Xmas Carols - I luv em!!

The Sound of Winter and Tradition

There is something unmistakably comforting about the sound of English Christmas carols. As the nights draw in and frost settles on the rooftops, those familiar melodies begin to drift through churches, school halls, and high streets across the country. Whether sung by a polished choir in Westminster Abbey or a group of bundled-up voices on a quiet village green, carols are the musical heartbeat of the British Christmas. They evoke not just the story of the Nativity, but the deeper spirit of warmth, community, and continuity that defines the season.

The English carol has its roots deep in history, far earlier than most people realise. The word carol originally meant a song of joy or celebration, often accompanied by dancing. In medieval England, carols were not confined to Christmas; they were sung to mark all kinds of festivals and feasts. It was only later, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the tradition became closely associated with the birth of Christ. Many of the oldest carols - such as The Coventry Carol and The Boar’s Head Carol - date back to this period, combining religious devotion with a sense of local celebration.

The Reformation and Puritan rule in the seventeenth century almost silenced the tradition altogether. During Oliver Cromwell’s time, public celebrations of Christmas were discouraged, and carol-singing was seen as too rowdy, too pagan, or simply too joyful. Yet, like the season itself, the carol survived the cold years and re-emerged with renewed life during the Victorian era. It was then that Christmas, as we know it today, began to take shape — with decorated trees, family gatherings, and the revival of old customs. The Victorians loved nostalgia and community, and carols fitted perfectly with their vision of a warm, moral, family-centred Christmas.

Many of the most beloved English carols were either written or popularised during this time. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, with words by Charles Wesley, became a Christmas staple when it was set to Felix Mendelssohn’s jubilant melody in the nineteenth century. Once in Royal David’s City, written by Cecil Frances Alexander, was first published in 1848 and went on to become the traditional opening of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge - a broadcast that has become part of the national festive ritual. The Victorians also collected and preserved older folk carols, ensuring that songs such as The First Nowell and God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen would continue to be sung for generations to come.

There is a particular magic in English carols that transcends time and fashion. Part of it lies in their blend of solemnity and joy. Songs like In the Bleak Midwinter, with Christina Rossetti’s hauntingly simple words, capture the quiet wonder of the season - the sense of peace and stillness that comes with snow on the ground and candlelight in the window. Others, such as Ding Dong Merrily on High or Deck the Hall, celebrate the sheer exuberance of Christmas - the feasting, the laughter, and the sense of community that brightens even the darkest days of winter.

Carols are, above all, communal. Unlike pop songs or hymns confined to church, they belong to everyone. Standing in the chill of a December evening, clutching a song sheet and a cup of mulled wine, even the most reluctant singer can’t help but join in. There’s something wonderfully unselfconscious about it - the harmonies may waver, the words might be forgotten, but the feeling of togetherness endures. That, perhaps, is what makes carols so enduring: they remind us that Christmas is not about perfection, but about connection.

Even today, when Christmas seems increasingly commercial, the tradition of carol-singing continues to thrive. Schoolchildren perform concerts in draughty halls, brass bands play outside supermarkets, and church choirs fill cathedrals with sound that feels both ancient and eternal. Each year, new arrangements and compositions appear, yet the old carols remain the most beloved. They tie us to centuries of celebration and faith, to generations who have stood before us and sung the same words by candlelight.

Our Xmas carols are more than just songs - they're stories set to music - stories of hope, generosity, and light in the midst of darkness. Whether they are sung in the splendour of a cathedral or whispered softly around a family piano, they carry with them the essence of Christmas itself: a reminder that even in the bleakest midwinter, there is always something to sing about. (NB that's my all-time favourite!!!)