We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The Story Behind We Wish You A Merry Christmas

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a traditional English carol whose widespread popularity is closely tied to the work of a Bristol-based musician in the early 20th century.

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How "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" Became Popular

Arthur Warrell, a songwriter, conductor, and musician based in Bristol, is often credited with helping popularize the carol. Warrell adapted the traditional tune for his University of Bristol Madrigal Singers and performed it with the group in concert on December 6, 1935.

Later that same year, Warrell’s detailed four-part choral arrangement was published by Oxford University Press under the title “A Merry Christmas: West Country Traditional Song.”

This publication played a key role in establishing the carol as a Christmas favorite throughout the English-speaking world.

Collection of Popular Christmas Hymns and Carols:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The First Noel
Joy To The World
O Holy Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
O Come All Ye Faithful
Go Tell It On The Mountain
What Child Is This
O Little Town of Bethlehem
We, Three Kings of Orient, Are
Ave Maria
Away in a Manger
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Do You Hear What I Hear?
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
The Little Drummer Boy
Deck the Halls