Songs for
the Christmas season (inc Thanksgiving) O-R
O
Christmas tree
Old
man of the woods
Once
the was a turkey
One
Father Christmas
One
little, two little, three little stars
Orientis
partibus
Over
there
Past
three o’clock
Pat-a-pan
Plums
in winter
Proud
turkeys
Red
berries and green holly
Reindeer
go
Reindeer
hokey pokey
Ring,
ring, ring the bells
Robin-a
bobbin’s Christmas present
Rocking
carol
Round
red postbox
Rudolph
the red-nosed reindeer
Also:
Mister Turkey and
Mister Duck
Christmas songs: A-E 📦 🔔 F-N 🔔 T-Z 🎅
Last updated: 11/28/2022
9:35 AM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ compiled, adapted and
illustrated by Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home
page
To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following conditions:
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you must give the original author credit
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
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O Christmas
tree 🔊
A lovely Christmas classic. "O Tannenbaum" is a
German Christmas song. Originally a traditional folk song, by the middle of
the 19th century it was sung as a Christmas carol. The lyrics were written in
1824 by Ernst Anschütz and referred to the fir trees evergreen quality of
constancy and faithfulness. Find out more at: O Tannenbaum - Wikipedia |
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O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! In beauty green will always grow Through summer sun and winter snow. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, You are the tree most loved! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, You are the tree most loved! How often you give us delight In brightly shining Christmas light! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, You are the tree most loved! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, Your beauty green will teach me O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, Your beauty green will teach me That hope and love will ever be The way to joy and peace for me. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, Your beauty green will teach me. |
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Old man of
the woods O
This song for Christmas time comes
from ‘Thirty folk settings for children’ words by Anne Mendoza to a Welsh
folk tune which I found recently in an Oxfam book shop. It can also be found
in the BBC Publication Singing Together, Autumn 1970. Mime swinging an axe with a strong rhythm as the song is sung. |
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Chopping trees and cutting branches; In the wood there is an old man. In the wood there is an old man, Chopping trees and cutting branches. Trees for Christmas tall or short ones, In the wood the old man's chopping, In the wood the old man's chopping, Trees for Christmas tall or short ones. Come and buy now all good people From the old man in the wood, From the old man in the wood, Come and buy now all good people. |
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Old man of
the woods O
This song for Christmas time comes
from ‘Thirty folk settings for children’ words by Anne Mendoza to a Welsh
folk tune which I found recently in an Oxfam book shop. It can also be found
in the BBC Publication Singing Together, Autumn 1970. Mime swinging an axe with a strong rhythm as the song is sung. |
|
Chopping trees and cutting branches; In the wood there is an old man. In the wood there is an old man, Chopping trees and cutting branches. Trees for Christmas tall or short ones, In the wood the old man's chopping, In the wood the old man's chopping, Trees for Christmas tall or short ones. Come and buy now all good people From the old man in the wood, From the old man in the wood, Come and buy now all good people. |
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Once there was a turkey 🔊
From ‘This is Music 4’ published in 1968. The words are by Anonymous and the music is by Wallace E. De Pue and
the girls and boys of Leetonia, Ohio; the tune has been arranged here by Dany
Rosevear. |
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One Father Christmas 🔊
A festive number finger play. From ‘Round about the seasons’ by Monica
Shelton. Music by Dany Rosevear. Each time raise fingers to show number. 1. Curve hands with palms
facing. 2. Make fingers ‘twinkle’. 3. Use fists to show sacks. 4. Gallop fist
on hand. 5. Clap five times gradually getting louder. |
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One little, two little,
three little stars 🔊
A festive number hand play. Music and words slightly adapted by Dany
Rosevear. Each time raise fingers to show numbers. 1. Open and close hands. 2. Make
fingers ‘twinkle’. 3. Make any action suggested by the words. |
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Orientus partibus 🔊
A sense of humour has been around for a very long time. The Feast of
the Ass was a medieval, Christian feast observed on January 14th,
celebrating the Flight into Egypt. Celebrated mostly in France, it was a part
of the Feast of Fools commemorating donkey-related Bible stories, especially
the one where donkey takes the Holy Family into Egypt after the birth of
Jesus. In the festival a donkey would be led through town to the church,
where the donkey would stand beside the altar during the sermon, and the congregation
would "hee-haw" their responses to the priest. |
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Over there 🔊
This light-hearted American version is an anomaly as it is sung as a
Christmas carol but is based on the traditional Irish famine song “The
praties they grow small”. It can be found in the ‘This is music 4’ a schools songbook from North
America published in 1968 which notes it is an early American song from 1844.
To find out more visit: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13830 . The tune is arranged by Dany
Rosevear. |
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Past three o’clock 🔊
A lovely
Christmas song but the traditional verses are rather challenging for little
ones so I have added a simple couplet to complement the chorus. |
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Past three o’clock, And a cold frosty morning, Past three o’clock, Good morrow masters all! Softly sleeping, warm in your
cradle, Tiny babe sleep till dawn peeps
through the sky. |
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Pat-a-pan O
Pat-a-pan is a French Burgundian
carol that dates back to the 17th C. There are many loose translations
of this song but this version felt right for young children. By its very nature it is a perfect
Christmas song to accompany with percussion. |
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William bring your little drum, Robin, bring your flute and come; We will listen as you play, Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pat-a-pat-a-pan, Flute and drum together play, On a happy Christmas Day. Children bring your flute and drum, For it’s time to have some fun! We’ll be merry as you play, Tu-re-lu-re-lu, pat-a-pat-a-pan, Listen to the lovely sound’ Sing and dance and jump around! Children bring your flute and drum, For the festive time has come! We’ll be merry as you play, Tu-re-lu-re-lu, pat-a-pat-a-pan, We’ll be merry as you play, Sing and dance this Christmas Day! |
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Plums in winter 🔊
From ‘Songs of a little child’s day’ by Emilie Poulson and Eleanor
Smith published 1910. |
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Proud turkeys 🔊
A simple Thanksgiving hand play. 1. Hold up hand to form turkey
head. 2. Link thumbs and fan hands to make tail. 3. Make head as before, open
and close thumb and fingers. 4. Move head from side to side. |
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Red berries and green
holly 🔊
A simple festive song for Christmas time. In the minor key with a strong beat, drums and sleigh bells would make
a good accompaniment. Holly grows well in our garden so a few boughs on the mantlepiece
don’t go amiss. On journeys in the countryside, however, it is a rare treat
to see mistletoe crowning the branches high up in the trees. Words and music by Dany Rosevear inspired by
an old Xmas rhyme that belongs to another age: Birch
and green holly, boys, Birch
and green holly. If you
get beaten, boys, ‘Twill
be your own folly. |
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Reindeer go 🔊
A nursery knee jogging rhyme translated from the Norwegian. Tune by Dany Rosevear. |
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Reindeer hokey pokey 🔊
A Christmas circle game. Learn
to differentiate between left and right.
Adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear.
Stand in a
circle. Verse 1. Put head in then out and in again, then shake them. Turn
around. Hold hands and on each ‘oh!’ move towards the centre of the circle and
back out again. Turn around. For each subsequent verse follow the same sequence
but move the relevant body part.
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Ring, ring, ring the bells 🔊
This song can be sung as a round or played as a game like ‘Row your
boat’. For the second verse try
holding hands with a partner standing up and alternatively move up and down. |
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Robin-a-bobbin’s Christmas
present 🔊
A perfect present for a robin. A hand play. Verse 1. With thumb and forefinger together ‘nod’ hand. Hands to
cheek. Make bed with thumbs and forfingers. Put hand to forehead. Cup hands,
Put up two fingers on each hand for antlers. Make hand sail across the sky.
2. Throw out hands, circle thumsb and forefingers. Thumb points to back,
point to watch. Fold arms. Raise thumb, wiggle three fingers. |
Robin-a-bobbin is noddin’
his head,
The whole world is sleepng,
The children are in bed.
Robin-a-bobbin looks up, up
in the sky,
Sees Santa, the reindeer and
sleigh, sailing by!
Sees Santa, the reindeer and
sleigh, sailing by!
“Where are you going way
past the clouds and moon?”
“I’ve presents to deliver,
I’ll come back very soon.”
Little robin waited for
Santa to return,
He came back with a “Ho, ho,
ho!” and three little worms!
He came back with a “Ho, ho,
ho!” and three little worms!
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Rocking carol 🔊
A beautiful traditional Czech carol translated by Percy Dearmer from the
Czech in 1928 as a lullaby to the baby Jesus. It is sung in both Britain and Ireland, but is less familiar to those on the
North American continent. I remember this song fondly as a child; especially
when the, invariably, little boys rocked their arms vigorously much to the
displeasure of their teachers! |
Little Jesus, sweetly sleep,
do not stir;
We will lend a coat of fur,
We will rock you, rock you,
rock you,
We will rock you, rock you,
rock you:
See the fur to keep you
warm,
Snugly round your tiny form.
Mary's little baby, sleep,
sweetly sleep,
Sleep in comfort, slumber
deep;
We will rock you, rock you,
rock you,
We will rock you, rock you,
rock you:
We will serve you all we
can,
Darling, darling little man.
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Rocky, rocky road 🔊
Sing your hearts out at Christmas with this traditional West Indies
spiritual, additional text by Louise Dobbs. For nostalgia buffs this comes from BBC School Radio ‘Singing
together’ Autumn term 1979, 1986. |
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Round red postbox 🔊
A Christmas counting game. Can be adapted to count in other number
strings, 10, 20, 30… Words and music by Dany Rosevear. Leader holds a bagful of
numbers. Children stand still in a space. Hop in and out of each other. Stop,
rub tummy then then make a letter box with thumbs and fingers. Leader pulls
out a number. Children clap hands or stamp feet and count. |
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Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer 🔊
A Christmas classic. Words by Robert L. May and music by Johnny
Marks published in 1947. Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(song)
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