Just the word “Christmas” starts ringing in your head, doesn’t it? Whether it’s a Christmas carol like Silent Night, the kid-favorite Jingle Bells, or Elvis singing “I’ll be home for Christmas,” the festival has music as a part of the soul of it. Accept it this year with the help of some websites.
The Internet has a little for everyone. If you want to sing along, there are Christmas-focused karaoke apps. You can listen to Christmas music online for free. Or for the religious meaning, you can learn the Christmas carols and the true meaning behind them. Regardless of what floats your boat, these five sites have you covered.
There are many online radio stations for Christmas songs. But when you’re with your family and you want background music, head over to Radio Santa Claus. It’s an easy name to remember and works on all devices.
The Radio Santa Claus playlist is not much different from what you will get from other online stations. It’s mostly Christmas-themed pop songs, though it has a lot more variety than your average radio station. Nor is it a single station.
after pressing listen live, you are on the default broadcast of Radio Santa Claus. Scroll down to try other holiday-themed stations, like Radio North Pole and Radio Natale. Radio Santa Claus is also available on other platforms.
If you have Google Home or Amazon Alexa, you can ask them to play Radio Santa Claus. In the Android app, you can stream Radio Santa Claus in regular or HD quality (you’ll definitely notice the difference) and explore other stations on the network. Check out the location of the North Pole to see all the holiday channels on the network.
If the Santa Claus Radio collection is not for you, try this free alternative Christmas radio station. He vows to avoid “bad Christmas music.” Here you will not find corny or silly songs, nor commercials. Instead, you’ll enjoy the “best combination of Christmas and holiday songs” from November 1 to January 1.
Please note that the Tinsel & Tune website does not run an SSL script, so your browser may warn you that it is not secure. Use at your own risk, or better yet, access through a different platform.
Just like with Radio Santa Claus, you can ask your Google Home or Alexa speaker to play Tinsel and Tunes. As of this writing, the Android app was not yet available, but you can try Tinsel and Tunes on iOS.
If your heart is beating for classical music, or if you’ve had enough of “Last Christmas” and “All I Want for Christmas,” then Music & Beyond’s Musical Advent Calendar might be a refreshing change. Also, it is never too late to start your advent calendar.
Behind each door of the advent calendar you will find a YouTube video. The videos feature recordings of classic compositions, such as Bach’s uplifting “Minuet in G Major,” Victor Herbert’s lively “March of Toys” or the time-honored “Londonderry Air.” All music is performed by professional musicians, bands, and full orchestras.
Being instrumental, these make the perfect backdrop for a quiet evening. If you want, you can stitch the videos together to create your own YouTube playlist. At the very least, check out the holiday data displayed at the top of each page.
Listening to classical music is a lovely way to get into the holiday spirit, just like watching classic Christmas movies on Netflix.
Who doesn’t like a good night of karaoke? And when the whole family has gathered, pull out that microphone and have Nana sing some old hits. Now, you can buy a karaoke machine or use a free karaoke app, but this website probably has all the Christmas songs you want.
‘Tis the Season to Be divides its catalog into two: Christmas carols and songs. Choose your genre, choose a song from the available list and start playing. You don’t really need a microphone or fancy karaoke machine for this. Follow the lyrics and have fun. If you have some time to plan, you can print the letter ahead of time and pass it out, so everyone can participate together.
The volume tends to be a bit low on these songs, and it will drown out once people start singing along. Therefore, you may need a good set of Bluetooth speakers so that everyone can hear the music.
Many of the hymns and carols that are sung today at Christmas are not that old. “O Holy Night,” for example, was written in the early 19th century. The history and tales behind these are fascinating and are collected in one place on this site.
Given how far Christianity has spread across Europe, it’s no surprise that several popular Christmas carols today originated in a different language. For example, if you want to know the story of “Silent Night”, the website will take you to Austria’s original “Silent Night”. There you can see how it was originally written and even find notes and videos about the story behind the Christmas carol.
The Hymns and Carols of Christmas is largely a scholarly effort. Your Table of Contents it’s what you’ll need the most, as navigating the site is difficult. But when a child asks you a question about carols or hymns, wouldn’t you like to know the real answer?
What is more festive: Christmas carols, songs or instrumental?
So, dear reader, which of the main types of Christmas music would you rather play to get into the festive spirit? Do you like Christmas carols or are Christmas pop songs ideal? Or do you ditch the vocals altogether and go for an instrumental background score? The choice is yours! Whatever you choose, we wish you a Merry Christmas filled with joy and delight.