Why just hum along or mouth the words to the Christmas carols at your next get together, when you can learn the actual lyrics and sing confidently? From kids' Christmas songs to traditional and religious carols, you can find the lyrics for just about any Christmas song. And you might just find out that a lyric you were absolutely SURE you knew is actually something else. That's part of the fun of learning the words to our favorite songs.
Kids' Christmas Songs
Kids love to sing Christmas songs. The lyrics to the songs below can help expand their repertoire.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is one of the most beloved kids' Christmas songs. While kids often know one or two verses, these lyrics will help them learn the entire song about how Rudolph's bright nose saved Christmas.
Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells is a public domain Christmas song, so the lyrics are available in the public domain. The lyrics for all of the versus and the chorus of James Lord Pierpont's famous Christmas song follow:
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight
(Chorus)
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And we, we got upsot
(Chorus)
A day or two ago
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh
He laughed as there I sprawling lie
But quickly drove away
(Chorus)
Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young
Take the girls tonight and sing this sleighing song
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead
(Repeat chorus twice)
Frosty the Snowman
Gene Autry first recorded Frosty the Snowman in 1950. The song has nine verses and tells the tale of the day Frosty came to life.
Suzy Snowflake
Rosemary Clooney recorded Suzy Snowflake, which is a lesser known song today. Kids will enjoy singing about how Suzy Snowflake comes tapping on the window pane to bring winter to town.
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Donald Yetter Gardener's silly Christmas song is a favorite among kids for its goofy lyrics. Toothless kids everywhere can sing along while reading the lyrics.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
This popular song about Santa's pending visit was first performed in 1934 on Eddie Cantor's radio show. Now, Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a perennial kids' favorite.
Up on the Housetop
Another song about Santa, Up on the Housetop is another song recorded by Gene Autry, although it has been around since 1864.
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
Ever since Elmo and Patsy recorded Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer in 1979, kids have loved to sing this silly Christmas song.
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
This Alvin and the Chipmunks song is a kids' favorite. Children enjoy The Chipmunk Song, where Alvin and his brothers urge Christmas to hurry and get here.
The Little Drummer Boy
Katherine Kennicott Davis wrote The Little Drummer Boy in 1941. The song tells the story of a drummer boy visiting Jesus after His birth and giving him the gift of playing his drum.
Religious Christmas Carols
Religious Christmas carols celebrate Jesus's birth in song. Many are in the public domain.
O Holy Night
Also known as Cantique de Noël, O Holy Night is based on a French poem called "Midnight Christians." The lyrics follow.
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the Soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
Oh, hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night
When Christ was born
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming
Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friends
He knows our need
Our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King
Before Him lowly bend
Behold your King
Before Him lowly bend
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains he shall break for the slave is our brother
And in his name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
With all our hearts we praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord
Then ever, ever praise we
His power and glory
Ever more proclaim
His power and glory
Ever more proclaim
O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
O Come All Ye Faithful is an English translation of a hymn calling the people to come and worship Christ upon his birth. Many people also like to sing the lyrics in Latin.
Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger has two distinct tunes, but the lyrics are the same for both tunes. The song tells the story of the baby Jesus lying in His manger after His birth.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
While many people know the lyrics of the first verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem, they may be less clear on the other three verses. The song praises Jesus's birth in the small town of Bethlehem.
Silent Night
Silent Night is the English translation beloved German carol Stille Nacht by Franz Gruber. The English translation typically has four verses while the German piece has six.
Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella
Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella is an English translation of the French hymn, Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle. The song bids a woman to share the good news of Christ's birth.
Still, Still, Still
The Austrian carol is a song about Christmas Eve. The song is called Still, Still, Still in both English and German.
Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels We Have Heard on High shares the story of Jesus's birth from the Gospel of Luke.
Coventry Carol
This Christmas carol is actually a mother's lament about Herod's ordering of the massacre of the babies when he heard of the coming of the Messiah. The Coventry Carol has a beautiful and haunting melody, and it is often sung in the Advent season.
The First Noel
The First Noel is the tale of the first Christmas. It is a classic 18th Century English carol.
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Go Tell it on the Mountain is an upbeat spiritual that celebrates Jesus's nativity.
The Holly and the Ivy
An English Christmas carol, the Holly and the Ivy uses the image of the two plants to tell of Jesus's birth.
Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming
Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming is the English translation of the carol Es ist ein Ros entsprungen. It is a thoughtful and introspective Christmas carol.
Secular Holiday Songs
These songs use secular imagery of Christmas and winter to celebrate the holiday.
Deck the Halls
Deck the Halls is a Welsh winter carol. Along with a lot of fa la las, the hymn also has three verses.
White Christmas
White Christmaswas written by Irving Berlin and popularized by the vocal stylings of Bing Crosby. The Guinness Book of World Records notes Crosby's recording is the biggest selling single of all time.
Jingle Bell Rock
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, Jingle Bells got an upgrade. The result was Jingle Bell Rock, which remains popular today.
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Another Bing Crosby song, I'll Be Home for Christmas, tells of the longing to be with family and friends during the Christmas holiday.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is Judy Garland song from the movie Meet Me in St. Louis. It's a sentimental holiday favorite.
Blue Christmas
Elvis Presley popularized Blue Christmas, a country Christmas song about missing loved ones during the holidays.
The Christmas Song
Many people believe the name of The Christmas Song is "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." Mel Tormé and Bob Wells wrote it in 1944. Tormé recorded the song, as did Nat King Cole and many others.
Silver Bells
A Bob Hope song from the movie The Lemon Drop Kid, Silver Bells celebrates one of the sounds of Christmas - bells ringing.
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
The Perry Como hit, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas has also been recorded by Johnny Mathis and many others. It celebrates the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
Winter Wonderland
While Winter Wonderland is often played during the holiday season, it's really a celebration of winter.
Twelve Days of Christmas
It seems people either love or hate this very long and repetitive English carol. It tells the story of extravagant Christmas gifts given over 12 days.
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
A Festive Holiday Season
Singing Christmas carols is a traditional way to share the joy of the holiday season. Learn the lyrics to all your favorite tunes and enjoy them anytime.
