In Britain, this hymn is better known with GLORIA, the French carol tune associated with “Angels We Have Heard on High.” It is often called IRIS, after the newspaper in which Montgomery first published the text. When/Why/How: Matt Redman’s moving ballad tells the Christmas story of the Annunciation to Mary and the story to Bethlehem in a contemporary fashion. It has become a soothing Christmas classic.

The notion of groups of carollers assembling in public spaces was a 19th-century one, according to Oxford. Called ‘waits’, these collections of singers used to gather to perform for passers-by, who traditionally thanked them with tasty offerings of drinks or mince pies. John Rutter’s music is always popular at this time of year, and after hearing the soaring melodies of the Candlelight Carol, it’s easy to see why. Another carol which likely had its origins in the medieval Mystery Plays, this carol was ‘collected’ by William Sandys in 1833. This carol is unusual because the text features Jesus speaking in the first person, describing his life, death and resurrection through the analogy of a ‘dance’. For millions listening around the world, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, marks the beginning of Christmas. The service is based around nine Bible readings which tell the story of the loving purposes of God. They are interspersed with carols old and new, sung by the world-famous Chapel choir, who also lead the congregation in traditional Christmas hymns.music (US): Lewis H. Redner, music (UK): traditional tune: "Forest Green" (a.k.a. "The Ploughboy's Dream") Rather than celebrating the birth of Christ, the text of this hymn represents Christ’s triumphant return. The words, dreamed up by English writer Isaac Watts, are based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. In the late ’90s, it was named the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. You can just feel the merriness pouring out of it. Ranson, Joseph.(1949)The Past: The Organ of the Uí Cinsealaigh Historical Society, 5. 61-102 retrieved from Hymns and Carols of Christmas.com 11 December 2017 http://www.askaboutireland.ie/aai-files/assets/libraries/wexford-county-library/reading-room/history-heritage/traditions-and-customs/ransons-article-on-the-kilmore-carols.pdf

El Noi de la Mare (Carol of the Gifts). Oxford University Press. 30 July 2009. ISBN 978-0-19-336553-7 . Retrieved 15 November 2017.Carols were being collected and printed widely by the 19th century. And in 1880, it’s believed the Christmas carol service was invented in Truro by an Edward White Benson, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury. Interestingly, some carols throughout history seem to celebrate a period outside the Christmas season. ‘Coventry Carol’, for example, is believed to have originated from Medieval Coventry Mystery Plays, traditionally performed in the middle of the summer. The lead-up to Christmas is best seen as being from the start of Advent – the period marked by the first of the four Sundays before Christmas – until Christmas Day. The end of Christmas is usually marked by the feast of Epiphany, the day in Christianity where the revelation of baby Jesus is celebrated (usually 6 January). A permanent fixture in the traditional services of Lessons And Carols, this most famous of carols is set to a tune by Felix Mendelssohn. It began with a much more archaic name; ‘Hark How All The Welkin Rings’, (the welkin being an old-fashioned term for the heavens). But George Whitefield, a colleague of the lyricist Charles Wesley, thought that no-one would understand the meaning, and so he compiled his own hymnal and changed the words himself! This folk hymn compares Jesus to the tree of life from the Garden of Eden. The simple rhyme scheme of the text and the soaring melody are a welcome addition to any carol service. The text has been set by various composers including Jeremiah Ingalls, Elizabeth Poston and John Rutter.