Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.

Traditional Christmas carols

Songs which are traditional, even some without a specific religious context, are often called Christmas carols. A more or less standard set of these traditional carols might include such titles as:

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

"Away in a Manger"

"Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella"

"Coventry Carol"

"Ding Dong Merrily on High"

Popular Christmas songs

Of all the most-performed "holiday" songs, the oldest songs are "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "Winter Wonderland", which were both published in 1934. "Jingle Bells" is the most hugely popular among all the Christmas songs.

The first verse and chorus are the well-remembered sections of "Jingle Bells":

Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sleighing song tonight!

(chorus)

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh.

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh.