Vote: Top 10 Christmas carols

Salvationist Radio invites you to vote for your favourite Christmas carols.

At Christmas, communities come together to celebrate with carols and special songs. 

Last year, members of Salvation Army churches joined with the public to vote for their favourite carols of all time. 

This year, voting opens again on Monday 1 December and closes on Monday 15 December!

Last year's Top 10 Christmas Carols

Here are the 2024 Top 10 Christmas Carols as voted for by church members and friends of The Salvation Army: 

1. In the Bleak Midwinter 

Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘A Christmas Carol’ was first published in 1872 and set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906, becoming ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ as we know it today. It reimagines the Nativity scene in a freezing winter landscape, contrasted with the warmth of love. The carol concludes by reminding us that the greatest gift we can offer Jesus is our hearts. 

Rossetti’s poetry has inspired The Salvation Army’s celebrations this Christmas. The territory’s theme of Love Came Down invites us to receive God’s love and calls us to share it with others in response. 

2. A Starry Night 

‘A Starry Night’ was written by Salvation Army officer Major Joy Webb in 1964. That same year, it was performed by the Joystrings – a Salvation Army pop group – at the tree-lighting ceremony in London’s Trafalgar Square and reached number 34 in the UK charts. 

The song paints a peaceful scene of the first Christmas Eve – ‘Earth lay sleeping, sleeping calm and still’ – and continues to inspire congregations of all ages today, inviting all to embrace the wonder of Jesus’ birth. 

3. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing 

First written by Charles Wesley in 1739, ‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing’ was set to a tune adapted from composer Felix Mendelssohn more than a century later, evolving into the much-loved carol we sing today. The hymn celebrates the angels’ message of peace and hope, proclaiming the birth of Jesus as the ‘newborn King’. 

Did you know?  

‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing’ was the opening song at The Salvation Army’s 2024 carol concert at the Royal Albert Hall. 

4. Silent Night! 

Following the Napoleonic Wars, Joseph Mohr, a young Austrian priest, wrote the poem ‘Stille Nacht’ (‘Silent Night’) in 1816. Two years later, with the help of schoolteacher Franz Xaver Gruber on guitar, the song debuted at Christmas Eve Mass in Oberndorf, Austria. 

Since then, the lyrics have been translated into hundreds of languages and ‘Silent Night!’ remains a favourite carol around the world. 

5. O Holy Night! 

Beginning as a French poem in 1843 by Placide Cappeau and set to music by Adolphe Adam in 1847, ‘O Holy Night!’ has become one of the most cherished carols of the season. It invites each of us to pause in awe at the birth of Christ and to ‘fall on your knees’ in worship. 

The well-known lyrics, translated into English in 1855, highlight the freedom and hope that Jesus brings to a weary world. 

6. Joy to the World! 

English hymnwriter Isaac Watts penned ‘Joy to the World!’ in 1719. Watts did not intend it to be used as a Christmas carol, but as a poetic retelling of Psalm 98. 

The lyrics do not reflect back on Jesus’ birth, as many other Christmas carols do, but declare the coming reign of Jesus, urging all of ‘Heaven and nature’ to play their part in singing his praises. 

7. O Come, All Ye Faithful 

‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ began as the Latin hymn Adeste Fideles,  and was translated into English in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley. Many churches save the final verse – ‘Yea, Lord, we greet thee,/ Born this happy morning’ – to be sung on Christmas Day itself, adding to the season’s joyful anticipation. 

8. Who Is He? 

The poignant lyrics of ‘Who Is He?’ tell the story of Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection with curiosity and wonder. Written in 1866 by Benjamin Russell Hanby, the song became a favourite among Salvation Army church members when it was published in The Musical Salvationist in 1939. 

9. Calypso Carol 

The ‘Calypso Carol’ was written by 22-year-old student Michael Perry for a college concert in 1964, before it gained popularity when Cliff Richard included it in a radio broadcast in 1969. With its lively and distinctive rhythm, the modern carol brings fresh joy and excitement to the Christmas story.  

10. Away in a Manger 

The origins of ‘Away in a Manger’ are unclear, but the first two verses were first printed in the USA for Evangelical Lutheran Sunday schools in 1885. It continues to be sung by children worldwide.  

‘Away in a Manger’ closes with a beautiful reflection for people of all ages: ‘Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay/ Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.’