# What's your favourite Christmas carol? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271 "2018-12-17T14:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/1 "2018-12-17T14:53:01Z")
In [another thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=867344) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/2 "2018-12-17T16:46:17Z")
Rio by Duran Duran ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/3 "2018-12-17T17:01:48Z")
[Because I’m Santa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2H6S6bXKAs) 'cause I’m awesome. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/4 "2018-12-17T17:23:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/5 "2018-12-17T18:20:17Z")
“Little Drummer Boy” has been my favorite as long as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/6 "2018-12-17T18:50:39Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > “Little Drummer Boy” has been my favorite as long as I can remember. 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. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/7 "2018-12-17T19:03:10Z")
_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. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/8 "2018-12-17T19:39:18Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/9 "2018-12-17T19:52:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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”. O Come all ye Family Guy ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/10 "2018-12-17T19:57:19Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > “Little Drummer Boy” has been my favorite as long as I can remember. 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- [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnIFTtW1pko) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/11 "2018-12-17T20:12:59Z")
White Christmas isn’t a carol. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/12 "2018-12-17T20:18:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > White Christmas isn’t a carol. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/13 "2018-12-17T20:22:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/14 "2018-12-17T20:24:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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”. 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… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/15 "2018-12-17T20:35:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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. 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”\*… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/16 "2018-12-17T20:51:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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. That’s funny, I thought I did say that… > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Many of the ‘carols’ we sing are not religious folk songs or hymns… (Note quotation marks around ‘carols’.) But they’re still ‘Christmas carols’, as defined by use. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/17 "2018-12-17T20:52:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > White Christmas isn’t a carol. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > 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. > [@Chronos](#): > > 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. > [@DrDeth](#): > > 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”\*… ::World’s biggest fucking eyeroll:: 'Tis the season to nitpick a simple question to death. My selection: In the Bleak Midwinter, sung by [Chanticleer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjRXIiZ8bs0) It’s excruciatingly poignant. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/18 "2018-12-17T20:54:42Z")
Hark, The Herald Angels Sing is number one, followed closely by O Holy Night (sung by a tenor). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/19 "2018-12-17T21:14:53Z")
[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. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vmEfFlbqbbY/maxresdefault.jpg "Twisted Sister - Oh Come All Ye Faithful") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmEfFlbqbbY) ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271/20 "2018-12-17T21:23:36Z")
I have a special fondness for “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”, but I’m not sure if it’s my favorite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favourite-christmas-carol/826271.md?page=2)