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Best-Loved Christmas Carols, Readings and Poetry
Compiled by Martin Manser

Associate Editor: David H. Pickering

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Introduction

Index of Titles and First Lines

Author Index

Index of Bible References

Best-Loved Christmas Carols, Readings and Poetry

Copyright

About the Publisher

Introduction

Christmas: the very word conjures up a sense of celebration, excitement … and bustle. The Christmas season is a unique time of year, but the pressures of commercialism, the trappings associated with Christmas and the expectations we have of it all threaten to overshadow its real significance.

At the heart of Christmas is the most amazing fact: God took on our humanity and was born as a child in Bethlehem. This good news, reiterated in many different ways in this collection of carols, poems and readings, is meant to affect our lives the whole year round. So we have included material that explores the implications of Christmas, urging us to lead lives that reflect the message of peace on earth and goodwill to all.

This collection is designed both as a reference work and a resource for personal devotion. Each carol, reading or poem is given an introduction which provides interesting or helpful background information. All the readings are arranged in alphabetical order of title (ignoring ‘A’ or ‘The’ at the beginning of the title). For ease of reference there are also indexes at the beginning of the book to enable you to find a particular item by reference to its title and first line, its author, or, where appropriate, its Bible reference.

It has been a joy to edit this compilation, which we trust will take us back to the heart of the first Christmas, ‘that to you is born … a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord’ (Luke 2:11). May we respond not only with our worship, praise and adoration but also with changed lives that actually live out the message of Christmas all through the year.

Martin H. Manser

David H. Pickering

Index of Titles and First Lines

(where the first line differs from the title, the first line appears in italics)

Adam and Eve in the garden

Adam lay ybounden

All my heart this night rejoices

All the days of Christmas

Angels we have heard on high

Angels, from the realms of glory

The Annunciation

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being

As with gladness men of old

Away in a manger

Behold a virgin shall conceive

The bells of waiting Advent ring

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God

The Boar’s head carol

The boar’s head in hand bear I

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah

The Calypso carol

Can I not sing but ‘Hoy’

Celebrations

Child in the manger

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap

Christians, awake!

A Christingle song

The Christingle song begins with an orange

Christmas

Christmas bells

A Christmas carol

A Christmas Carol

Christmas Day in the workhouse

Christmas in India

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat

The Christmas now is past, and I have kept my fast

Christmas shopping

A Christmas song

The Christmas tree

A cold coming we had of it

Come and join the celebration

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God

The Coventry carol

Dashing through the snow

David’s dynasty will last for ever

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Declare these things

Dim dawn behind the tamarisks – the sky is saffron-yellow –

Ding! dong! merrily on high

Do not let your hearts be troubled

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

Fastidiously, with gloved and careful fingers

The first Nowell

The first-born of all creation

The flight into Egypt

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all

For unto us a child is born

The friendly beasts

From heaven above to earth I come

From the centre of the ceiling of this kitchen, old Wardle had just suspended

A frosty Christmas Eve

Gaudete!

Go tell it on the mountain

God has spoken

God is love

God rest ye merry, gentlemen

God so loved the world

Good Christian friends, rejoice

Good King Wenceslas

The grace of God

Had a pleasant walk to White Hall

Hail the blest morn! See the great Mediator

Hark! the herald angels sing

He afterwards fell into an Account of the Diversions

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

He’s got the whole world in His hand

His active little crutch was heard upon the floor

The holly and the ivy

Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber

Hymn on the morning of Christ’s nativity

I am the way

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions

I saw three ships come sailing in

I sing of a maiden

I went to London with my wife, to celebrate Christmas-day

I woke after 7 and got up at 8

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

I’ve just had an astounding dream as I lay in the straw

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields

In the beginning was the Word

In the bleak mid-winter

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God

In the time of David

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town

Infant holy, infant lowly

It came upon a midnight clear

It is Christmas Day in the workhouse

It was Christmas Day in the trenches

It was the Winter wilde

It’s rounded like an orange

Jesus Christ is Lord

Jesus, our brother, kind and good

Jingle Bells

Joly Wat

Joseph and Mary

Journey of the Magi

Joy to the world

King John was not a good man –

King John’s Christmas

Lady selecting her Christmas cards

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus

A light to the nations

Like all intelligent people, I greatly dislike Christmas

Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away!

little tree

A little child

Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir

Lo! He comes with clouds descending

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets

Love came down at Christmas

Lully, lulla, thou little tyne child

The Magnificat

Make we mery both more and lasse

Mary had a baby

The messenger of God

Minstrel’s song

Mistletoe

Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house

The mystery of our religion

The night before Christmas

No room at the inn

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way

Now the holly bears a berry

Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk

Now there was a man in Jerusalem who name was Simeon

Now ys the time of Crystymas

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

O come, all ye faithful

O come, O come, Emmanuel

O holy night

O little town of Bethlehem

Of the Father’s heart begotten

Old Sam’s Christmas pudding

On a winter’s night long time ago

On Christmas night all Christians sing

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me

Once in royal David’s city

Out of Bethlehem

Out of Jacob

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light

A Pepysian Christmas

Personent hodie

The Pickwick Papers

A Puritan Christmas

Put out the lights now!

Rejoice, ye tenants of the earth

Rocking carol

The rod of Jesse

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer

Saint Stephen and King Herod

Saint Stephen was a clerk

See Him lying on a bed of straw

See, amid the winter’s snow

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me

See, the day is coming, burning like an oven

A Shavian Christmas

The shepherds and the angels

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesus

Silent night

Simeon and Anna

Sir Roger de Coverley’s Christmas

Sitting under the mistletoe

So he uttered his oracle

Somehow not only for Christmas

Step softly, under snow or rain

The sun of righteousness

Swords into ploughshares

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign

They heard the sound of the Lord God

Three damsels in the queen’s chamber

The three wise men

The time draws near the birth of Christ

To him was given dominion

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

Torches

Torches, torches, run with torches

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

The twelve days of Christmas

Unto us a boy is born

Unto us is born a Son

A Victorian Christmas

The Virgin Mary had a baby boy

The voice in the wilderness

Wassail! wassail all over town!

Watts’s cradle hymn

We declare to you what was from the beginning

We three kings of Orient are

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God

We wish you a merry Christmas

What child is this who, laid to rest

What child is this?

What shall my true love

When the fullness of time had come

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

White Christmas

The wise men

The Word of life

Zechariah and Elizabeth

Zechariah’s song of thanksgiving

Author Index

Addison, Joseph	Sir Roger de Coverley’s Christmas
Alexander, Cecil Frances	Once in royal David’s city
Alfred, Lord Tennyson	The time draws near the birth of Christ
Anonymous	Adam lay ybounden
	Away in a manger
	The boar’s head carol
	Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
	The Coventry carol
	Deck the halls with boughs of holly
	The first Nowell
	The friendly beasts
	Gaudete!
	Go tell it on the mountain
	God rest ye merry, gentlemen
	Good Christian friends, rejoice
	He’s got the whole world in His hand
	The holly and the ivy
	I saw three ships come sailing in
	I sing of a maiden
	Infant holy, infant lowly
	Joly Wat
	A little child
	Mary had a baby
	Now the holly bears a berry
	O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
	O come, O come, Emmanuel
	On Christmas night all Christians sing
	Personent hodie
	Rocking carol
	Saint Stephen and King Herod
	Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
	Torches
	The twelve days of Christmas
	Unto us a boy
	Unto us is born a son
	The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
	Wassail! wassail all over the town
	We wish you a merry Christmas
Belloc, Hilaire	On a winter’s night long, long ago
Berlin, Irving	White Christmas
Betjeman, John	Christmas
Breton, Nicholas	A Christmas song
Bridge, Basil	It’s rounded like an orange
Bridges, Robert	A frosty Christmas Eve
Brooks, Phillips	Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!
	O little town of Bethlehem
Byrom, John	Christians, awake!
Cappeau, Placide	O holy night
Caswall, Edward	See, amid the winter’s snow
Cennick, John	Lo! He comes with clouds descending
Chesterton, G. K.	A Christmas carol
	The wise men
Collison, Valerie	Celebrations
Cummings, E. E.	little tree
de la Mare, Walter	Mistletoe
Dickens, Charles	A Christmas Carol
	The Pickwick Papers
Dix, William Chatterton	As with gladness men of old