Christmas is the most magical time of the year, and music helps add to the Christmas magic.

People listen to Christmas music because it is joyful and can brighten someone’s day. Hymns and carols are the foundation for the Christmas music that we hear today.

People have been singing hymns on Christmas for over 1,700 years. Hymns are songs with religious meaning and are usually heard around the holidays. The first known Christmas hymn is “Jesus, Light of All the Nations” by St. Hilary of Poitiers.

Christmas carols are a tradition that began in the 13th century were most popular between 1350 and 1550 AD. Some of the most well-known Christmas carols are “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.”

Hymns and carols relate to religion, Jesus, and the Nativity Scene. Christmas songs that we hear on the radio around Christmas time are often focused on experiences during the Christmas season or Christmas-related things.

Both junior Lydia Ward and sophomore Grant Stover said that their favorite Christmas song is “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.

Carey wrote “All I Want for Christmas is You” in 1994. In 2019, the song hit number one on the Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

Sophomore Molly Heimerl shared that her favorite Christmas song is “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin. “White Christmas” was originally written for Holiday Inn, a Christmas movie in the 1940s but remains a very popular Christmas song today.

On the other hand, freshman Autumn Gray said that her favorite Christmas song is “Mistletoe” because it is by one of her favorite artists, Justin Bieber.

When asked about her favorite Christmas song, sophomore Olivia Ayd, without hesitation said, “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith.

Christmas music is perfect for everyone no matter what genre of music they like to listen to.
Make sure to listen to Christmas music this holiday season.