Skelly 2007 Christmas Website

December the 24th. got a little busy, so the planned Christmas Eve posting went up the day after Christmas.

The great day itself got off to a late start. Midnight Mass didn't let out until 1:38am. Every year, Christmas Eve mass turns by degrees more and more into a dance marathon.

Always very pretty and very emotive, though. Reminiscences of Christmas trees past, of childhood and parents, of mangers and Bethelem and centuries-old carols. Even thoughts of unknown ancestors dragging pines and hemlocks across the frosted, wind-whipped hills to thatched huts and imagining the meat and meade and merriment that awaited their arrival. Ah, Christmas. It puts us back in touch with our primordial beings. And is still today a great excuse to eat and drink to excess in the comfort and safety of your own home.

The next morning started energetically, but the day had kind of disintegrated by mid-afternoon. It rallied around dinner, which this year included Oysters Rockefeller, courtesy of Sarah's boyfriend Derrick. Pretty classy stuff, no? Everyone lasted through the entire meal and no one fell asleep in his dessert. Sarah's dog Reilly made off with the pumpkin pie when our backs were turned.

Well before the clock struck twelve, everyone was nestled all snug in their beds. Scrooge's ghosts would have found a cold reception among the Skellys in Charlotte on Christmas night.

No pictures of this year's Christmas jog, but rest assured it took place, with Reilly in tow, who can run two miles with JJ and me without even breaking into a trot. And this is with eight-inch long legs.

Dutch doesn't jog. Evidently he never thought to steal pies either. Hope this wasn't an object lesson to him. The two dogs get along pretty well now after several uncomfortable visitations. The cats, however, remain unreceptively sequestered under our bed. They get out today when Sarah and Derrick return to Florida.

For a full photo set of Skelly family Christmas Day activities, Click Here.

Beneath the selected pictures offered here, like one last, overlooked present hiding under the tree, you'll find useful info. about some 90 Christmas Carols that I know I always wondered about. Such as when and who. Why, we've covered at Christmastimes past and will continue to cover at Christmastimes yet to come.

Omissions, corrections welcomed by email. Is your favorite carol not here? Drop us a line and it will be.

Particularly coveted are missing dates. I can only research so much of this stuff at Christmas (the rest of the year, who cares, really?), before I wander off in a search for my missing life.

Merry Christmas! Hope to see you in the New Year.

Traditional Carols
"Angels We Have Heard on High" ("Les Anges dans nos Campagnes")	French traditional	music: traditional hymn "Gloria"	English translation by James Chadwick, 1862
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" ("Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle!")	Provençal traditional	16th century. Unique among Christmas carols in that it is in 3/8 time.
"Carol of the Bells"	(originally titled "Shchedryk")	music and Ukrainian lyrics written by Mykola Leontovych, 1916	words: (English) Peter Wilhousky, 1936
"The Cherry Tree Carol"	English traditional	ca. 1400
"Christmas Canon"	recorded by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1998	A take on Pachelbel's Canon (also known as Canon in D major), the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel, a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher. It was written around 1680
"Christmas Time's A Coming"	Bluegrass Traditional
"Coventry Carol" ("Lullay, Thou Tiny Little Child")	Author unknown. The oldest known text written down by Robert Croo in 1534. The oldest known printing of the melody dates from 1591. There is an alternate musical setting by Kenneth Leighton.	16th Century English traditional	The carol was performed in Coventry as part of a mystery play, called "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors," which depicts the Christmas story from the Gospel of Matthew. This carol presents the Massacre of the Innocents in which Herod orders all male infants in Bethlehem killed. It is the only carol that has survived from the play.
"Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly"	Welsh traditional	The English words generally sung today are American in origin and date from the 19th century, but the original lyrics are Welsh. The tune was first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry Dall (1710–1782), but is undoubtedly much older than that.	The composition is still popular as a dance tune in Wales, and was published in the 1784 and 1794 editions of the harpist Edward Jones's Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards.
"Ding Dong Merrily on High"	music: Jehan Tabourot	words: George Ratcliffe Woodward	The tune first appeared as Bransle l'Officiale in the Orchésographie, a dance book written by Tabourot (1519-1593). The text was first published in 1924.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?"	written by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne, 1962	First recorded by The Harry Simeone Chorale, 1962
("The First Noël"	English traditional	Most likely from the 16th or 17th century, but possibly dating from as early as the 13th century. In its current form it is of Cornish origin.
"Fum, Fum, Fum!" ("Veinticinco de diciembre")	Spanish traditional	Catalan Christmas carol.	Thought to have originated in the 16th or 17th Century. is considered to be an onomatopoeia of the sound of the strumming of a stringed musical instrument.
"Go Tell It on the Mountain"	American traditional	Words: John Work, 1907. Music: African-American spiritual.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"	English traditional	First published in Britain in 1833	The carol of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 1843:
"Good King Wenceslas"	words: John Mason Neale	music: tune from Piae Cantiones	The tune is to "Tempus Adest Floridum," a 13th-century spring carol, first published in the Swedish/Finnish Piae Cantiones, 1582.
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"	music: Felix Mendelssohn originally as part of Festgesang, adapted and harmonised by William Hayman Cummings	words: Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley who founded the Methodist church, in 1739.
"Here We Come A-Wassailing"	English traditional	Refers to the 'wassail,' a drink (typically mulled cider) that would be used in toasts at banquets or other large dinners.	Well-known throughout England by the middle 19th century. It's roots, however, certainly go back even further.
"The Holly and the Ivy"	English traditional	notable choral arrangement by Sir Henry Walford Davies composed around 1700.	Thought to have Pagan origins and could therefore date back over 1000 years. Named Carol of the Year in 2002 by Musical historian William Studwell of from Northern Illinois University
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"	Words: Henry Longfellow, 1864.	Music: John Bapatiste Calkin, 1872.
"I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)"	English traditional	Often regarded as a children's song, due to the simplicity and repetitiveness of its lyrics. Some sources assert that this song is "an upbeat variant of Greensleeves", which has a similar meter. The earliest printed version is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire.
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"	music: Richard Storrs Willis	words:by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Weston, Massachusetts.	It first appeared on December 29, 1849 in the Christian Register in Boston
“Joseph Dear, Oh Joseph Mine”	Words: Traditional German, Josef, Lieber Josef Mein; Music: "Resonet in Laudibus" (Let Our Praises Resound), 14th Century German carol	Originally sung as a lullaby by the Virgin Mary in 16th Century mystery plays in Leipzig, Germany.
"Joy to the World"	words: Isaac Watts based on Psalm 98	music: arranged by Lowell Mason based on themes in Handel's Messiah Recorded by the Norman Luboff Choir (1956)
"Little Drummer Boy"	written by Katherine K. Davis	written in 1941.	First recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale, 1957
"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"	("Es Ist Ein' Ros'")	German traditional	print in the late-16th century.
"Mary's Boy Child"	written by Jester Hairston, 1956	originally recorded by Harry Belafonte
"O come, O come, Emmanuel" ("Veni, Veni, Emmanuel")	(strictly an Advent hymn)	origins unclear, but thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin.
"O Holy Night" ("O Jesulein Süss, O Jesulein Mild!")	by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant and poet. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"	words: Bishop Phillips Brooks	music (UK): traditional tune: "The Ploughboy's Dream"	Music: St. Louis, Lewis H. Redner, 1868. Redner was Brooks’ organist at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. The tune came to him on Christmas Eve, and was first sung the next day.
"O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree")	German traditional	The best known version was penned in 1824 by a Leipzig organist and teacher named Ernst Anschütz. The melody is an old folk tune. The first known "Tannenbaum" song lyrics date back to 1550.
"Pat-A-Pan!"	Provençal traditional	"The Peace Carol" Composed around 1700; may have been the inspiration for The Little Drummer Boy.
"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow"	American traditional
"Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht! heilige Nacht!")	written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Josef Mohr	best-known in the English translation by Rev. John Freeman Young Words: Josef Mohr, ca. 1816-1818. Music: Franz Gruber, ca. 1820.
"Still, Still, Still"	written around 1819	Austrian traditional	set to the "Salsburg Melody" "Torches" composed by John Joubert, 1951
"The Twelve Days of Christmas"	English traditional	Used in European and Scandinavian traditions as early as the 16th century.	A children's rhyme originally published in a book called Mirth without Mischief in London around 1780. melody for "Five gold rings" added by Frederick Austin
"The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy"	Trinidadian traditional	Composer: Douglas Walczak
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"	English traditional	Believed to date back to England in the sixteenth century.
"We Three Kings Of Orient Are" ("Three Kings of Orient")	(An Epiphany carol	written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins, 1863
"What Child Is This?"	music: traditional English song "Greensleeves"	words: William Chatterton Dix	16th Century English melody.

Traditional Carols

"Angels We Have Heard on High" ("Les Anges dans nos Campagnes")

French traditional

music: traditional hymn "Gloria"

English translation by James Chadwick, 1862

Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" ("Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle!")

Provençal traditional

16th century. Unique among Christmas carols in that it is in 3/8 time.

"Carol of the Bells"

(originally titled "Shchedryk")

music and Ukrainian lyrics written by Mykola Leontovych, 1916

words: (English) Peter Wilhousky, 1936

"The Cherry Tree Carol"

English traditional

ca. 1400

"Christmas Canon"

recorded by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1998

A take on Pachelbel's Canon (also known as Canon in D major), the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel, a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher. It was written around 1680

"Christmas Time's A Coming"

Bluegrass Traditional

"Coventry Carol" ("Lullay, Thou Tiny Little Child")

Author unknown. The oldest known text written down by Robert Croo in 1534. The oldest known printing of the melody dates from 1591. There is an alternate musical setting by Kenneth Leighton.

16th Century English traditional

The carol was performed in Coventry as part of a mystery play, called "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors," which depicts the Christmas story from the Gospel of Matthew. This carol presents the Massacre of the Innocents in which Herod orders all male infants in Bethlehem killed. It is the only carol that has survived from the play.

"Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly"

Welsh traditional

The English words generally sung today are American in origin and date from the 19th century, but the original lyrics are Welsh. The tune was first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry Dall (1710–1782), but is undoubtedly much older than that.

The composition is still popular as a dance tune in Wales, and was published in the 1784 and 1794 editions of the harpist Edward Jones's Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards.

"Ding Dong Merrily on High"

music: Jehan Tabourot

words: George Ratcliffe Woodward

The tune first appeared as Bransle l'Officiale in the Orchésographie, a dance book written by Tabourot (1519-1593). The text was first published in 1924.

"Do You Hear What I Hear?"

written by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne, 1962

First recorded by The Harry Simeone Chorale, 1962

("The First Noël"

English traditional

Most likely from the 16th or 17th century, but possibly dating from as early as the 13th century. In its current form it is of Cornish origin.

"Fum, Fum, Fum!"
("Veinticinco de diciembre")

Spanish traditional

Catalan Christmas carol.

Thought to have originated in the 16th or 17th Century. is considered to be an onomatopoeia of the sound of the strumming of a stringed musical instrument.

"Go Tell It on the Mountain"

American traditional

Words: John Work, 1907. Music: African-American spiritual.

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

English traditional

First published in Britain in 1833

The carol of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 1843:

"Good King Wenceslas"

words: John Mason Neale

music: tune from Piae Cantiones

The tune is to "Tempus Adest Floridum," a 13th-century spring carol, first published in the Swedish/Finnish Piae Cantiones, 1582.

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

music: Felix Mendelssohn originally as part of Festgesang, adapted and harmonised by William Hayman Cummings

words: Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley who founded the Methodist church, in 1739.

"Here We Come A-Wassailing"

English traditional

Refers to the 'wassail,' a drink (typically mulled cider) that would be used in toasts at banquets or other large dinners.

Well-known throughout England by the middle 19th century. It's roots, however, certainly go back even further.

"The Holly and the Ivy"

English traditional

notable choral arrangement by Sir Henry Walford Davies composed around 1700.

Thought to have Pagan origins and could therefore date back over 1000 years. Named Carol of the Year in 2002 by Musical historian William Studwell of from Northern Illinois University

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Words: Henry Longfellow, 1864.

Music: John Bapatiste Calkin, 1872.

"I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)"

English traditional

Often regarded as a children's song, due to the simplicity and repetitiveness of its lyrics. Some sources assert that this song is "an upbeat variant of Greensleeves", which has a similar meter. The earliest printed version is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire.

"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"

music: Richard Storrs Willis

words:by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Weston, Massachusetts.

It first appeared on December 29, 1849 in the Christian Register in Boston

“Joseph Dear, Oh Joseph Mine”

Words: Traditional German, Josef, Lieber Josef Mein; Music: "Resonet in Laudibus" (Let Our Praises Resound), 14th Century German carol

Originally sung as a lullaby by the Virgin Mary in 16th Century mystery plays in Leipzig, Germany.

"Joy to the World"

words: Isaac Watts based on Psalm 98

music: arranged by Lowell Mason based on themes in Handel's Messiah Recorded by the Norman Luboff Choir (1956)

"Little Drummer Boy"

written by Katherine K. Davis

written in 1941.

First recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale, 1957

"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"

("Es Ist Ein' Ros'")

German traditional

print in the late-16th century.

"Mary's Boy Child"

written by Jester Hairston, 1956

originally recorded by Harry Belafonte

"O come, O come, Emmanuel" ("Veni, Veni, Emmanuel")

(strictly an Advent hymn)

origins unclear, but thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin.

"O Holy Night" ("O Jesulein Süss, O Jesulein Mild!")

by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant and poet. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest.

"O Little Town of Bethlehem"

words: Bishop Phillips Brooks

music (UK): traditional tune: "The Ploughboy's Dream"

Music: St. Louis, Lewis H. Redner, 1868. Redner was Brooks’ organist at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. The tune came to him on Christmas Eve, and was first sung the next day.

"O Tannenbaum"
("O Christmas Tree")

German traditional

The best known version was penned in 1824 by a Leipzig organist and teacher named Ernst Anschütz. The melody is an old folk tune. The first known "Tannenbaum" song lyrics date back to 1550.

"Pat-A-Pan!"

Provençal traditional

"The Peace Carol" Composed around 1700; may have been the inspiration for The Little Drummer Boy.

"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow"

American traditional

"Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht! heilige Nacht!")

written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Josef Mohr

best-known in the English translation by Rev. John Freeman Young Words: Josef Mohr, ca. 1816-1818. Music: Franz Gruber, ca. 1820.

"Still, Still, Still"

written around 1819

Austrian traditional

set to the "Salsburg Melody" "Torches" composed by John Joubert, 1951

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"

English traditional

Used in European and Scandinavian traditions as early as the 16th century.

A children's rhyme originally published in a book called Mirth without Mischief in London around 1780. melody for "Five gold rings" added by Frederick Austin

"The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy"

Trinidadian traditional

Composer: Douglas Walczak

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

English traditional

Believed to date back to England in the sixteenth century.

"We Three Kings Of Orient Are" ("Three Kings of Orient")

(An Epiphany carol

written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins, 1863

"What Child Is This?"

music: traditional English song "Greensleeves"

words: William Chatterton Dix

16th Century English melody.

Popular Songs
"A Holly Jolly Christmas"	written by Johnny Marks	First recorded by Burl Ives in 1964
"A Marshmallow World"	words by Carl Sigman	music by Peter De Rose	First recorded in 1950 by Bing Crosby
"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"	written by Donald Yetter Gardner	First recorded by Spike Jones in 1948
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"	written by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey	First recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994
"Blue Christmas"	written by Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson	First recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1948	Also recorded by Elvis Presley, Porky Pig
"The Chipmunk Song”	written by Ross Bagdasarian	First recorded by The Chipmunks in 1958
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"	written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector	First recorded by Darlene Love in 1963
"Christmas All Over Again"	written by Tom Petty	First recorded by Tom Petty in 1992
"Christmas Day"	music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David	From the Broadway musical Promises, Promises (1968)
"Christmas in Dixie"	words and music by Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, Mark Herndon and Randy Owen	Recorded by Bing Crosby in 1949 on the "Merry Christmas" album.	"Christmas in Dixie" re-entered the country charts twice from unsolicited holiday airplay. In 1999 it re-entered at number 40, and in 2000 it re-entered a second time at number 37.
"Christmas in Killarney"	words and music by John Redmond, James Cavanaugh, and Frank Weldon	Originally released in 1982, the song was included on Alabama's 1985 Christmas album, "Alabama Christmas."
"Christmas is"	words by Spence Maxwell	music by Percy Faith
"Christmas Island"	words and music by Lyle Moraine	Recorded by The Andrews Sisters
“Christmas Lullaby”	Words and music by Chip Davis	1995	First appeared on Mannheim Steamroller’s "In the Aire" Christmas CD, 1995; Performed by Olivia Newton-John on Mannheim Steamroller’s "Christmas Song" CD, 2007.
"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"	written by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells	First recorded by The Nat King Cole Trio in 1946
"Christmas Time Is Here"	Written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson	First recorded by Vince Guaraldi in 1965
"Christmas Time Is Here Again"	written by George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and first recorded by The Beatles. Also recorded separately by Ringo Starr in 1999	Originally released in 1967 only to members of the Beatles fanclub who were willing to order the record through the mail.
"The Christmas Waltz"	music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, c.1954	recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Harry Connick Jr., The Carpenters, and many others
"Do They Know It's Christmas?"	written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure	First recorded by Band Aid in 1984 specifically to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief.
"Feliz Navidad"	written by José Feliciano	First recorded by José Feliciano in 1970	Also recorded by Celine Dion and The Three Tenors
"Frosty the Snowman"	written by Steve Edward Nelson and Jack Rollins	First recorded by Gene Autry in 1950
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"	written by Randy Brooks	First recorded by Elmo & Patsy in 1983
"Hanover Winter Song"	words and music by Richard Hovey and Frierick Field Bullard
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"	written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin	First recorded by Judy Garland for the film "Meet Me in St. Louis" in 1944
"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"	written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman	First recorded by Gene Autry in 1947
"I Believe in Father Christmas"	written by Greg Lake	Recorded by Greg Lake, released 1975
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"	written by Thomas Connor	First recorded by Jimmy Boyd in 1952
"I'll Be Home for Christmas"	written by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent and Buck Ram	First recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943
"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"	written by Robert Meredith Willson	First recorded by Perry Como on September 18, 1951
"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"	written by Edward Pola and George Wyle	First recorded by Andy Williams in 1963
"Jingle Bell Rock"	written by Joe Beale and Jim Boothe	First recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957
"Jingle Bells"	written by James Pierpont	Copyrighted under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" on September 16, 1857.
"Jolly Old St. Nicholas"	Traditional	Unknown author – The song is in an 1874 school song book edited by James Ramsey Murray and an 1881 song collection book edited by J. P. McCaskey
"Last Christmas"	written by George Michael	First recorded by Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"	written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne	First recorded by Vaughn Monroe on October 31, 1945
""Let There Be Peace on Earth"	written by Jill Jackson and Seymour Miller
"Little Saint Nick"	written by Brian Wilson	First recorded by The Beach Boys in 1964
"Merry Christmas, Baby"	"The Merry Christmas Polka"	words by Paul Francis Webster	music by Sonny Burke
"Nuttin' for Christmas'"	words and music by Sid Pepper and Roy C. Bennett, 1955	First performed by Barry Gordon on The Milton Berle Show
"Please Come Home for Christmas"	written by Charles Brown and Gene C. Redd	First recorded by Charles Brown in 1960
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"	written by Johnny Marks	First recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"	written by Johnny Marks	First recorded by Gene Autry in 1949
"Run Rudolph Run"	written by Marvin Brodie and Johnny Marks	First recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958
"Santa Baby"	written by Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer	First recorded by Eartha Kitt in 1953
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"	written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie	1934
"Silver Bells"	written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the film The Lemon Drop Kid]	First recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards in 1951
"Sleigh Ride"	music written by Leroy Anderson in 1948	lyrics written by Mitchell Parish in 1950	Instrumental version first recorded by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1949
"Snoopy's Christmas"	Written and performed by The Royal Guardsmen (Bill Balough, John Burdett, Chris Nunley, Tom Richards, Billy Taylor, and Barry Winslow).	First released in 1967.Gets holiday airplay not just from "oldie" stations but also Hit Music and Contemporary format stations which wouldn't ordinarily play music from this era	The song has a parallel in fact. During World War I, in 1914, a "Christmas Truce" broke out between German and British and French troops, initiated by the soldiers themselves. They exchanged gifts, like beer, tobacco and tinned meat. They cleared the "No Man's Land" between the lines of dead bodies; visited, shared family photos and exchanged stories; and in several locations played friendly soccer matches.
"Take Me Back To Toyland"	words by Kal Mann	music by Bernie Lowe	1955
"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"	written by Robert Allen and Al Stillman	First recorded by Perry Como on 1954
"Up On the House Top"	attributed to Benjamin Hanby	1860
"We Need a Little Christmas"	written by Jerry Herman for the Broadway musical Mame	1966
"White Christmas"	written by Irving Berlin	First recorded by Bing Crosby for the film "Holiday Inn" in 1942
"Winter World of Love"	written by Englebert Humperdink	1969
"Wonderful Christmas Time"	written by Paul McCartney	1979

Popular Songs

"A Holly Jolly Christmas"

written by Johnny Marks

First recorded by Burl Ives in 1964

"A Marshmallow World"

words by Carl Sigman

music by Peter De Rose

First recorded in 1950 by Bing Crosby

"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"

written by Donald Yetter Gardner

First recorded by Spike Jones in 1948

"All I Want for Christmas Is You"

written by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey

First recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994

"Blue Christmas"

written by Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson

First recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1948

Also recorded by Elvis Presley, Porky Pig

"The Chipmunk Song”

written by Ross Bagdasarian

First recorded by The Chipmunks in 1958

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector

First recorded by Darlene Love in 1963

"Christmas All Over Again"

written by Tom Petty

First recorded by Tom Petty in 1992

"Christmas Day"

music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David

From the Broadway musical Promises, Promises (1968)

"Christmas in Dixie"

words and music by Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, Mark Herndon and Randy Owen

Recorded by Bing Crosby in 1949 on the "Merry Christmas" album.

"Christmas in Dixie" re-entered the country charts twice from unsolicited holiday airplay. In 1999 it re-entered at number 40, and in 2000 it re-entered a second time at number 37.

"Christmas in Killarney"

words and music by John Redmond, James Cavanaugh, and Frank Weldon

Originally released in 1982, the song was included on Alabama's 1985 Christmas album, "Alabama Christmas."

"Christmas is"

words by Spence Maxwell

music by Percy Faith

"Christmas Island"

words and music by Lyle Moraine

Recorded by The Andrews Sisters

“Christmas Lullaby”

Words and music by Chip Davis

1995

First appeared on Mannheim Steamroller’s "In the Aire" Christmas CD, 1995; Performed by Olivia Newton-John on Mannheim Steamroller’s "Christmas Song" CD, 2007.

"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"

written by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells

First recorded by The Nat King Cole Trio in 1946

"Christmas Time Is Here"

Written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson

First recorded by Vince Guaraldi in 1965

"Christmas Time Is Here Again"

written by George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and first recorded by The Beatles. Also recorded separately by Ringo Starr in 1999

Originally released in 1967 only to members of the Beatles fanclub who were willing to order the record through the mail.

"The Christmas Waltz"

music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, c.1954

recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Harry Connick Jr., The Carpenters, and many others

"Do They Know It's Christmas?"

written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure

First recorded by Band Aid in 1984 specifically to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief.

"Feliz Navidad"

written by José Feliciano

First recorded by José Feliciano in 1970

Also recorded by Celine Dion and The Three Tenors

"Frosty the Snowman"

written by Steve Edward Nelson and Jack Rollins

First recorded by Gene Autry in 1950

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

written by Randy Brooks

First recorded by Elmo & Patsy in 1983

"Hanover Winter Song"

words and music by Richard Hovey and Frierick Field Bullard

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin

First recorded by Judy Garland for the film "Meet Me in St. Louis" in 1944

"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"

written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman

First recorded by Gene Autry in 1947

"I Believe in Father Christmas"

written by Greg Lake

Recorded by Greg Lake, released 1975

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

written by Thomas Connor

First recorded by Jimmy Boyd in 1952

"I'll Be Home for Christmas"

written by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent and Buck Ram

First recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943

"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

written by Robert Meredith Willson

First recorded by Perry Como on September 18, 1951

"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

written by Edward Pola and George Wyle

First recorded by Andy Williams in 1963

"Jingle Bell Rock"

written by Joe Beale and Jim Boothe

First recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957

"Jingle Bells"

written by James Pierpont

Copyrighted under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" on September 16, 1857.

"Jolly Old St. Nicholas"

Traditional

Unknown author – The song is in an 1874 school song book edited by James Ramsey Murray and an 1881 song collection book edited by J. P. McCaskey

"Last Christmas"

written by George Michael

First recorded by Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

First recorded by Vaughn Monroe on October 31, 1945

""Let There Be Peace on Earth"

written by Jill Jackson and Seymour Miller

"Little Saint Nick"

written by Brian Wilson

First recorded by The Beach Boys in 1964

"Merry Christmas, Baby"

"The Merry Christmas Polka"

words by Paul Francis Webster

music by Sonny Burke

"Nuttin' for Christmas'"

words and music by Sid Pepper and Roy C. Bennett, 1955

First performed by Barry Gordon on The Milton Berle Show

"Please Come Home for Christmas"

written by Charles Brown and Gene C. Redd

First recorded by Charles Brown in 1960

"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"

written by Johnny Marks

First recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

written by Johnny Marks

First recorded by Gene Autry in 1949

"Run Rudolph Run"

written by Marvin Brodie and Johnny Marks

First recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958

"Santa Baby"

written by Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer

First recorded by Eartha Kitt in 1953

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"

written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie

1934

"Silver Bells"

written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the film The Lemon Drop Kid]

First recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards in 1951

"Sleigh Ride"

music written by Leroy Anderson in 1948

lyrics written by Mitchell Parish in 1950

Instrumental version first recorded by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1949

"Snoopy's Christmas"

Written and performed by The Royal Guardsmen (Bill Balough, John Burdett, Chris Nunley, Tom Richards, Billy Taylor, and Barry Winslow).

First released in 1967.Gets holiday airplay not just from "oldie" stations but also Hit Music and Contemporary format stations which wouldn't ordinarily play music from this era

The song has a parallel in fact. During World War I, in 1914, a "Christmas Truce" broke out between German and British and French troops, initiated by the soldiers themselves. They exchanged gifts, like beer, tobacco and tinned meat. They cleared the "No Man's Land" between the lines of dead bodies; visited, shared family photos and exchanged stories; and in several locations played friendly soccer matches.

"Take Me Back To Toyland"

words by Kal Mann

music by Bernie Lowe

1955

"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"

written by Robert Allen and Al Stillman

First recorded by Perry Como on 1954

"Up On the House Top"

attributed to Benjamin Hanby

1860

"We Need a Little Christmas"

written by Jerry Herman for the Broadway musical Mame

1966

"White Christmas"

written by Irving Berlin

First recorded by Bing Crosby for the film "Holiday Inn" in 1942

"Winter World of Love"

written by Englebert Humperdink

1969

"Wonderful Christmas Time"

written by Paul McCartney

1979