Another carol which likely had its origins in the medieval Mystery Plays, this carol was ‘collected’ by William Sandys in 1833. This carol is unusual because the text features Jesus speaking in the first person, describing his life, death and resurrection through the analogy of a ‘dance’. Isaac Watts, the "father of English hymnody", composed " Joy to the World", which has become a popular Christmas carol even though it is widely believed that Watts did not write it to be sung only at Christmas.

This carol was written by Edward Caswall in 1858, who was also the translator of many popular hymns. The music Humility was written by John Goss in 1871. O Holy Night The nadala is usually paired with the caramella, being one for the winter solstice events while the other to the spring equinox. Coghlan, Alexandra (2016). Carols from King's. Random House. p.84. ISBN 9781785940941 . Retrieved 7 October 2016.It has been suggested that it is a surprisingly secular book, but we live in a less religious society and so don’t always notice religious symbolism and allegories unless they’re spelt out. The whole story is a parallel of the Christian gospel, and the fact it’s set at Christmas emphasises that. The main message of Christianity is that no sinner is beyond salvation if they genuinely repent, and that is also the story of Scrooge.

But enough of money matters, for now! What follows are a few random observations on this, the latest of my many readings.Carols remained mainly unsung, especially in churches, until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected lots of old Christmas music from villages in England. Carols were stilling being sung as folk songs in places like pubs but they often weren't thought of as 'proper' or 'nice' songs by the middle or upper classes. (Singing carols in pubs still happens today and there's some very famous carol singing in pubs in the north of England, especially in North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.) The players would sing a verse in turn and each player would add a new gift when it came to their own verse - the catch was that they had to remember the all the earlier gifts as they sang their way through the list of presents. Anyone who forgot a gift would have to pay a forfeit to entertain everyone else.

Christmas, remembering the birth of Jesus, then started to be celebrated at the same time as the solstice, so the early Christians started singing Christian songs instead of pre-Christian/pagan ones. In 129, a Roman Bishop said that a song called "Angel's Hymn" should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas Hymn was written in 760, by Comas of Jerusalem, for the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon after this many composers all over Europe started to write 'Christmas carols'. However, not many people liked them as they were all written and sung in Latin, a language that the normal people couldn't understand. Traditionally sung in a roof-raising chorus at the end of carol services and concerts, O Come All Ye Faithful invites us to join and sing with the ‘citizens of heaven above’.The first is pale, shadowy (long forgotten?) and “ like a child; yet not so like a child as an old man” (the child is father of the man?). Tolhurst, George; T, J. B. (12 March 1864). Christmas in Australia: prize song. Melbourne: Printed and published for the proprietors by Robert Stewart at the Herald Office – via Trove. Their lively and creative discussion views the story in ways I hadn't considered, demonstrating why it remains so rele

Several different Christmas episodes, apart from the birth of Jesus itself, are described in Christmas carols, such as:

Carols and their words continued to be disseminated, even in the 16th century when Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans tried to ban the singing of carols. As for the word carols, "carol" is a derivative of the French word caroller, the interpretation of which means dancing around in a circle. Carol and carols, eventually came to mean not only to dance but included music and lyrics - hence Christmas Caroling. This folk hymn compares Jesus to the tree of life from the Garden of Eden. The simple rhyme scheme of the text and the soaring melody are a welcome addition to any carol service. The text has been set by various composers including Jeremiah Ingalls, Elizabeth Poston and John Rutter. Good King Wenceslas", based on a legend about Saint Wenceslaus helping a poor man on 26 December (the Feast of Stephen) As warm and cosy as drinking hot chocolate in your favourite Christmas jumper. A festive feast of fun.' - Maz Evans, bestselling author of Who Let the Gods Out