[12 Posts of Christmas}: 11 Favourite Christmas Lyrics

11 Favourite Christmas Lyrics (and the songs they belong to)

11.) “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do. No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses. I only like hippopotamuseses, And hippopotamuses like me too!” (I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas). There really is no meaning behind this song. But for a laugh and a few minutes of childlike enjoyment, because the lyrics and the rhyming have its moments of utter brilliance, it must be classified in favourite Christmas songs.

10.) “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ev’rywhere you go; Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again With candy canes and silver lanes aglow…” (It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas) This song is my first-played song of Christmas. See, I have this rule that until the day after Thanksgiving, I will not listen to Christmas music, except for one exception: If it snows. If even we get an inch of snow, a dusting that may not last more than a few hours, this song rolls out, because it is indeed beginning to look like Christmas.

9.) “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…” (The 12 Days of Christmas) This song never really did have much personal meaning to me, but I love the challenge of remembering, in order, all of the gifts on each of the twelve days, and then singing the entire last set of gifts in one breath. Plus, I’ve been told there is a bunch of Biblical symbolism behind each of the gifts, such as the True Love meaning God, giving us gifts such as the “Turtle Doves” (referring to the Old and New Testaments), “Calling Birds” (referring to the four gospels), so that rather interesting as well.

8.) “Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, In the lane, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight, We’re happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland.” (Winter Wonderland) There is something about this song that just invokes the happy memories that come along with Christmas: the snow, making snowmen, going on sleigh rides, snuggling up with the people you love by the fire, the magical fantasy-land that becomes a reality when December rolls around.

7.) “Here we come a-wassailing, Among the leaves so green. Here we come a-wand’ring So fair to be seen. Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail, too, And God bless you, and send you A Happy New Year, And God send you a Happy New Year.” (The Wassail Song) This is an excellent promenading song, as you are all bundled up in your Christmas garb with a carafe of cocoa, to sing very loudly and boldly from door to door. (For those who do not know, wassailing is the Olde English term for modern day caroling.) It was written to wish your neighbors and acquaintances good health and a very merry Christmas.

6.) “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!” (Ding Dong Merrily On High) This is another promenading song, returning to the classic English roots once again, though the song was originally written in French. I partially love this song because of its melody, the lovely using of onomatopoeia and the breathless state achieved when singing the glorias. I also love it for the lyrics, calling the people to chime with the bells and pronounce glory to God in the highest, Hosanna in excelsis.

5.) “O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel.” (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) Emmanuel. God with Us. It is such a lovely promise. This song echoes the cries of our hearts as we are captive to our sin, captive to our lives without Him, until He came to this earth, came into our lives to renew us, to show us the light of His salvation.

4.) “Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum. I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum. I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum. That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, pum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum.” (The Little Drummer Boy) I already blogged about this song, because I like it so much. So take a peek at the last post, if you missed it, and you’ll see why it’s one of my favourites.

3.) “Go tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born.” (Go Tell It On The Mountain) It’s impossible to hear this song and not find yourself clapping and dancing along. It is a song of joy, in celebration that the Christ has come, a call to all who believe to proclaim the Good News!

2.) “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” (Silent Night) It is such a mystery to me, this little baby, Jesus Christ, from the very moment of His birth, He was God. He was the Saviour of the world, who loved us so much to enter into a world of sin and darkness, to bring His radiant light and salvation… even as a tiny baby, this was His plan. This was His purpose.

1.) “Fall on your knees. Oh hear the angel voices. Oh night divine. Oh night when Christ was born.” (Oh Holy Night.) These lyrics always bring to mind the passage in Isaiah 6, when Isaiah is brought before the throne of God and the angels are exulting Him with voices loud. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory.” On that night in Bethlehem, in that little manger, the presence of God Himself dwelled on the earth. How can we not fall to our knees in worship of Him? How can we not be like the Magi and the shepherds who saw Him with their own eyes and bowed low and worshipped?