圣诞歌曲是圣诞节特有的音乐形式。基督教的教堂每年圣诞夜和圣诞节期间都要演唱圣诞歌曲。这样，圣诞节增添了喜庆，热烈的气氛。教徒们也表达了对耶稣基督的崇拜和信仰。
圣诞时唱的赞美诗称为“圣诞颂歌”，有浓厚的宗教色彩，神秘而古朴。随着圣诞节非宗教成分越来越多，圣诞时演唱的歌曲宗教含义淡化。如今，人们在圣诞节时既演唱传统的圣诞颂歌，也演唱新创作的圣诞歌曲。
演唱最多的圣诞颂歌是《平安夜》、《弥赛亚》、《圣母颂》、《圣诞钟声》和《白色的圣诞节》等。这些传统圣诞歌曲把人们带进了美妙、神奇的圣诞故事世界，经久不衰。
Christmas carols(圣诞颂歌) 
The Catholic Church valued music greatly and it is no
wonder thatthe early Christmas songs date from 4th century
(the earliestknown is Jesus refulsit omnium by St.Hilary
of Poitiers). The Mediaeval Christmas music followed the
Gregorian tradition. In Renaissance Italy there emerged
a lighter and more joyous kind of Christmas songs, more
like the true carols (from the French wordcaroler, meaning
to dance in a ring). These songs continued to be religious
and in Latin, though. In Protestant countries the tradition,
as everything Christmas related, intensified.
Luther wrote and composed his
song "From Heaven above I come to You". Music
by Handel and Mendelssohn was adapted and used as Christmas
carols. The old Finnish/Swedish collection Piae Cantiones
was translated and published in English in mid - 19th
century. The most famous of all, Silent Night (Stille
Nacht, heilige Nacht) was written by the Austrian parish
priest Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Gruber, church
organist, in 1818. In 19th century and later many popular
songs were written by composers (e.g. Adam, Sibelius).
The themes of songs surpassed religion and the totality
of Christmas paraphernalia found its way to carol music.
圣诞颂歌很多，曲谱多取自著名音乐家的名作。经常唱的有《普世欢腾，救主下降》、（Joy
to the World！）、《天使歌唱在高天》（Angels We Have Heard on High）、《缅想当年时方夜半》（It
Came the Midnight Clear）、《美哉小城，小伯利恒》（O Little Town of
Bethlehem）、 《牧人闻信》（While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks）、《远远在马槽里》（Away
in the Manger ）、《荣耀天军》（Angels，from the Realms of Glory）、《听啊，天使唱高声》（Hark！
the Herald Angels Sing）、《圣诞钟声》（I Heard the Bells on
Christmas Day）、等等，其中以《平安夜》（Silent Night）最为有名。据说，1818年在奥地利一个名叫奥本多夫的小镇上住着一个默默无闻的乡村牧师一摩尔。这年圣诞节，摩尔发现教堂里管风琴的管于被老鼠咬坏了，修理已经来不及了。怎么庆祝圣诞呢？摩尔为此闷闷不乐。他忽然想起《路加福音》里记载着，那稣降生时，天使向伯利恒郊外的牧羊人报佳音后，高唱颂歌：“在至高之处荣耀归于上帝，在地上平安归于他所喜悦的人。”他灵机一动，根据这两句经文写成一首赞美诗，取名《平安夜》。摩尔写好歌词后拿给本镇小学教师葛路伯看，请他谱曲。葛路怕读完歌词很受感动，谱好曲，第二天在教堂里演唱，大受欢迎。后来有两个商人路过这里，学会了这首歌，他们为普鲁士国王威廉四世演唱，威廉四世听后大力赞赏，下令把《平安夜》定为全国教堂过圣诞节时必唱的歌曲之一。此外，有条件的教堂每年圣诞节时还会演唱德国著名音乐家韩德尔的《弥赛亚》（又名《救世主》）等音乐作品，通过这些音乐崇拜活动来加强节日的喜庆气氛。
Listen to a carol: Away in the
Manger《远远在马槽里》
way in a manger,
no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep in the hay.
Away in manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep in the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.;
I love Thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh. A hay.
The little Lord Jesus. asleep on the Hay.
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Carols