What's your favourite Christmas carol?

Cafe Society
1

In another thread there are comments like ‘[J]ust give me [traditional] carols and maybe some modern arrangements thereof’, ‘[M]y personal favorite [Christmas carol] is “Good King Wenceslas”’, ‘* rather [enjoy] a carol service’. What is your favourite Christmas carol?

Here’s mine, as I learned it in high school:

♫ Herbei, o ihr Gläubigen,
Fröhlich triumphierend,
O kommet, o kommet nach Bethlehem!
Sehet das Kindlein,
Uns zum Heil geboren!
O lasset uns anbeten,
O lasset uns anbeten,
O lasset uns anbeten
Den König! ♫

It’s not a carol, but I also like Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses.

2

Rio by Duran Duran

3

Because I’m Santa

'cause I’m awesome.

4

Christmas CAROLS, guys. Geeze.

My favorite carol is probably Silent Night. But the Candlelight Carol is high on the list.

And I’ve always loved singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, because it’s so wonderfully musical and, of course, minor.

5

“Little Drummer Boy” has been my favorite as long as I can remember.

6

I kind of like that one. Kind of. But as a child, I didn’t like the 1968 Rankin/Bass Christmas special. Something about the way the kid’s lip was animated, or how very earnest they made him (which was the point, after all). I grew up with Santa Claus and Christmas trees. TLDB was just a bit too religious for me, even at that young age. Kind of spoiled the song for me.

A couple/few months ago I watched The Greatest Gift (1942) on TCM. It’s a retelling of Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, first published in 1892, and based on a medieval French legend. The Little Drummer Boy is the same story, except that the ‘original’ involves a juggler-turned-monk who didn’t have a gift for the statue of the Virgin Mary. All he had was his ability to juggle. After fervently juggling for the statue (much to the consternation of the other monks), the statue comes to life and blesses him.

7

Adeste Fidelis. “O Come All ye Faithful” in the original Latin. I memorized it even before I became an altar boy, and I always find it fun to sing at Midnight Mass.

8

Another vote for “Adeste Fideles”, also in the original Latin.

And as a nitpick, “Adeste Fidelis” would be “O Come, ye Faithful Guy”, not “all”.

9

O Come all ye Family Guy

10

I had a record of that as a kid, and played it endlessly. Now, I dont like it so much.

White Christmas by Bing .

and for a little weird-

11

White Christmas isn’t a carol.

12

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘carol’ as ‘A religious folk song or popular hymn, particularly one associated with Christmas.’

Many of the ‘carols’ we sing are not religious folk songs or hymns, and yet they’re ‘carols’ anyway. White Christmas is a de facto Christmas carol.

13

No, the ones that aren’t religious folk songs or popular hymns aren’t carols. It’s kind of a weak argument to drag in the dictionary definition just to say that it’s wrong.

14

No, no. “Adeste Fidelis” would lead to a Monty Python scene where someone’s balls are threatened. You mean “Ades, fidelis”.

Remember, kids: rident stolidi verba latina. Write it out one hundred times by sunrise, or else-- you know…

15

The line between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas song is fuzzy and fine.

Then when you add in that around half of the music played is simply seasonal, and doesn’t even mention Christmas… and then there’s* a few of “My Favorite things”*…

16

That’s funny, I thought I did say that…

(Note quotation marks around ‘carols’.)

But they’re still ‘Christmas carols’, as defined by use.

17

::World’s biggest fucking eyeroll::

'Tis the season to nitpick a simple question to death.
My selection: In the Bleak Midwinter, sung by Chanticleer

It’s excruciatingly poignant.

18

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing is number one, followed closely by O Holy Night (sung by a tenor).

19

[quote=“DrDeth, post:10, topic:826271”]

I had a record of that as a kid, and played it endlessly. Now, I dont like it so much.

White Christmas by Bing .

and for a little weird-

[/QUOTE]

That may be a little weird but this is a little twisted.

20

I have a special fondness for “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”, but I’m not sure if it’s my favorite.