Explore the music of Christmas!
One of the most recognizable elements of the Advent season is
Listening to the music of Christmas can be a great way to walk yourself through the anticipation and eventual joy of the Advent season. Here are a few resources from the Gospel.com community to help you better appreciate the sounds of Christmas.
- Our first stop is the Center for Church Music, where you’ll find all sorts of information about your favorite Christmas music. They provide lyrics, sheet music, MP3s, and even a short devotional message to go along with each song.
- What were the original Christmas carols? Max Frazier, Jr. looks to the Nativity story in the Bible and finds inspiration and insight in the very first Christmas songs.
- Do you roll your eyes when you hear the same old Christmas carols this time of year? Andrew Knight has done some digging and unearthed some unsung stanzas from popular Christmas carols. Find out what the obscure fourth verse of “Joy to the World” has to say, among other things!
- Where did all these Christmas carols come from? Discover the Word Radio has a piece that explores how and why the modern-day Christmas carol was matched up with the catchy tunes we recognize today.
- Going caroling this year? 91.3 WCSG has put together a Christmas caroling lyrics songsheet that you can download, print out, and distribute to your group of carolers.
- Not all good Christmas music is old, of course—sites like the Culture Beat and Hollywood Jesus take a look at some modern Christmas music by Sufjan Stevens, Relient K, and more.
Listening to some Christmas music is a great way to get into the holiday spirit, and paying special attention to the lyrics can really help you focus on the Christmas story. So visit a few of these links, fire up a few classic Christmas tunes, and keep looking ahead to Christmas!
