christmas music

• refers directly to the nativity of Jesus Christ;


• refers directly to the folklore surrounding Christmas such as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Santa Claus's reindeer, Santa's elves, the North Pole, etc.;


• refers directly to the traditions surrounding Christmas such as Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmas tree, wassailing, yule log, stockings, lights, etc.;


• has been heard regularly around holiday season, particularly songs with a wintry theme; or


• tends to elicit memories from, and put people into the mood of, the Christmas season.

Many songs not originally intended for Christmas have been "adopted" to the genre, often due to:

• devotional or reverential essence;


• wintry theme;


• the time in which they were released.
  
   Songs which are traditional, even some without a specific religious context, are often called Christmas carols. A more or less standard set of these traditional carols might include such titles as:
  
  
  
  • "Away In a Manger"
  
  
  • "Coventry Carol"
  
  
  • "Deck the Halls" (Deck the Hall)
  
  
  • "Ding Dong Merrily on High"
  
  
  • "The First Nowell" (The First Noël)
  
  
  • "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
  
  
  • "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
  
  
  • "Good King Wenceslas"
  
  
  • "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!"
  
  
  • "Here We Come A-Wassailing"
  
  
  • "The Holly and the Ivy"
  
  
  • "I Saw Three Ships"
  
  
  • "I Wonder as I Wander"
  
  
  • "In the Bleak Midwinter"
  
  
  • "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"
  
  
  • "Joy to the World"
  
  
  • "O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)"
  
  
  • "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
  
  
  • "O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel)"
  
  
  • "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
  
  
  • "Once in Royal David's City"
  
  
  • "Silent Night"
  
  
  • "Sussex Carol (On Christmas Night)"
  
  
  • "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
  
  
  • "We Three Kings of Orient Are"
  
  
  • "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
  
  
  • "What Child Is This"
  
  
  • "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"
  
  
  
  

  Each of these has a rich history, some dating back many centuries.