Awhile back, when I was attending a Christmas event, a few kids were asked to name their favorite Christmas songs. To my dismay, none of the kids named a song that was related to the real meaning of Christmas, like “Joy to the World” or “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Instead they named songs like “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the recent Thanksgiving edition of The Oregonian newspaper contained the lyrics of 13 traditional Christmas songs, five of which were about the birth of Christ. Readers were encouraged to keep the tradition of Christmas caroling alive.

I think this would be a good time for Christians to make a conscious effort to help the kids in their families develop a love for Christmas music that celebrates the real reason for Christmas. One way we can work on accomplishing that is by exposing kids to some of the Christmas music that has been recorded by kids, especially for kids.

Kids who have trouble getting into music that doesn’t have a modern beat could probably be enticed by the Christmas music performed by Capitol Kids. They have produced a CD called simply Christmas. The songs have lively arrangements with drum and a little added syncopation.

Of the 15 songs included, only the first three are secular. There are ten traditional songs pertaining to the real meaning of Christmas, and two that aren’t so familiar. The two that are not traditional are entitled “It’s Christmas” and “Somebody’s Angel.” They both have great lyrics that help kids think about how they can make a Christmas more meaningful.

The traditional songs with updated music arrangements are close enough to the old style so that kids would probably be able to join in with others singing them the old way—all except for one. The very last song on the CD—“O Come, All Ye Faithful”—is very different from the song as we have known it.

Since 1993 Cedarmont Kids has been producing music for kids, including Christmas music. It is performed simply, but very well. The videos are creative. You might want to consider getting the Cedarmont Kids Christmas Carols CD and/or the Cedarmont Kids Christmas Carols DVD. There is even a Cedarmont Kids’ Christmas Collection book with
vocals, easy piano arrangements, and guitar chords in singable keys for children.

Below is a sample of the Cedarmont Kids Christmas Carols video.

Videos suggested at the end of this video are not necessarily endorsed by this website