I’m a few days late with this but I was wondering what the oldest and newest traditional Christmas carols are. I know that there will be varying definitions of “traditional” but to me it means a song that is known by the majority of the population (Christian is this case). I suspect the oldest will go back to the 1400’s but I would be surprised if any had be written later than the 60’s.
Joyeux Noel my SD friends.
isn’t “O Come All You Faithful” a translation of a very old Latin song? “Adeste Fidelis”?
There are certainly newer Christmas songs than the 1960s. I just heard some new-agey number by some girl band from the 80s last night. The tune is stuck horribly in my head but I can’t remember the words. (“nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh something something Christmas time this year”?)
Not to mention my sisters’ childhood favorites, Hanson, put out a Christmas record if I remember correctly. I think N’Sync and others might have, too.
But what you’re describing, DrCube, are Christmas songs. I believe the OP is inquiring about traditional Christmas carols, which are joyful religious songs celebrating the birth of Christ. I think of Christmas songs being more about snowmen, chestnuts, chipmunks wanting hula-hoops and people getting “upsot.”
I’ll take either religious or not. By traditional, I mean popular, ones that your kids might hear and sing. This wouldn’t include anything by Hanson.
How about Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You for new, 1994. Of course, large bits of it would fall under TRY to sing as opposed to actually sing. 
O Come O Come Emmanuel may be the oldest, it seems to go back to the 12th century.
Moving to CS.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
“Adeste Fideles” was written in 1743 by John Francis Wade (Wiki). “Greensleeves”, the basis for “What Child is This?” was probably written around 1550 or so (Wiki again).
Isn’t that a Thanksgiving song?
The tune to Good King Wenceslas comes from a 13th century spring carol (“Tempus Adest Floridum” – “It Is Time for Flowering”).
Per the Catholic Herald, the first song celebrating the birth of Jesus was a hymn, Of the Father’s Love Begotten. This dates to the 4th century, about the time when Christmas was first established as a holy day.
The originator of the tradition of caroling was supposedly St. Francis of Assisi, circa 1223. At the same time he initiated the living Nativity play. The idea was to make the Christmas story more meaningful to the public, who were, of course, largely illiterate.
No, that’s Jingle Bells. It has a lot more verses than just the first.
And was supposedly written for a Thanksgiving service.
According to this link “Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming” is from the 15th century.
Never heard of it. Not that I’m representative…
Baby, It’s Cold Outside and The Christmas Song were 1944.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! was 1945.
Sleigh Ride was 1946.
Blue Christmas was 1948.
Frosty the Snowman was 1950.
Santa Baby was 1953.
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) was 1958.
Do You Hear What I Hear? was 1963.
Christmas Time is Here (from Charlie Brown) was 1965.
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch was 1966.
Feliz Navidad was 1970!
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer was the late 1970s.
All from Wikipedia. The war was pretty good for classic Christmas songs, apparently.
There apparently wasn’t any such thing as a pop Christmas song until 1935, when we got Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town. I suspect Winter Wonderland (1934) was the catalyst.
Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” (1979) is probably one of the most recent ‘classics’.
…And Robert Earl Keen’s “Merry Christmas From the Family” is from 1994, not that anyone goes around singing it from door to door. It does get tons of airplay though.
John & Yoko’s Happy Christmas (War is Over) has become a classic.
Honestly, it doesn’t even begin to occur to me that one would be able to ride in a sleigh in November. Of course, I’ve never seen anything you could ride a sleigh on at any time in my hometown.