There are a few other hymns/ carols that come to mind that St. Mary's choir would sing for our Christmas program. Adeste Fideles was always a favorite at Offertory. Here are few I remember:

In Old Judea - Adam Geibel/ Bruce Carleton
O Babe Divine - Italian Carol/ Howard McKinney
O Night of Holy Memory - Ira Wilson
Sleeping the Christ Child Lay - James Hall
The Christmas Song - Ira Wilson
To Hear the Angels Sing - E. Lorenz
The Prince of Peace - A.J. Weiss/ Wm. Ashmall
Birthday of a King - W. Neidlinger/ E.C.C.
Sleep My Jesus Sleep - Dutch Lullaby/ Clarence Dickinson
Sweet Baby Sleep - 17th c. English Folk Song/ Robert Powell
Adeste Fideles - Novello

When I listen to the CD (an old cassette tape that I converted) it brings back a flood of good memories.

I decline Christmas carols that are unrealistic (e.g., I Saw Three Ships) so I'm not too sure about these lyrics, but the Catalan Carol of the Birds (El Cant dels Ocells) is beautiful to me. Maybe should be an instrumental: here's a version by a group of young people - not more than 26 yrs
">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mDCYBjQW70

1. Upon this holy night,
When God's great star appears,
And floods the earth with brightness
Birds' voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad heart's lightness
Birds' voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad heart's lightness

2. The Nightingale is first
To bring his song of cheer,
And tell us of His glad - ness:
Jesus, our Lord, is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev'ry sadness!
Jesus, our Lord is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev'ry sadness!

3. The answ'ring Sparrow cries:
"God comes to earth this day
Amid the angels flying."
Trilling in sweetest tones,
The Finch his Lord now owns:
"To Him be all thanksgiving."
Trilling in sweetest tones,
The Finch his Lord now owns:
"To Him be all thanksgiving."

4. The Partridge adds his note:
"To Bethlehem I'll fly,
Where in the stall He's lying.
There, near the manger blest,
I'll build myself a nest,
And sing my love undying.
There, near the manger blest,
I'll build myself a nest,
And sing my love undying."

I will second 'The First Noel' - its garbled and colourful English, syntax, and metre are half the fun of it, and don't prevent it from, in spite of itself, potently and engagingly expressing the Christmas message.
I much prefer Willcocks's arrangement to any others

.

Unpopular opinion: The First Nowell should be sung one-in-a-bar. If you look at the full score of the Halley that's actually in his tempo indication. It flows much nicer that way, although the danger is that it can get too fast.

Here's the Willcocks arrangement with the Halley descant on the last verse. The descant starts at 3:33.

And here is the Halley in full. It's worth a listen. You can hear the one-in-a-bar in the recording, giving it a beautiful flow.

Are there any preferences or clear superiorities regarding Davis vs. Neale's translations of Corde natus ex parentis beyond Jackson's thoughts on the first line?

El Cant dels Ocells (Carol of the Birds) is available in an SAB vocal version at CPDL.

Also attached is a solo version (of the first verse).

Some of my favorites include but are not limited to:
-Adeste Fideles
-The Holly & The Ivey
-Huron Carol/St. John de Brebeuf
-Puer Natus in Bethlehem/Both Chant and Michael Praetorius versions.
-Good King Wenceslas...probably not the most "Christmasy" but I include it.
-Hodie Christus Natus Est/G.P. da Palestrina, for double choir.
-O Regem Coeli/T.L. da Victoria
-I Wonder as I Wander
-Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming/M. Praetorius
-What Child is This?

The Christmas season is so short, you may sing most carols once and then be on to something else. It's a once and done thing so whether or not one sings a particular carol doesn't have any lasting effects. No one will remember this time next month.

Charles -
I must disagree.
Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans sing a variety of carols throughout the twelve days of Christmas, some only once and a few more than once.
Too, there must be many who sing, hum, or whistle Christmas carols at odd times through the year - I know that I do.

An interesting phenomenon is that people can remember and sing lustily a repertory of Christmas (and Easter) carols though they sing them once or twice a year - yet you give them a new hymn, even repeat it for a few times, and they squawk that they don't know it and can't sing it. Closed minds! Absolutely shut.

An interesting phenomenon ...

Joy was the key in Percy Dearmer's opinion -

... people crowd our churches at the Christmas, Easter, and Harvest Festivals, largely because the hymns for those occasions are full of a sound hilarity; ...
Rev Dr P Dearmer; preface to the Oxford book of Carols; 1928

Well, Mr Hawkins - who would quibble with Percy Dearmer!
Incidentally, several years ago I acquired Augustine of Hippo's Confessions in a translation by Dearmer - in his own revival of Tudor English. It is quite lovely. I had not known of it until I found it, beautifully bound, quite by accident at a used bookseller's.

And, Charles, you are right about hearing carols long before Christmas... at least that used to be the case. Up until ten or so years ago all one heard when one was shopping was the likes of King's and a variety of renditions of true Christmas musical fare - and creches everywhere one looked.. Now, for the past number of years all one hears is 'Jingle Bells', 'I''m Dreaming of a White Christmas', 'Here Comes Santa Claus', and other such banal stuff - and not a creche in sight. In case one hadn't noticed, God and Jesus no longer have a place in the public's Christmas (oh, excuse me, 'Holiday'); in fact, it has become a faux pas even to mention them - and being 'merry' is definitely outre. Give someone a cheery 'merry Christmas' nowadays and one is likely to be shown a scowl and pursed lips.

Another good one to add to my list is "Gesu Bambino" by Pietro A. Yon...I havent heard that performed since I was like 10.

Indeed, Richard -
If I know of a holy day that occurs in someone else's religion I have no hesitation in happily wishing him a 'Happy Hanukka' or such, no matter what his or her religion might be - Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, or whatever. An Indian holy man once said that 'a wise man will respect what is holy to others' (are you listening, Charlie Hebdo???). I have found it enriching and joyful to do so. We certainly have more in common with them than with, increasingly, our own public spheres and States, in which God is presumed absent, if he exists at all - and if he does he is not welcome. The required absence of religious symbolism or speech in the public sphere is in itself symbolism that there is no God - a coup for the atheists.

It's not closed minds. It's hearts that have not been opened by the music and/or musicians. One can't charge into hearts and assume a welcome embrace. Even God sent the Archangel Gabriel to go hand-in-hand, as it were, to woo the BVM.

God bless you, Liam. I am printing out your words for my desk so that I might remember them every day.

MJO, the only good version of Little Drummer Boy is the Bing Crosby and David Bowie recording. Of course not for church, but I do enjoy listening to it.

The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canadian Christmas hymn (Canada's oldest Christmas song), written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. The original words were written in the Huron Wyandot language (and can be found at Wikipedia). The usual English translation is:

'Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender Babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapp'd His beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high...
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

The earliest moon of wintertime
Is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory
On the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt
With gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.

O children of the forest free,
O sons of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heaven
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant Boy
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

Here is an astounding arrangement & performance of the "Huron Carol" by the Girl Choristers and Lay Clerks of the Ely Cathedral Choir.

Thanks, MJO. It is marvelous to hear (&/or sing) the Huron Carol in the original Huron Wyandot language. The Ely choir's English rendition is really well done.

Every nationality's carols have quite a distinct character, the French being, to me, the most absolutely charming

This is self-evident, French are the best. ^^

A friend of mine, who is chair of music at St Thomas's Episcopal School here in Houston, has told me just today that he has taught an arrangement of the Huron carol by Healey Willan. Does anyone here know of this or have they taught it.

Cantique de Noel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUkDSNxA1Xw

Very sad about the piano, but nice to hear a forthright approach that is more appropriate to the boldly proclamatory nature of the French text (which is a text that is designed to rouse the sleepy, not lull them back to sleep - especially to rise up from their knees after kneeling...) than the pap of typical offerings of the English text.

A beautiful hymn and melody!
Not to be piccky, but I think that 'wert', which occurs in the first and second stanzas, should be 'wast'.
This is really a beautiful hymn and quite a well made tune.
It should be in more hymnals.

"Like the dawning of the morning" in its original form has eight stanzas. It's a beautiful text.

1
Like the dawning of the morning
On the mountains’ golden heights,
Like the breaking of the moon-beams
On the gloom of cloudy nights;
Like a secret told by Angels,
Getting known upon the earth,
Is the Mother’s Expectation
Of Messiah’s speedy birth.
2
Thou wert happy, Blessed Mother,
With the very bliss of Heaven,
Since the Angel’s salutation
In thy raptured ear was given;
Since the Ave of that midnight,
When thou wert anointed Queen,
Like a river over-flowing
Hath the grace within thee been.
3
On the mountains of Judea,
Like the chariot of the Lord,
Thou wert lifted in thy spirit
By the uncreated Word;
Gifts and graces flowed upon thee
In a sweet celestial strife
And the growing of thy Burden
Was the lightening of thy life.
4
And what wonders have been in thee
All the day and all the night,
While the angels fell before thee,
To adore the Light of Light.
While the glory of the Father
Hath been in thee as a home,
And the sceptre of creation
Hath been wielded in thy womb.
5
And the sweet strains of the Psalmist
Were a joy beyond control,
And the visions of the prophets
Burnt like transports in thy soul;
But the Burden that was growing,
And was felt so tenderly,
It was Heaven, it was Heaven,
Come before its time to thee.
6
Oh the feeling of thy Burden,
It was touch and taste and sight;
It was newer still and newer,
All those nine months, day and night.
Like a treasure unexhausted,
Like a vision uconfess’d,
Like a rapture unforgotten,
It lay ever at they* breast.
7
Every moment did that Burden
Press upon thee with new grace;
Happy Mother! Thou art longing
To behold the Saviour’s Face!
Oh his Human face and features
Must be passing sweet to see
Thou hast seen them, happy Mother!
Ah then, show them now to me.
8
Thou hast waited, Child of David,
And thy waiting now is o’er;
Thou hast seen Him, Blessed Mother,
And wilt see Him evermore!
O His Human Face and Features,
They were passing sweet to see;
Thou beholdest them this moment,
Mother, show them now to me.

* "they" is probably a typo and should be "thy"

In the bleak midwinter -- although I'm not sure if I prefer Darke or Holst.

Hodie Christus Natus Est by J.P. Sweelinck is a very lively song indeed. I‘ve sang it for two Christmases in s row, but I doubt our choir will be able to do it again this year.

O Jesulein Suss