What's you favourite xmas carol?

[CatBling]

I love...

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

Once in Royal David’s City

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

If I had to choose 1 it would probably have to be Once in Royal David’s City.

Once in Royal David's City and Hark the herald will always bring a tear. Small children singing oh little town.. blub central!

I must add, from a largely neutral person with regards religion - reminds me of my mum x

Adam lay ye bounden

Shepherds pipe carol

Joy to the world
Hark the herald angels sing
Deck the halls
O holy night

In the bleak midwinter
One that starts “lift up lightly the stable bar” that they used to sing at the dc’s primary school and I’ve never heard anywhere else.

@Duckyneedsaclean I just came on to say Adam lay ybounden!!
Also Born in the night is beautiful, and my fave one to do as a choir is the Shepherd's pipe carol

Does Little Donkey count?

Oh Holy Night. For some reason it isn't in most hymn books.

That's because it's not a hymn!

In the bleak midwinter
People look East

The choir I’m in sing carol of the bells, it does sound really good when we get it completely correct. We do quite a complicated arrangement I feel.

What differentiates it from other Christmas carols @UnaCorda?

I can't believe how many people like In the Bleak Midwinter. I think it is the dreariest carol ever. The tune is so dirge like.

Silent night in German and O Holy Night.

You don't need to answer my question UnaCorda. I have just googled it. The story is interesting.

Here

The Holly and the Ivy. I like its pagan tone.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen because it makes me think of a classic Dickensian scene.
Gaudete because it’s a great tune.

I think advent and epiphany have the best music, rather than Christmas itself

Oh, Gaudete, I love the Steeleye Span version of that!

I love all of them.

But Ding Dong Merrily on High is a family favourite.

When I was a child I thought the lyrics were Hosanna lives in Chelsea.

So now when it comes to that line all of my family sing Hosanna lives in Chelsea (Hosanna in Excelsis)

There was one memorable Christmas morning at Mass when the whole family (all 17 of us) were assembled and we all sang the wrong lyrics at the tops of our voices.

The man behind said thank you, I thought it was just me that sang it incorrectly.

What differentiates it [O Holy Night] from other Christmas carols?

Some carols are too complicated to be sung by a congregation. For example John Rutter has written hundreds of carols (or, possibly, has written the same carol hundreds of times...) but you won't find them in a hymn book as they're fairly complex with changes of time signature, etc. and a congregation would mangle them.

I Saw Three Ships
The Holly and the Ivy
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night, (or 'washed their socks' as we sang at primary school).

Some carols are too complicated to be sung by a congregation.

TBH I'm not sure most congregations can cope with the chorus of Ding Dong Merrily on High (even when they get the words right ). It takes me a bit of practice to get the note definition on my own so congregations tend to be way out of time.

MitziK your comment reminded me of a character in some old American sitcom who remarked that all Emily Dickinson's poetry could be set to The Yellow Rose of Texas. (It's OK, In Dulci Jubilo takes itself way too seriously anyway.)

Adeste fideles

I Love loads of them.

I like:
Johnny Mathis
When a child is born.