10 Interesting and Amazing Facts About Christmas Carols or Songs

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Christmas Eve is just around and our interesting facts are on its way to carols!

With the festive season in the air, it’s quite an obvious one would surely break down into a jig and start dancing to the tunes of Christmas carols. But what all don’t know that Carols were sung as pagan songs in Europe thousands of years ago. Pagan songs? Surprised? Well, there are a hell lot of other surprising and amazing trivia facts connected with Christmas carols/songs which have been compiled in the following article for your common knowledge.

1. “Jingle bells” was actually a Thanksgiving song

The fact is still up for debate but if we go by the popular sources then “Jingle Bells” was originally penned down to be sung as a “thanksgiving” song whose patent lies with James Lord Pierpont, the composer, writer, and music director. James wrote down the song for his father’s church in the late 19th century, where he was a preacher, to be sung during “Thanksgiving celebration”. Later the young kids who loved the song so much demanded James include the song during Christmas. The song became so popular that this song has been sung since then, mostly as a Christmas carols rather than a “thanksgiving” song.

santa claus, jingle bells, thanksgiving song

2. Did You know “Silent Night” is the most popular Christmas carol since 1978?

As per the TIME magazine “Silent Night” has 733 copyrighted recording, almost twice as compare to its nearest competition “Joy to the World”. If you think it has to be Jingle bells, then rethink.

3. “Jingle bells” was the first Christmas Carol to be sung in space or outside earth

It was a surprising feat pulled out by the astronauts Walter “Wally” Schirra Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford while orbiting the earth in their spaceship named Gemini 6. The space control room on December 16, 1965, was taken for a surprise ride in their control room when for the first time two man-made spacecraft Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 crossed each other’s orbit and pulled off the Christmas gig for the whole world to enjoy the Christmas Eve with them. A pretty daring feat in space.

Christmas, celebration, outer space, astronauts, santa claus

4. Almost half of your Christmas Carols are written by Jewish men

Fact of the matter is Jewish are more Christian, then all of the Christians together. HAHA…. Famous carols such as “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, rockin’ around the Christmas tree, holly jolly Christmas songs are all originally written by Jewish songwriter Johnny Marks. “White Christmas and let it Snow” are all Irving Berlin’s personal efforts. Mel Torme, yet another Jewish songwriter, in fact, released a whole album of Christmas songs in the 1990s. And yet why so much hatred for Jews?

jews, christmas cap

5. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is the oldest song to be sung in the modern times.

There are many classical Christmas songs which are still sung around the world in unison, without compromising with its original rhythm and score. “We wish you a Merry Christmas” is one of the oldest classical song originating from the 17th century England.

Wired and Interesting Facts About Christmas Trees

6. The youngest person ever to record a Christmas song

Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded her first Christmas song “Rockin around the Christmas Tree” released in 1960. Which became a worldwide hit making it to the top 20 songs of the century.

brenda lee, young

7. “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer” was actually not a Christmas song but written as a poem for a book

Christmas song’s writer Johnny Marks’s brother in law Robert L.May wrote “Rudolph……” as a poem for the Montgomery Ward Company. But later became a smashing hit when the poem was sold as Christmas song crossing over 25 million copies around the world, within the first week of its release in the year 1949.

8. Santa Claus was not included in any of the Christmas Carols until 1864

Christmas carol trivia, Inspired by Clement Moore’s 1823 poem “A visit from Saint Nicholas”, songwriter Benjamin Hanby’s “up on the housetop”. Became the first Christmas song to mention about Santa Claus in modern times.

santa claus, christmas, carol

9. Two of the oldest Christmas hymns

“Joy to the World and “Hark! The Herald angels sing” are the two of the oldest English Christmas hymns still played on air and sung in many churches during the Christmas Eve. Which originates around the 17th century.