Which is the most haunting/beautiful Christmas carol or song?

[A580Hojas]

I like the melodic slightly melancholy ones. Something in a minor key maybe?

Or a Rutter's Nativity carol m.youtube.com/watch?v=aVWcg0iRSns

Don’t forget to tune your radio to Classic FM on December 1st!

I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake

When a Child is Born - Johnny Mathis

@Vitalogy - you beat me to it! The lyrics are wonderful...

"The Christmas we get we deserve."

some great tunes here

I also love a spaceman came travelling. It's beautiful!
One we used to sing at school: Do you Hear what I hear?
It begins with the lovely opening "said the night wind to the little lamb"
One of my my faves is hark the herald Angels, but not fitting to a melancholic description.
I really don't like carol of the bells, I find that quite jarring to listen to, and I really don't like the song "have yourself a merry little Christmas". Sitting alone having lost the people that mean the most to me when that came on the radio, it felt like a sneer. I can't listen to it.
On the whole though, I do enjoy Christmas carols/hymns

vitaology Yes to When a Child is Born! I sometimes find myself humming that one in the run up to Christmas.
Some really nice ones on this thread. Brings back memories of singing at school!

This is beautiful and sad

Kotaro Oshio - Last Christmas

Silent night.
Always makes me cry.

Gregory Porter singing A Cradle in Bethlehem

O Holy Night

In The Bleak Midwinter

Carol of the bells, love it. I can never sing along at the start of the season but I aim to by the end.

Also not a carol but I love Prokofiev's Troika, totally encapsulates Christmassy feelings for me

Get your tissues ready.

Mahalia Jackson - Silent Night

Lots of these mentioned here, particularly,

Coventry Carol
Oh come, oh come Emmanuel
Oh Holy Night
Carol of the Bells

John Rutter has some lovely modern ones too - Star Carol, Angel’s Carol.

Love Hark the Herald’s last verse with the high descant too.

My favourite bits of Christmas are the music and the food 😀

Vitology, Oh, the great Mahalia, no one like her!!! Her voice just gives me chills. I have some of her gospel CDs and they make me feel so peaceful.

Walking in the Air from the Snowman

Another one for The Lamb by John Tavener....so so beautiful...sob!

It's not a carol or even a true Christmas song but frankie goes to Hollywood the power of love for me.

I listen to it all year round (because it's not officially Christmas song) there's something overwhelming about the way the line "I'm so in love with you it burns the soul" is delivered with such truth and passion. Bloody love it

I like the charterhouse carol but it's not very common. eclectichamlet.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/now-weave-the-rich-scarlet/

I am sitting ony own in a restaurant (all good - no need to feel sorry for me ) listening to the usual Elton John/Live Aid/Mariah Carey nonsense but singing all your lovely choices in my head. If nobody has mentioned Adam Lay Ybounden yet I'll throw that one in.

Low. Just Like Christmas. Love it, especially if I'm driving.

O holy night makes me all jellified.

Gabriel's Message! Also love Good King Wenceslas 😍