long Ago – The Echelons
82. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow – Dean Martin
83. Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes
84. Mistletoe and Holly – Frank Sinatra
85. It’s Christmas Once Again – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers 86 ‘
86. Twas The Night Before Christmas- Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians
87. This Time of Year – Brook Benton
88. Parade of The Wooden Soldiers – The Crystals 89
89. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Dion 90
90. Chrissy, The Christmas Mouse – Debbie Reynolds & Donald O’Connor
91. Marshmallow World – Darlene Love
92. Christmas Serenade – Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
93. Christmas Ain’t Christmas – The O’Jays
94. You’re My Christmas Present – Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners
95. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – The Ronettes
96. I Believe in Father Christmas – Greg Lake
97. Someday At Christmas – Stevie Wonder
98. Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding
99. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper
100. Bells of St. Mary –Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans
Written By Michelle Gonsalves