Christmas Carols - Boars Hill Association, Oxford

Christmas Carols for 2025

Angels, from the Realms of Glory

Angels, from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o’er all the earth;

Ye who sang Creation’s story,

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth:

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,

Watching o’er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing,

Yonder shines the Infant light:

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Sages, leave your contemplations,

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great desire of nations,

Ye have seen his natal star:

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger,

No crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky

Looked down where He lay,

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing,

The baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus,

No crying he makes.

I love thee, Lord Jesus!

Look down from the sky,

And stay by my side until

Morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me for ever,

And love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven,

To live with Thee there.

Ding Dong! Merrily on High

Ding dong! merrily on high

In heav’n the bells are ringing:

Ding dong! verily the sky

Is riv’n with angel singing.

Gloria! Hosanna in excelsis!

E’en so here below, below,

Let steeple bells be swungen,

And “Io, io, io!”

By priest and people sungen.

Gloria…

Pray you, dutifully prime

Your matin chime, ye ringers;

May you beautifully rime

Your evetime song, ye singers.

Gloria…

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God rest ye merry, Gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay,

For Jesus Christ our Sav’our

Was born upon this day,

To save us all from Satan’s pow’r

When we were gone astray:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our heav’nly Father

A blessèd angel came,

And unto certain shepherds

Brought tidings of the same,

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by name:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy….

The shepherds at those tidings

Rejoicèd much in mind,

And left their flocks a-feeding

In tempest, storm and wind,

And went to Bethlehem straightway,

This blessed Babe to find:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy….

But when to Bethlehem they came,

Whereat this Infant lay,

They found Him in a manger,

Where oxen feed on hay;

His mother Mary kneeling,

Unto the Lord did pray:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy….

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All other doth deface:

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy….

Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out

On the feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about,

Deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night,

Though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight,

Gath’ring winter fuel.

“Hither, page, and stand by me,

If thou know’st it, telling,

Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?”

“Sire, he lives a good league hence,

Underneath the mountain,

Right against the forest fence,

By Saint Agnes’ fountain.”

“Bring me flesh and bring me wine,

Bring me pine logs hither;

Thou and I shall see him dine,

When we bear them thither.”

Page and monarch forth they went,

Forth they went together,

Through the rude wind’s wild lament

And the bitter weather.

“Sire, the night is darker now

And the wind blows stronger;

Fails my heart, I know not how:

I can go no longer.”

“Mark my footsteps, good my page,

Tread thou in them boldly;

Thou shalt find the winter’s rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly.”

In his master’s steps he trod,

Where the snow lay dinted;

Heat was in the very sod

Which the Saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure,

Wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold:

“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,

From heav’n’s all-gracious King.”

The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heav’nly music floats

O’er all the weary world;

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hov’ring wing,

And ever o’er its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angels’ strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song which they bring;

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

And hear the angels sing!

And yet, beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing;

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hast’ning on,

By prophet-bards foretold,

When, with the ever-circling years,

Comes round the Age of Gold,

When peace shall over all the earth

Its ancient splendours fling,

And the whole world give back the song

Which now the angels sing.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him,

Born the King of Angels:

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!

God of God,

Light of light,

Lo, He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;

Very God, begotten,

Not created:

O come, let us adore Him…

Sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above:

“Glory to God

In the highest!”

O come, let us adore Him…

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,

The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

O morning stars, together

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King,

And peace to men on earth;

For Christ is born of Mary

And, gathered all above,

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heav’n.

No ear may hear His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in,

Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell:

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel.

Joy to the World!

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let ev’ry heart

Prepare him room,

And heav’n and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns;

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods,

Rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Once in Royal David’s city

Once in royal David’s city

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a Mother laid her Baby,

In a manger for his bed:

Mary was that Mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall;

With the poor and mean and lowly,

Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood,

He would honour and obey,

Love and watch the lowly Maiden,

In whose gentle arms He lay;

Christian children all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

For he is our childhood’s pattern,

Day by day, like us He grew;

He was little, weak and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us He knew;

And He feeleth for our sadness,

And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love,

For that Child so dear and gentle

Is our Lord in heav’n above;

And He leads His children on

To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him, but in heaven,

Set at God’s right hand on high;

When like stars His children crowned

All in white shall wait around.

See, Amid the Winter’s Snow

See, amid the winter’s snow,

Born for us on earth below,

See, the tender Lamb appears,

Promised from eternal years.

Hail, thou ever blessed morn!

Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem:

“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”

Lo, within a manger lies

He who built the starry skies;

He who, throned in height sublime,

Sits among the cherubim.

Hail, thou ever blessed morn…

“As we watched at dead of night,

Lo, we saw a wondrous light:

Angels, singing Peace On Earth,

Told us of the Saviour’s birth.”

Hail, thou ever blessed morn…

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

‘Round yon Virgin Mother and Child;

Holy Infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight;

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing, “Alleluia!”

Christ, the Saviour is born,

Christ, the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night!

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

The First Noel

The first Noel, the angel did say,

Was to certain poor shepherds

In fields as they lay,

In fields where they

Lay keeping their sheep,

On a cold winter’s night

That was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel:

Born is the King of Israel!

They lookèd up and saw a star,

Shining in the East, beyond them far;

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel…

And by the light of that same star,

Three wise men came from country far;

To seek for a king was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel…

This star drew nigh to the north-west;

O’er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both stop and stay

Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel…

Then entered in those wise men three,

Full rev’rently upon their knee,

And offered there in His presence,

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Noel…

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,

That hath made heav’n

And earth of nought,

And with His blood mankind Hath bought.

Noel…

The Rocking Carol

Little Jesus, sweetly sleep,

Do not stir; We will lend a coat of fur.

We will rock you, rock you, rock you;

We will rock you, rock you, rock you.

See the fur to keep you warm,

Snugly round your tiny form.

Mary’s little baby, sleep, sweetly sleep;

Sleep in comfort, slumber deep.

We will rock you, rock you, rock you;

We will rock you, rock you, rock you.

We will serve you all we can,

Darling, darling little man.

Unto Us is born a son

Unto us is born a son,

King of choirs supernal:

See on earth his life begun,

Of lords the Lord eternal,

Of lords the Lord eternal.

Christ, from heav’n descending low,

Comes on earth a stranger;

Ox and ass their Owner know,

Becradled in a manger,

Becradled in a manger.

This did Herod sore affray

And grievously bewilder,

So he gave the word to slay,

And slew the little childer,

And slew the little childer.

Of His love and mercy mild,

This the Christmas story:

O that Mary’s gentle Child

Might lead us up to glory,

Might lead us up to glory!

O and A and A and O,

Cum cantemus in choro,

Let the merry organ go,

Benedicamus Domino,

Benedicamus Domino.

While Shepherds Watched

While shepherds watched

Their flocks by night,

All seated on the ground,

The angel of the Lord came down,

And glory shone around.

“Fear not,” said he,

For mighty dread

Had seized their troubled mind,

“Glad tidings of great joy I bring

To you and all mankind.”

“To you in David’s

Town this day

Is born of David’s line

A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,

And this shall be the sign.”

“The heavenly Babe

You there shall find

To human view displayed,

All meanly wrapped in swathing bands

And in a manger laid.”

Thus spake the seraph,

And forthwith

Appeared a shining throng

Of angels praising God, who thus

Addressed their joyful song:

“All glory be

To God on high,

And to the earth be peace;

Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men

Begin and never cease!”

We wish you a merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

Good tidings we bring

For you and your kin,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

Now bring us some figgy pudding,

And bring some out here!

Good tidings we bring…

For we all like figgy pudding,

So bring some out here!

Good tidings we bring…

We won’t go until we’ve got some,

So bring some out here!

Good tidings we bring…

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

Good tidings we bring…

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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 gave 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.

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

Bells on Bobtail ring
Making spirits bright

Oh what fun it is to ride 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