Favorite Christmas Songs (A thread for all Christians)

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JonNC said:
“What Child is This”

Particularly, the second verse, which is usually omitted from the secularized versions one often hears.
  1. 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.
  1. **Why lies He in such mean estate,
    Where ox and *** are feeding?
    Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
    The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.**
  1. So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
    Come peasant, king to own Him;
    The King of kings salvation brings,
    Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you.
Christmas is nothing without this.

Jon
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Agreed. I tend to like the carols that refer to the Passion. Like I Wonder as I Wander
 
Little Baby in a manger, Son of God above
Born to die for all our sin, yes I believe in love
Love has triumphed, death is finished, I cannot conceive
Why one so lovely, one so kind, would give new life to me

Born to die to rise again, to crush the power of Satan’s sin
I lift my voice, I shout and sing: “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to the King!”

What can this poor, wounded soul bring to a mighty King?
Can He who holds the world in space have need of anything?
Yet my soul shall never cease to offer gifts of praise
I kneel in spirit at His feet, a sinner saved by grace

:harp:

youtube.com/watch?v=SBhn-e0qCws
 
The Pearsall arrangement of In Dulci Jubilo is my absolute favourite.

I too love “Of the Father’s love begotten”: looking at the translations online, I wonder if our usual parish version is a mash-up of translations. It has a lovely descant that we use, but it’s not the same one as in Carols for Choirs, so I wonder if our choir leader wrote it himself.

I also love “Come, come, come to the manger” (I think it’s called "The Children’s Carol). I love the combination of simplicity and awe, the contrast between verses and chorus (the way we sing it around the house, anyway!), and the way it reminds me of my siblings.

The only carols that risk making me tear up are “O Little Town” and “It came upon a midnight clear”. Possibly the Coventry Carol, but only if I really think about it or am already primed!
 
TypesAndShadows said:
The only carols that risk making me tear up are “O Little Town” and “It came upon a midnight clear”. Possibly the Coventry Carol, but only if I really think about it or am already primed!
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The Coventry Carol is beautiful.
 
tomarin said:
I’ve always liked the melody of “Good King Wenceslas.”
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It’s a great old dance tune, and it always strikes me as an odd mix with the words. It feels like we should be singing something upbeat and lighthearted, much faster than people usually go, while dancing in a circle. Possibly wearing bells, and striking sticks together.
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Kaninchen:
The Coventry Carol is beautiful.
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Isn’t it? I find the use of the word “younglings” in Star Wars has slightly spoiled the first verse for me, unfortunately, but it’s still beautiful.
 
TypesAndShadows said:
It’s a great old dance tune, and it always strikes me as an odd mix with the words. It feels like we should be singing something upbeat and lighthearted, much faster than people usually go, while dancing in a circle.

Isn’t it? I find the use of the word “younglings” in Star Wars has slightly spoiled the first verse for me, unfortunately, but it’s still beautiful.
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I tend to like music in unfamiliar modes and minor scales, and while I don’t know what scale it is in, I suspect it is something unfamiliar to modern ears.
 
One of the reasons I like “Angels We Have Heard on High” so much is the ‘Glora in excelsis Deo’ refrain. It’s so enthusiastic! – “GloooooooOOOOooooOOOOoooOOOOOoooooOOOOoooo-RIA! In excelsis DEOOO!”

My supreme favorite, however, is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”; I suspect this is because of the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol.

For some reason this morning I had “We Three Kings of Orient Are” lodged in my brain, but that’s more an Epiphany hymn!
 
O Holy Night here too. By anyone who does more than the first verse. I don’t dig pop stars who do it for the money, but Mariah Carey’s O Holy NIght and Bob Seeger’s Little Drummer Boy versions are very two i really like. Thank you Lord, for coming to earth, dying for us, and your eventual return to save us.
 
Silent Night is my favorite and will always be my favorite.

Between going to Mass on Christmas Eve and hearing the choir start Silent Night after I receive the Eucharist and going home to watch The Nativity Story…of which Silent Night is played at the very end…I’m in tears most of the night. Joyous tears, mind you…but still tears.

I also love O Come Emanuel.
 
My favorite traditional Christmas song is The First Noel. My favorite modern song is ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’’.
My parish is having a Christmas concert on 12/13. Can’t wait - my first Christmas since becoming Catholic and am looking forward to hearing all the traditional songs.🙂
 
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