the real life family that The Sound of Music was based on! 9. Three fun facts about this song: it was written by a woman, it was initially called “Carol of the Drum,” and it was first recorded by the Trapp Family Singers, a.k.a. And as some have pointed out, yes, “Mary freaking knew.” 10. What I do know about this song is that it’s controversial, beloved by some for its beauty, but loathed by others for its alleged mansplaining and questionable theology. This song feels like a classic, but one thing I didn’t know is that it was first released just 30 years ago. As a result, it doesn’t get nearly as much flack as the next song. Like the next song, it also starts with a rhetorical question, but “What Child Is This?” promptly answers the question in the next stanza. This sweet song set to the traditional folk melody “Greensleeves” paints the nativity scene with simple images, such as a little babe asleep on his mother’s lap.
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It was later used in the Civil Rights movement, and the joy of the lyrics and melody carry on today in the enthusiastic hand motions of Catholic schoolchildren. This song has its roots as one of the very few Christmas songs among the preserved canon of African American spirituals. It’s a message that remains relevant today. In fact, it was written in the context of post-Civil War America, urging the divided and ravaged country to look to Jesus’ nativity as a beacon of hope. (TIE) “O Little Town of Bethlehem”įun fact: This song is sung to a different tune on each side of the Atlantic, but the American version is the original. PBS notes that it is widely considered “one of the most glorious expressions of sacred joy in the Christmas repertory.” But it seems this high music didn’t resonate with our audience as much as some other hymns. “For Unto Us a Child Is Born”īased on a verse from Isaiah, this choral piece was written for Handel’s Messiah. Honestly though, that’s fitting, considering that Christmas is a holiday celebrating the baby Jesus. This classic tune tells the story of the Annunciation to the shepherds, but it definitely has more of a lullaby feel than some of the other tunes.
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“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night” Here is the definitive FemCatholic ranking of best religious Christmas songs of all time: 16. So, we reached out to you, our FemCatholic community, to come up with a ranking of favorite Christmas hymns. While songs like “Santa Baby” and “All I Want for Christmas (Is You)” get most of the radio airtime, I think religious hymns deserve more attention.
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We love the songs we love, and we hate the songs we hate. Years later, I maintain that all of this could have been avoided if my church had just honored tradition by selecting the right carol!Ĭhristmas carols evoke strong emotions in us. Needless to say, my parents were less-than-joyful about this start to our celebration.
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My brothers were not amenable to this idea and started yelling at me to stop, as I continued belting it out. I was upset and decided to take matters into my own hands, ushering in Christmas by singing my own a cappella rendition in the car on the way home. Even today, it makes me think of those Christmas songs that I just can’t live without. What I do recall is my disappointment at the absence of this cherished ritual. Well, almost always, because one year they didn’t, subbing in some other perfectly appropriate Christmas hymn I can’t recall. In my mind, it’s not Christmas until we sing “Joy to the World.” My childhood parish always concluded the family Christmas vigil Mass with this classic hymn, complete with an organ and trumpets.