Top 11 Christmas Carols

By CJ Tiernan

The delineation I am making here between a Christmas song and a Christmas carol is the content of the song. Carols are religious and often based around the birth of Jesus while Christmas songs are the secular side of the equation and don't carry the religious weight of a carol. I am ranking both and you can read my Top 11 Christmas Songs List here. Without further ado, I present my Top 11 favorite Christmas Carols that I've ever heard.

Me, Dressed as a Sheppard recreating a reading from church for my grandparents, December 2003

1. O Holy Night

O Holy Night is easily my favorite Christmas carol. I have this song by like 20 different artists on my Christmas songs playlist. The cool thing about this song is it allows the talent of a great singer to shine through. It is a dynamic song that can showcase some range. The "O night divine" lines at the end: goosebumps!

2. Carol of the Bells

Mannheim Steamroller probably perfected this song. There version is so great and is performed essentially without lyrics (there are some words that are more like vocal effects). When I sang this one in choir in Junior High, I was surprised to find there were lyrics. My favorite part about this song is the drama and tension. There is an energy that drives the song and conjures a charming cacophony (in a good way).

3. Mary, Did You Know?

I first heard this song by the band Pentatonix. Years later, I would come to find that they covered the song and it wasn't originally theirs. As has happened so many times in music before, they didn't write it but they did perfect it. This song is heartwarming and beautiful. I've heard it done well before as a solo piece as well.

4. O Come All Ye Faithful

I remember singing this one in church. This one has big "Christmas morning" vibes. Listening to a bunch of people sing this one is really satisfying. I also enjoy getting to use the word "Ye." It feels very pirate. Who doesn't love the juxtaposition of a pirate Christmas?

5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

My favorite thing on this song is the elements of a call and response. It feels like the type of song where one side of the room sings and then the other side responds. It is a very cool effect. It is also a joyous, upbeat song, which is always my favorite flavor of song.

6. What Child Is This

This is a slower song than I'm typically into, but I really enjoy the lullaby quality of it. What Child Is This is crafted in such a way it almost seems like a lullaby being sung to J-sauce himself in the manger. However, when we get to that chorus, oh baby you can really belt it.

7. Joy to the World

John Mulaney has a great stand-up bit about "the best meal he ever had" in which he jokes about Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat starting subtly. I feel the same would apply here. Joy to the World starts with a triumphant chorus of "Joy to the World." It is wonderful and impactful. I, however, never remember any of the lyrics after the first verse. Does anyone?

8. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

The beat of this song is like the time in English class when we had to learn about Emily Dickinson (gross!) and iambic pentameter. "Because I could not stop for death it kindly stopped for me." It's very up, down, up, down. I like it (the song, not Emily Dickinson). Singing this song is like riding a vocal roller coaster (Vocal Roller Coaster: dibs on that as my band name).

9. The First Noël

Noël is French for Christmas. So this song is singing about the first Christmas (a.k.a. the birth of Christ). I like that it doesn't follow Joesph and Mary but rather the wise men. We also get images of Shepards and angels to really paint the scene. It is a very visual song.

10. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

This song is fun because it has Gregorian chant vibes. It seems to ape the tenor of the Kyrie prayer during the service. I really enjoy the energy of the refrain. I do, however, question the decision to rhyme Emmanuel with Israel. Did they think we wouldn't notice?

11. Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels are a fascinating piece of religious imagery. It's already a struggle to have faith and your solve is to add in flying characters? [Tony Romo voice] "I don't know, Jim." The chorus of this one is marvelous, though. "Gloria in excelsis Deo." For one, never enough opportunities to speak a dead language. You gotta take those ops whenever they pop up. Second, it's a real treat to hold the line on a single word for so long. "Gloria" is sung, if my math is right, for 18 notes. How fun is that? It reminds me of the time I went to see Weird Al in concert at an outdoor stage (I didn't have a ticket, I just stood outside the venue for the last couple of songs) and a train drove by while he was singing "The Saga Begins" and he simply held the note until the train went by. The train was right behind me so it felt like Weird Al was looking right at me. What a moment. Anyway, Angels We Have Heard on High = good!

12. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Okay. I messed up. I originally wrote this list and forgot number 3: Mary, Did You Know? As a result, I had to shift the rest down. Please enjoy the presence of the rare 12th item on my Top 11 list. The chorus of this song is so beautiful musically. It is fun because it is different lyrics every time, only the music remains the same. Even the line that constitutes the title of the song changes from "do you hear what I hear?" to "do you see what I see?" to "do you know what I know?" to finally "Listen to what I say." It is very cool

Final Thoughts

I'm not an overly religious person but with Christmas as my favorite holiday, I can't escape the carols. In fact, I love me the carols! There are so many great and beautiful ones. Whether singing them as a congregation in a church, door to door as a caroler, or to yourself as you bring in the groceries, it is a real pleasure to both hear and sing these songs. I love them and I hope you do too. If you have some favorite Christmas carols that I left off my list, please let me know in the comments. Thank you and Merry Christmas!