My Top Twenty Favorite Sacred Christmas Carols

My top 20 favorite sacred Christmas carols are listed here, ordered alphabetically by title.

(Links to additional hymn backgrounds and melodies are provided. CTRL-click on each title-link to open it in a new window. Be sure to turn up your computer speakers.)

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"Angels from the Realms of Glory"

With lyrics by hymnist James Montgomery and music by sacred composer Henry T. Smart, this 19^th Century Christian carol is a traditional Christmas favorite. Seven stanzas recount the Bethlehem nativity of the Christ child, as angels, shepherds, sages, saints, sinners and all members of creation join hearts and voices to praise the divine Baby in the Manger.

The refrain of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" offers a familiar call to worship:

Come and worship,

Come and worship.

Worship Christ,

The newborn King.

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"Angels We Have Heard on High"

This popular 19^th Century Christmas carol includes lyrics by hymnist James Chadwick, based on a French carol ("Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes"). The tune is a traditional French Yuletide melody.

Many Christian children learn this beloved Christmas hymn in children's church choirs. The chorus of "Angels We Have Heard on High" evokes images of a rejoicing angelic chorus:

Gloria, in excelsis Deo.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo.

Translating the Latin to English, this reads, "Glory to God in the highest." What an appropriate message for Christmas and always.

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"Away in a Manger"

Although the original lyricist for this favorite sacred Christmas carol is unknown, the words are surely familiar to all Yuletide celebrants. This simple Christian holiday hymn is often the first carol young children may learn. "Away in the Manger" offers a simple lullaby of the infant Christ in the Bethlehem manger.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.

The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,

The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

"Away in a Manger" first appeared in an 1885 Lutheran children's schoolbook. This traditional Christmas carol may be sung in either of two familiar tunes. Two composers, James R. Murray and William J. Kirkpatrick composed these Christmas melodies in the late 1800s.

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"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)"

Written by Chris Eaton and Amy Grant for the 1992 Home for Christmas CD, "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" has become a popular sacred Christmas carol.

This sacred Christmas song offer's the Virgin Mary's perspective, as she carried the Christ child before His birth. The chorus is her prayer for strength and comfort, as her time came due:

Breath of Heaven,

Hold me together,

Be forever near me,

Breath of Heaven.

Breath of Heaven,

Lighten my darkness,

Pour over me Your holiness,

For You are holy.

Breath of Heaven.

This favorite sacred Christmas carol has been recorded by Amy Grant, Margaret Becker, Chris Eaton, Vince Gill, Point of Grace, Sara Groves, Melissa Manchester, Jessica Simpson, Donna Summer and other artists.

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"Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning"

Minister and minstrel John Fischer recrafted an 18^th century Christmas carol to create a devotional hymn, "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning," for his 1974 album, Still Life.

Lyricist Reginald Heber penned the words to this sacred Yuletide carol in 1811. Composer James P. Harding added the melody at the end of the 19^th Century.

On a personal note: "Brightest and Best" was one of the first songs I learned to play on an acoustic guitar, and the lyrics (by Reginald Heber) have stuck with me ever since.

Because these most memorable lines are considered public domain, the refrain and all four stanzas of this beloved sacred Christmas carol are included here:

Hail the blest morn; see the Great Mediator.

Down from the regions of glory descend.

Shepherds, go worship the Babe in the manger.

Lo, for a guard the bright angels attend.

Refrain:

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning

Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid

Star of the east the horizon adorning

Guide where our infant redeemer is laid

Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining

Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall

Angels adore Him in slumber reclining

Maker and Monarch and Savior of all

(Repeat refrain)

Say shall we yield Him in costly devotion

Odors of Edom and offerings divine

Gems from the mountain and pearls from the ocean

Myrrh from the forest or gold from the mine

(Repeat refrain)

Vainly we offer each ample oblation

Vainly with gifts would His favor secure

Richer by far is the heart's adoration

Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

Simple sheet music (including guitar chords) for "Brightest and Best" may be found here.

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"God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen"

Although the origins of this much-loved sacred Christmas hymn are uncertain, novelist Charles Dickens referred to it in his classic 1843 tale, A Christmas Carol.

"God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" brings to mind traditional European Christmas carolers, enthusiastically singing good cheer to friends and neighbors during the Advent season.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

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"Good Christian Men, Rejoice"

Christmas is a time for rejoicing. Men, women and children celebrate together with great joy, recalling the humble birth of the Savior of the world. "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" includes words by lyricist Heinrich Suso, who likely translated an early Latin hymn of the nativity. The music is a 14^th Century traditional German melody.

With just three stanzas, this sacred Christmas carol calls all to proclaim the good news of the season. The final stanza echoes the everlasting hope of Heaven:

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save.

Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall.

Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save.

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"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"

This beloved sacred Christmas hymn includes words penned in 1739 by Christian lyricist and theologian Charles Wesley. With music by renowned composer Felix Mendelssohn, this Yuletide carol has surely stood the test of time. Mendelssohn included "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" as part of an 1840 Christmas cantata.

The first verse is familiarly sung, although it contains the entire Christian Gospel message in a melodious nutshell:

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th'angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

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"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

This favorite sacred Christmas carol recounts a personal revelation of the message of Christmas. The narrator, offering the 1864 lyrics, is none other than the master storyteller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Several melodies have accompanied Longfellow's lyrics for "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." Most of these tunes originated in the mid-19^th Century.

The carol opens with a personal story:

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Longfellow recounts his vision for peace, despite worldly strife and conflicts, arriving finally at the Christmas promise of faith. For Christ is born, the incarnation of the living God and evidence of His love. The final stanza finishes strong:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men."

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"In the Bleak Midwinter"

British Romantic poet Christina Rossetti wrote the lyrics to the sweet sacred Christmas carol, "In the Bleak Midwinter." The lines were published in Scribner's Monthly in 1872. Composer Gustav Holst added the melody about 25 years later.

Rossetti's lyrics explore the majesty of God, wondering what gift might be appropriate for the Son of God made flesh. Finally, she arrives at a suitable solution, in the last stanza:

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a favorite sacred Christmas carol, perhaps because of the devotion it evokes. As shoppers race for bargains and extravagant gifts for friends and family, God may be whispering that the only Christmas Gift that really counts is the One already given. Could a humble and open human heart be the best response?

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"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"

Lyricist and clergyman Edmund Hamilton Sears wrote the words for the sacred Christmas carol, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," for a Sunday School Advent program in 1849. Church composer Richard Willis added the melody the following year.

The opening stanza unveils the spiritual world, as revealed to the Bethlehem shepherds on the night the Lord Christ was born on the earth.

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth,

To touch their harps of gold;

"Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From Heaven's all gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

On a clear Christmas Eve night, what Yuletide celebrant hasn't gazed up at the stars and wondered what it would be like to view a choir of angels rejoicing and proclaiming great news for all people?

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"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

This sacred Christmas carol is quite antiquarian. In fact, the lyrics may have been adapted from a 12^th Century Latin hymn. According to Christian legend, French Franciscan nuns set the words to a medieval funeral hymn. The haunting melody creates a wondrous antithesis with the Christmas carol's prophetic words of promise:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The Hebrew word "Emmanuel" (or "Immanuel") may be translated as "God with us." The word is used in this sacred Christmas carol to echo the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14, NIV).

The final stanza of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" offers a prophetic encouragement:

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

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"O, Holy Night"

No Christmas season is complete without this sacred Christmas carol. The words to "O, Holy Night" were written by composer Placide Cappeau in 1847. He titled the carol "Cantique de Noel." John S. Dwight translated the lines into English in the 19^th Century.

Composer Adolphe Adam created the melody for the Yuletide hymn.

This sacred Christmas carol, which challenges the vocal ranges of many singers, has been performed in recent years by Jim Brickman, Sarah Brightman, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Harry Connick, Jr., Celine Dion, Il Divo, Josh Groban, Sara Groves, Avril Lavigne, Reba McEntire, Mercy Me, NewSong, Smokie Norful, Sandi Patti, Luciano Pavarotti, David Phelps, Diana Ross, Third Day and many other artists.

Each stanza begins slowly and rhythmically, building to a glorious Christmas crescendo:

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

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"O, Little Town of Bethlehem"

Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest, abolitionist and lyricist, wrote the words to this treasured sacred Christmas carol. Brooks had taken a trip by horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in 1865. After seeing the birthplace of the Lord Christ by starlight, he penned these lines:

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv'n;

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav'n.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

Lewis Redner, who was the organist in Brooks' church, crafted the melody for "O, Little Town of Bethlehem."

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"Silent Night"

"Silent Night" may be the most popular and familiar Christmas carol ever written. This simple, but sacred, song is a perennial favorite Christian hymn.

Austrian Catholic priest Josef Mohr wrote the lyrics to "Silent Night" in the early 19^th Century, calling it "Stille Nacht." According to popular legend, Father Mohr was inspired to write the song for guitar accompaniment during a Christmas Eve service, as the organ in his church was broken. Composer Franz Gruber has been credited with creating the melody for "Silent Night."

The entire Christmas carol is now considered public domain:

Silent night, holy night,

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and Child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

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Silent night, holy night,

Shepherds quake at the sight;

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born!

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Silent night, holy night,

Son of God, love's pure light;

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

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Silent night, holy night

Wondrous star, lend thy light;

With the angels let us sing,

Alleluia to our King;

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born!

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"The First Noel"

This traditional English folk carol is a favorite sacred Christmas hymn, dating probably from the 13^th Century.

Set to a simple tune, "The First Noel" tells the story of the very first Christmas, when Christ was born in a stable in Bethlehem. The song's lyrics recount how the heavenly star led the wise men and shepherds to the manger where the infant Jesus rested. There the divinely guided visitors worshipped the Child, even as Christians still do today.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

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"Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne"

Emily Elliott, daughter of a British bishop, wrote the familiar lyrics to the sacred Christmas carol, "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne," in 1864. Timothy R. Matthews, British canon and composer, added the melody a dozen years later.

This Yuletide hymn opens with the revelation of Christ's incarnation, as He voluntarily left His Heavenly spot to take on human flesh and birth:

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

This sacred Christmas carol traces the human life and death of Jesus, ending with the promise of eternity, earned by Christ on the cross:

When the heav'ns shall ring, and her choirs shall sing,

At Thy coming to victory,

Let Thy voice call me home, saying "Yet there is room,

There is room at My side for thee."

My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,

When Thou comest and callest for me.

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"We Three Kings"

Hymnist John H. Hopkins, Jr., wrote the words and music to this favorite sacred Christmas carol. "We Three Kings" is a mainstay of any Christmas pageant, and rightly so. Hopkins penned the lines in 1857 for a church nativity play, staged at a New York City seminary.

Each Christmas season, as Christians sing the stanzas of "We Three Kings," may we entreat the Lord for His personal guidance, even as He led the magi to the manger:

O star of wonder, star of light,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect light.

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"What Child Is This?"

This sacred Christmas carol, with words by lyricist William Chatterton Dix, is commonly sung to a familiar 16^th Century English tune, known as "Greensleeves."

"What Child Is This?" asks the songwriter, along with the rest of the world. Those who recognize Him are drawn to His presence and seek to offer him homage and devotion, at Christmas and always:

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,

Come peasant, king to own Him;

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy, joy for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

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"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night"

Irish playwright and poet Nahum Tate wrote the lyrics for the treasured sacred Christmas carol, "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night," in 1700. Several melodies have accompanied Tate's words, including tunes from composers George Frederic Handel, Frederick H. C. Shackelford and Hugh Wilson.

This favorite Yuletide song highlights the message the angels proclaimed to the Bethlehem shepherds, instructing them to leave their flocks and hurry to visit the infant Christ in the manger. The Christmas carol concludes with the angels' own song of praise to the newborn King:

"All glory be to God on high,

And to the Earth be peace;

Good will henceforth from Heaven to men

Begin and never cease,

Begin and never cease!"

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My Favorite Christmas Song of All Time

Of course, my all-time favorite sacred Christmas song is not really a Christmas carol at all. This number stirs my heart every time, even as it brings audiences to their feet.

Click here to read "My Favorite Christmas Song of All Time."