Our Top 10 Christmas Songs of All Time * Ken and Libby Guthrie

(Originally published on December 1, 2020. Updated November 18, 2024)

Top Christmas Songs of All Time * Guthrie Group Homes, Realtors — Ken and Libby Guthrie’s Top 10 Christmas Songs of All Time

Christmas songs and carols are just as much a tradition as Christmas movies, and since we previously did our Top 10 Christmas movies, we thought it would be a good idea to do music this time, thus the title, Top 10 Christmas Songs of All Time.

But there are a gazillion or so Christmas songs out there, and since we did ten movies, 10 songs sounded about right.

So, trimming down the thousands and thousands of songs to just 10 is nearly impossible, so we decided to:

A) include a mix of traditional carols, hymns, and more modern tunes that you might hear on the radio today. (Do they still have radios?)

B) choose songs we could find videos for on YouTube.

C) songs that have lyrics so you can sing along, if that’s your bag.

So in that spirit and in no particular order, here are our Top 10 Christmas Songs of All Time for 2024. 🎅🏼🎄🤶🏼

The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole – 1946

(aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, or, Merry Christmas to You)

“The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” is a classic Christmas song written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in 1944 and was first recorded by The King Cole Trio in 1946.

The song was recorded again in a stereophonic version with a full orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael using the same arrangement for Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song album in 1961.

Lyrics

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

Songwriters: Adolphe Adam
The Christmas Song lyrics © Carlin America Inc, BMG Rights Management US, LLC

O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) – Andrea Bocelli – 2009

💡O Tannenbaum, literally translates to “O fir tree.” The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree.

Instead, they refer to the fir’s evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness.

I think sometime after the song came to the US, it was “Americanized” and translated as O Christmas Tree. 🎄

Lyrics

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
risplendi nella notte!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
risplendi nella notte!
le luci tue scintillano,
come le stelle brillano.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
risplendi nella notte!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter

O Christmas Tree, o Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
O Christmas Tree, o Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!

They’re green when summer days are bright
they’re green when winter’s snow is white
O Christmas Tree, o Christmas tree,
Your branches green delight us!

O albero che illumini la notte di Natale
Le luci tue ricordano la luce del signore
Ogni mia notte splenderà se la tua luce brillerà
O albero che illumini la notte di Natale

Traditional

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Bach: Cantata, BWV 147

“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is the popular English title of the chorale from the 1723 Advent cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life), BWV 147, by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Old Johann wasn’t big on lyrics, nor is this song a toe-tapper. But it is a lovely piece of classical music and it did inspire lyrics written by others. It’s complicated, but if you’re interested, head to Wikipedia for the details.

White Christmas – Bing Crosby – 1954

“White Christmas” is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.

Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel (not to be confused with the La Quinta Inn), a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer-producer Frank Capra, although the Arizona Biltmore also claims the song was written there.

He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, “Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I’ve ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody’s ever written!”

Lyrics

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

Songwriters: Irving Berlin
White Christmas lyrics © Tratore

Here We Come a-Caroling (Wassail Song) / We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Perry Como – 1959

“Here We Come A-wassailing” (or Here We Come A-caroling) is an English traditional Christmas carol and New Years’ song, apparently composed c. 1850. The old English wassail song refers to ‘wassailing’, or singing carols door to door wishing good health, while the a- is an archaic intensifying prefix; compare A-Hunting We Will Go and lyrics to The Twelve Days of Christmas (e.g., “Six geese a-laying”).

According to Readers Digest; “the Christmas spirit often made the rich a little more generous than usual, and bands of beggars and orphans used to dance their way through the snowy streets of England, offering to sing good cheer and to tell good fortune if the householder would give them a drink from his wassail bowl or a penny or a pork pie or, let them stand for a few minutes beside the warmth of his hearth.

The wassail bowl itself was a hearty combination of hot ale or beer, apples, spices, and mead, just alcoholic enough to warm tingling toes and fingers of the singers“.

Lyrics – Here We Come A-Caroling

Here we come a-caroling
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wand’ring,
So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,
And to your wassail too
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

We are not daily beggars
Who beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors’ children,
Whom you have seen before.

God bless the Master of this house,
Likewise the Mistress too
And all the little children,
That round the table go.

Love and joy come to you,
And to your wassail too
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

We are not daily beggars
Who beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors’ children,
Whom you have seen before.

And all your kin and kinfolk
That dwell both far and near
We wish a Merry Christmas
And Happy New Year.

Love and joy come to you,
And to your wassail too
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

We are not daily beggars
Who beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors’ children,
Whom you have seen before.

Here We Come A-Caroling – Traditional

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a popular secular sixteenth-century English carol from the West Country of England.

The origin of this Christmas carol lies in the English tradition where wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve such as ‘figgy puddings’ that were very much like modern-day Christmas puddings.

It is one of the few traditional holiday carols that make mention of the New Year celebration.

Lyrics – 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

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring some out here

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

We won’t go until we get some
We won’t go until we get some
We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
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

Traditional

Silent Night – Bing Crosby – 1941

“White Christmas,” written by the formidable composer and lyricist Irving Berlin, receives its world premiere on December 25, 1941 on Bing Crosby’s weekly NBC radio program, The Kraft Music Hall. (Do you recall, the Kraft Music Hall?)

It went on to become one of the most commercially successful singles of all time.

Lyrics

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
Shepards pray at the sight
Glory streams from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing hallelujah
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

Silent Night
Holy Night
All is calm
And 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
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent Night – Joseph Mohr

O Come, All Ye Faithful – The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Lyrics

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

Oh, sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heav’n above
Glory to God, Glory in the highest

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord.

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) Traditional

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee (1964)

ＲＯＣＫＩＮ’ ＡＲＯＵＮＤＴＨＥＣＨＲＩＳＴＭＡＳＴＲＥＥ

• ★Merry★* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ ••。★Christmas★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜田田｜門｜ ˚

And a Happy New Year !!
…♥*•♪♫•*¨* ℒℴvℯ ॐ Light *¨
*•♪ Joy to all! ♫•*¨
* Peace on Earth ♪♫•*¨*

Lyrics

Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop

Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
Let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we’ll have some pumpkin pie
And we’ll do some caroling

You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear
Voices singing, let’s be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancin’ merrily
In the new old-fashioned way

You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear
Voices singing, let’s be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancin’ merrily
In the new old-fashioned way

Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms 1957

Jingle Bell Rock is a classic Christmas song written by James Ross Boothe and Joe Beal, and first recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has become a staple of the holiday season, with its upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics.

The song describes a winter wonderland where everyone is celebrating the holiday spirit with joy and laughter. It’s a fun and festive song that has been enjoyed by millions of people for over 60 years.

Lyrics

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ feet
That’s the jingle bell rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ feet
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell rock

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jim Boothe / Joseph Carleton Beal
Jingle Bell Rock lyrics © Warner/chappell Music Publishing Group, Cornell Music Inc., Chappell & Co., Inc., Essex Music Inc, Tro Essex Music Ltd, Cornell Music Inc.