There are some songs that are among the most beloved Christmas carols, and yet make no mention of Christmas, Jesus, Santa, elves, the North Pole, or magic tinsel. Some mention reindeer, but unless they fly, that’s dubious too.
Frosty the Snowman. (Which, like Rudolph, was written as a jingle for Montgomery Wards.)
I think these songs are tangled up with the whole concept of a snowy, Victorian/New England Christmas, the way a million pop songs are really about sex, sex, sex even though they don’t mention anything explicitly sexual.
Besides, school kids have to have something to sing these days, when a rendition of Silent Night would provoke parental riots.
(ObJoke: It was Spider Robinson who noted that only a man could have written a song about childbirth… and call it Silent Night.)
Along similar lines, I take the song “Little Drummer Boy” as proof that Mary really was a saint. You’ve just given birth, you’re sleeping (or at least, trying to) in a pile of straw, you’ve been traveling for days on the back of a scrawny old donkey, and now the neighbor’s kid is coming over and playing a drum in your face? And you’re still able to smile at him? Yeah, that’s sainthood, right there.
Back to the OP: “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is clearly religious, but not about Christmas per se. And you can also toss in Pachabel’s canon and “Linus and Lucy” (which was first played in the Peanuts Christmas special, but doesn’t actually have any connection to the holiday).
Hmm, so this Welsh carol was covering Hanukkah, eh? And St. Lucy’s feast day was in December, but I never remember that as being “part of the season,” and I went to St. Lucy’s parish school.
Anyway, a version from the 1800’s mentions Christmas, so it seems pretty well established. If this was ever a Yule carol only, it’s been pretty polluted with references to Christmas since then.
Why not go with “Deck the Halls with Boston Charlie”? That way there’s no doubt.
Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an’ Kalamazoo!
Nora’s freezin’ on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!
Don’t we know archaic barrel
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don’t love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker ‘n’ too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Hunky Dory’s pop is lolly gaggin’ on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie’s collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!
Dunk us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an’ polly voo!
Chilly Filly’s name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly’s jolly chilly view halloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!
““Jingle Bells” is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh” in the autumn of 1857. Even though it is commonly thought of as a Christmas song, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving.[1]”
Surprised to be the first to mention “Baby It’s Cold Outside” as I’ve seen many SDMB references to it in past years.
I’ll add one of my favorites: “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”. and I will shamelessly self-promote:
From my very own brand new trio of Holiday songs . . .
Spending the Holidays With People I Love Zero mention of “Christmas, Jesus, Santa, elves, the North Pole, or magic tinsel”.
There is a subtle Christmas reference in the line “Even Grandma would appreciate though we lack the seven fish she ate . . .” pointing to the old traditional Christmas Eve dinner of the seven fishes.
I rewrote the final verse last year. We’ll take it from where the kid offers to do his Gene Krupa impression:
*…Shall I play for you, pah-rumpa-pum-pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded, pah-rumpa-pum-pum
It was a secret sign, pah-rumpa-pum-pum
Then Joseph grabbed my arm pah-rumpa-pum-pum
He dragged me from the barn, pah-rumpa-pum-pum
rumpa-pum-pum, rumpa-pum-pum
Then he smiled at me, pah-rumpa-pum-pum
And fed me my drum.*