Christmas songs and carols are just as much a tradition as Christmas movies, and since last year we did our Top 10 movies, we thought it would be a good idea to do music this year, thus the title, Top Christmas Songs of All Time. But there are a gazillion or so Christmas songs out there, and since we did 10 movies last year, 10 songs sounded about right.
But, trimming down the 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.
So in that spirit, here are our Top Christmas Songs for 2022.
The Christmas Song
(aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, or, Merry Christmas to You) – Nat King Cole
“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
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
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
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
“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, 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!”
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
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? 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’ ＡＲＯＵＮＤ ＴＨＥ ＣＨＲＩＳＴＭＡＳ ＴＲＥＥ
• ★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
Songwriters: Johnny Marks
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree lyrics © ST. Nicholas Music Inc.
Classic Christmas & Holiday HD Yule Log Fireplace
Now it’s time to just sit back and relax in front of the fire and listen to Christmas music for the rest of the day.
OK, that’s it. 10 of the Top Christmas Songs of All Time!
Libby and I would like to wish you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Seasons Greetings!
Providing lyrics nice touch for us who like to sing along.