Christmas Carols 2011

Christmas is a time to put your worries behind and renew your hope for a brighter future. It is an occasion when traditions of festivity bind people together, spread love and kindness and bring out the true meaning of Christmas. Yuletide celebrations around the globe usually involve spreading the message of the Bible, re-enacting Christ's birth, decorating homes, sharing gifts, preparing traditional food and attending midnight mass. Talking about midnight mass, the prayer session would be incomplete without the resonating sound of Christmas carols. Christmas carols or hymns are not only sung in praise of the lord, but also to remember Him, to restore our faith in the Almighty so that we seek solace, forgiveness and come together in peace and harmony. Traditionally, Christmas carols focused on the birth of Christ, but not anymore. Today, we have carols that concentrate on Christmas themes, winter scenes and even Santa. Christmas carols are the best way to spread the spirit of the season and to gear you up for the celebrations ahead. Take a look, at the list of the Christmas carols 2011 listed below.

Popular Christmas Carols 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The English first sang this carol during the sixteenth century although the roots of the song can be traced back to the French chants. The lyrics of the carol focus on Christmas day and the next 12 days, which is traditionally observed as the last day of the festivity. Published in 1780, the song holds a special religious reverence among its followers.

Silent Night
Silent Night is undoubtedly the most popular Christmas carols of all time and is sung during the midnight mass. The song was originally a poem that was composed by an Austrian pastor named Joseph Mohr in 1816. It was first sung in 1818 when the organ broke down and he was forced to compose music for the midnight mass. Since then, this soulful musical score has come to be the most favorite carol of all.

Joy to the World
Isaac Watts wrote this joyful carol in 1719. A pastor by profession, Isaac Watts was renowned for composing many poignant hymns. The carol 'Joy to the World' is said to glorify the return of Christ and is based on Psalm 98, Bible. George Frederick Handel composed the melody of this chant.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
This chant was originally penned by Charles Wesley and was first published in 1739 in Hymns and Sacred Poems. Charles always preferred sober, slow music composition for most of his lyrics. It was several decades later when William H. Cummings adopted Felix Mendelssohn's music from Festgesang to suit the lyrics of this song. In time, the music of this song has undergone several variations.

O Holy Night
Placide Cappeau first composed the song in 1847 to the music of Adolphe Adam. The poem was originally written in French before John S. Dwight translated it into English. In both the version lyrics of the poem, hold similar meaning which speaks about the birth of Christ and redemption of mankind.

Mary's Boy Child
The song was penned by Jester Hairston in the year 1956. Harry Belafonte later recorded the song for a film, which topped the music charts in UK in 1957.

Away in a Manager
This Christmas carol was first in print in the year 1885 in Philadelphia's Lutheran Sunday school book, thereafter it became popular throughout America and Britain. The author of the carol continues to be a mystery but music is said to be composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
The song is about an imaginary character named Rudolph who is believed to be the ninth reindeer of Santa. The carol was first published in 1939 and was written by Robert L. May. This carol is much loved among children, more so because it revolves around their favorite Christmas character Rudolph.

Glory to God
This particular carol is popular in churches that have Dutch influences and is quite common in Protestant churches, especially in Netherlands. The lyrics of the carol revolve round the song of angels who sang this song to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas
This is a well-known Christmas carol that was popularized in West Country of England during the sixteenth century. The song owes its roots to the English tradition of giving treats to carolers on the eve of Christmas. The song 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' is a good way to end your midnight mass.

All these carols maybe ancient but make a definite comeback on Christmas. This Christmas is a time for the aforementioned carols; maybe next year we would bring some other truly magnificent carols. For now, the above carols will steal the show in 2011.