What is a Christmas Carol?

This advent I am trying something a little different. I will be taking some of the most theologically significant carols and using them to jump into the Scriptures and talk about Christmas.

But what is a carol? Christmas songs like "White Christmas" or "I'll Be Home for Christmas" are not carols. While those are great tunes, they are simply Christmas-themed songs that remind us of the warmness of Christmas, family, and home. Which is great, I love them, but they are not carols. Ok, but what about a carol?

A carol is another word for a hymn or worship song of which Christmas is a specific genre. The history of Christmas Carols dates back to the early years of Christianity when heresies about the incarnation began to emerge. A heretic named Arian, the same guy Saint Nicholas had beef with, began to teach that Christ was created by the Father and not eternal. While Saint Nicholas confronted Arius directly at the Council of Nicaea (Maybe slapped him?), Saint Ambrose took a more peaceful path and wrote songs about the incarnation to teach true and biblical theology. These were the first Christmas carols!

They became even more popular when carol singing became a staple of wassailing. Wassailing is the Christmas version of Halloween, just with more booze. Groups of wassailers would knock on doors, sing carols, and offer a type of ale known as wassail from a bowl in exchange for gifts. This was all to encourage a merry spirit and celebrate the joy of the birth of Christ!

After the Reformation carols became a staple of the Protestant church where music was more encouraged. Reformers like Martin Luther wrote carols for the church, some of which have been translated into English and are still sung today. These carols teach us deep truths about Christ, his incarnation, and his purpose.

Tomorrow we are going to take a deeper look at one of the most famous carols: "O Holy Night." We will discover the thrill of hope that comes when we have Jesus. Join us to celebrate this glorious season!