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Xavier Romero-Frias / Creative Commons

The Mysteries of 'The 12 Days of Christmas'

No one is quite sure what the most rewritable holiday song means.

Dylan Martinez / Reuters

The Adorable Grandiosity of 'O Come All Ye Faithful'

We're talking expansive adoration, not cute-puppy adorable.

Mary Mapes Dodge / University of North Carolina

'Jingle Bells': A Racy Drinking Song (for Thanksgiving)

On the uncertain history of the first song to be broadcast from space

Wikimedia

The Cosmopolitan Genius of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'

The song, one of the "Great Four" Anglican hymns, now has a life outside the church.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
AP
MGM

'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas': An Ode to Seasonal Melancholy

The song popularized by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis captures the bittersweet nostalgia many feel around this time of year.

CBS

'Christmas Time Is Here': A Hymn for the Ages

The 50-year-old song from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is here to stay.

Wikimedia

The Quiet Universality of 'Silent Night'

The song's message of peace helped bring about the Christmas truce during World War I.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

'Mele Kalikimaka': A Holiday Humblebrag

Who needs snow when you can have palm trees?

Toby Melville

'Sussex Carol': A Reminder of Christmas Music's Local Roots

Before technology allowed songs to play all over the world, they were distinct from place to place.

Sony

The Glorious Bitterness of 'Last Christmas'

Breakups can happen anytime. But holiday breakups are special.

Wellcome Images / Wikimedia

'In the Bleak Midwinter': A Literary Christmas Carol

The lyrics, written by Christina Rossetti and set to music by Gustav Holst, imagine a child being born in a desolate climate.

Max Rossi / Reuters

'O Holy Night': A Call to Fall to Your Knees

The Christmas carol's charm is in its humility.

CBS
Dylan Martinez / Reuters

'Joy to the World' Isn't a Christmas Song

The song is synonymous with the holiday, but it wasn't originally written that way.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The Ironic Intensity of 'Carol of the Bells'

Originally a Ukrainian folk chant about spring, the Christmas song reached its zenith with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's electric guitar-infused adaptation.

Jeff Zelevansky

'Feliz Navidad': How Jose Feliciano Won America's Heart

The Puerto Rican musician wrote the lyrics of his Christmas classic in English to ensure American radio stations would play it.

AP

The Apocalyptic Fear in 'Do You Hear What I Hear'

It's the nativity story, retold during the Cold War.

Darren Ornitz / Reuters

'Let It Snow': How to Quench Holiday Ardor

The classic is the most G-rated entry in the 'Yule log and chill' genre, with the exception of one notable cover.

Reuters

'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' From Both Sides of the Atlantic

Even though it has the same words, the carol's tune is different in Britain and in the U.S.

Classic Media

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer': Superhero

The eponymous outcast is an archetype unto himself.

Wikimedia

The High Spiritual Stakes of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'

Satan's power has led mankind astray, and Annie Lennox, Barenaked Ladies, and 98 Degrees are here to remind us of that fact.