Search Results: Christmas Carol

Christmas carols are a much-loved part of the Christmas season and while many have a long history, others are surprisingly recent. From medieval dancing songs to the 19th-century revival, the words and music of carols have evolved over time...

The Christmas holiday has gathered around it customs and traditions for over two millennia, some of which even pre-date the Christian festival itself. From gift-giving to the sumptuous spread of a Christmas dinner table, this article traces...

The Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred on the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18). On Christmas Eve soldiers in the trenches spontaneously agreed to a ceasefire. Beginning with the singing of Christmas carols, the unofficial...

How we celebrate Christmas today is largely shaped by a small group of authors who recorded festive traditions in the 19th century. These authors include Washington Irving (1783-1859), Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), and Charles Dickens...

Printed Christmas cards became popular in the Victorian period (1837-1901) thanks to a combination of cheaper printing techniques and even cheaper post, with the arrival of the Penny Black postage stamp. Coming in all shapes, sizes, and materials...

Christmas was one of the highlights of the medieval calendar, not only for the rich but also for the peasantry. For the longest holiday of the year, typically the full twelve days of Christmas, people stopped work, homes were decorated and...

An 1887 painting A Christmas Carol in Lucerne by Hans Bachmann. (Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland)

The frontispiece for Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1912.

A 1913 biscuit tin showing Good King Wenceslas, the Bohemian duke and saint Wenceslaus I (r. 921-935), and the music for the Christmas carol of that name. The lyrics were written by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Tin made by Hudson, Scott...

A 19th-century English Christmas card showing carol singers. (The British Museum, London)