To inwardly groan when I see these carols on the board

[SeasonallySnowyPeasant]

These are lovely carols when sung by a choir but a congregation / bunch of parents slogging through them is painful:

• Joy to the World
• The 12 Days of Christmas

Give me a sharp, snappy Hark, the Herald Angels Sing any day!

My mum was the church organist for many years. In the bleak midwinter was never played.

I thanked my mum for this the other day.

I’m partial to a spot of Adam y lay abound-en myself.

Calypso Carol is about the least dirgey one! I have to stop myself dancing.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius just for you:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=RO357asBTgA

DD5's nativity had amazing earworn inducing songs 'Look there's a baby!' and 'Munch Munch'. Google them, you'll not be dissapointed!

How could the 12 days of Christmas be a carol?

All the 'gifts' are symbols for things like the number of apostles, sorry I'm an atheist.

Away in a manger sung by 5 year olds, not cute IMHO.

I'm loving the mum singing in Latin.

My nieces and nephews amuse themselves with the one that has 'glo oooo ria, in exsomething deo' by starting with knees bent and then reaching full height by the end of the line.

@TheBitchOfTheVicar That was perfect, thank you for sharing!

Not one mention of the ultimate dirge: Little Donkey

Hate The Holly and The Ivy- boring boring boring. No interesting tune or chorus to belt out. And the kids don't really get it. Would rather have Silent Night any day....

Another vote for O Come O Come Emmanuel, it’s beautiful and is not sung anywhere near as often as it should be.

Most carols and hymns are way too high for most people to sing. If you’re a woman you need to have a soprano voice.

I like singing but don’t enjoy singing at church services for this reason.

Ahem, did someone call?

Most carols and hymns are way too high for most people to sing. If you’re a woman you need to have a soprano voice.

You're not kidding. I'm a definite alto and the noise I make trying to sing the chorus of "Hark! The herald angels sing" isn't pretty.

I think Oh Holy Night is so overrated. No one had ever heard of it before it was used in Home Alone (ditto the Carol of the Bells, which is actually pretty awesome IMo)

Oh come Emmanuel is not a carol though, it's a hymn and one that's traditionally only sung on one single sunday of advent I believe. I love it though, and highly recommend the marika hackman version to others who enjoy it.

I love JTTW, but we sing it at a serious pace and I'm a soprano choral singer - which I conceed might affect my enjoyment of it. I detest away in a manger, while shepherds watched and we three kings too though.

@TheBitchOfTheVicar thank you for that! Tenor DH has just laughed for quite some time.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear should be sung more often, but O Come All Ye Faithful can bugger off with Away in a Manger.

On Come All Ye Faithful stresses me out and annoys me because of the quiet - bit louder - loud (how loud?) conundrum.

My newest favourite carol/Christmas song is the Twelve Days After Christmas. I went along to our local carol concert and loved this one

I take a perverse pleasure in Ding Dong Merrily on High. Watching the congregation cheerily (and metaphorically) wave each other off as they embark on their individual Glor-or-or-or-or-ia journeys, with only a vague plan to meet again somewhere near the end!

At our school carol concert, the Y5 teacher used a fabulous arrangement of JTTW. Even with dodgy recorders it sounded good.

I absolutely love listening to Carol of the Bells. Couldn't sing it though!

SDTG I like the sound of your director!
I can't stand Rutter and his ilk...

Oh Come All Ye Faithful could never have too many verses for me! In my church as a child, they seemed to solve the volume of the chorus issue by women singing first line, men singing second, all singing final. It wasn't 'conducted', the congregation just knew.

I really don't like The first Nowell far too dirgey. JTTW is ridiculous sung by a congregation, I agree. My favourite is Noel Nouvelet, a French carol, it's so beautiful.
And Hark The Herald even if it is ridiculously high.

I was also at a carol concert this year where the soloist on Once in Royal sang the first verse to the tune of Hark the Herald.... poor child had had too many carols to learn I think!

I hate the sound of ding dong merrily on high if there isn’t a strong choir. The congregation always butcher the high bits. Other than that I love a good carol.

All this hate for Away In A Manger! The DC at church sing an American version that’s quite cute. Asleep, asleep, asleep, asleep, asleep the Lord of all! It’s like an array of little steam whistles.