Christmas Songs

Christmas Songs - for guitar, ukulele & banjo

Many Christmas carols and songs are a bit tricky to play on guitar, ukulele or banjo; they sound better played on a piano or by an orchestra. However, they are so lovely to sing, and so well known, that it's worth trying to find or work out some "easier" versions. They are often slow, so are good for novice players!

Here are some of my favourites. I'll add more as (or if) I get time. I have adjusted some of them to make them easier to play, and I have put them in a key that is relatively easy to play and also easier for singing, in my opinion (many carols especially suit very high voices).

On guitar (and to a small extent on ukulele), you can always use a capo if these songs are too low for you (see Folk Guitar Basics if you're not sure what a capo is - they are a very handy "extra" when you play songs).

Opening and/or downloading these song sheets uses bandwidth, which I have to pay for, so if you are using more than half a dozen or so of the sheets, and if you have a few dollars to spare, you may like to donate a little bit (see DONATE button at bottom of page) to help with the site costs - but please don't feel obligated in any way, the songs are here for you to enjoy.

July 2017 UPDATE: all the song sheets on the site have had to be moved so all the old links had to be re-done.

Most of the links on this page have been replaced, but if you find any that don't work, you should be able to find a current link on one of the main pages:

Guitar Songs - by Level - levelled list of songs with links to PDF song sheets
(Guitar Songs List - alphabetical list of titles with links)
Ukulele Songs - includes levelled list of songs with links; you can find Christmas songs here in the list
Ukulele Songs List - alphabetical list of titles with links; includes Christmas Songs in the list
Banjo Songs - levelled list of song titles with links; also a list of Christmas Songs (by Level)

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Christmas Songs - for Ukulele

- these songs are arranged by level;

they are also on the main lists (levelled/alphabetical) of ukulele songs

Easiest Christmas songs for Ukulele - to Level 3

L.2. Angels We Have Heard On High - Key G; chords: G, C, D7

L.2. Once in Royal David’s City - Key: G; chords: G, D7, C

L.2. Up On the Housetop - Key: G; chords: G, D7, C

L.3. Away in a Manger - Key G; chords: G, C, D7, G7

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Christmas Songs - for Guitar

- these songs are arranged by level;

they are also on the main lists (levelled/alphabetical) of guitar songs

Easiest Christmas Songs for Guitar, Level 1-3

L 2. Silent Night - D, A7, G - a lovely, slow song.

I've dropped the key down to D.

3/4 timing (One, 2,3 , One, 2,3 etc.)

Easy Christmas Songs for Guitar, Level 4-6

L.4. WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - Level 4 - G, A7, D7, C

- G, A7, D7, C - a couple of quick D7 >G changes, but otherwise easy to play.

3/4 timing (One, 2,3 , One, 2,3 etc.)

L.4. JINGLE BELLS - Level 4 - G, D7, C

The chord changes in the chorus are fairly fast, but the chords themselves are not too hard.

The rhythm is a brisk One, 2,3,4, One,2,3,4.

L.4. ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY - Level 4_Key G - G, D7, C - a beautiful, slow song, easy to play in 4/4 time.

L.4. UP ON THE HOUSETOP - Level 4 - G, D7, C - a jolly, easy-to-play song about Santa.

L.4. WHEN A CHILD IS BORN – Level 4 - Key G; G, C, D7, D

(also Level 13 - see below- different key, still easy chords).

This song is always a favourite at our Melbourne Carols by Candlelight.

The chords are easy, with slow changes. I've left in the 'spoken' part as in the Johnny Mathis version, but this is optional.

A suggested Right Hand "finger picking" pattern for this song is to pluck the strings 5,3,2,1, 4,3,2,1 in a repeated pattern. Use your thumb for the bass strings (5 or 4) and use your 1st, 2nd and 3rd fingers for the other strings so it's an easy pattern to play.

L.5. DECK THE HALLS - Level 5 - Key G_G, D7, C, A7, Em - this traditional song has a fairly brisk pace, and a few fast changes from the G chord. The Level 8 version (Key C) may be easier to play. Timing: 4/4

Next Christmas Songs for Guitar, Level 7-13

L.8. DECK THE HALLS - Level 8 - Key C - C, G7, F, D7, Am - Key C version - fairly brisk pace, but no hard chords if you don't mind playing F. Timing: 4/4 Timing: 4/4

L.8. I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS - Level 8 - G, D, C, Em, Am - a lovely, slow song with no hard chords. Timing: 4/4

L. 9. the Little Drummer Boy - C, F, G7, C7 - still need to upload revised sheet; link to come

L.10. HAPPY CHRISTMAS - WAR IS OVER - Level 10

- G, D7, C, Am, C7, F, G7, Dm

-this looks like a long list of chords, but F is the hardest one and there are no fast changes, so take it easy and enjoy this song- it's a lovely song to sing in a group. I've put in the second part - I think it's fairly accurate.The timing is 3/4 (One, 2,3 , One, 2,3 etc) but if you like, you can just strum the first beat of each bar (the One count).

L.12 AWAY IN A MANGER - Level 12 - A, A7, D, E7

Here's an easy version of this beautiful song. Don't be put off because it's Level 12; these are actually very easy chords, and the changes are not too fast.

I've done it in the key of A, as the chords are easy and it's not too high. It may be too low for you to sing, so you may need to use a capo to raise the pitch.

You can just do a gentle strum (One, 2, 3, One, 2, 3) or you can pick the strings with your fingers: a simple arpeggio of B32123, B32123 sounds good. Note that B= the bass note- this is the string shown a bit darker on the chord diagrams (A- 5th string, D- 4th string, E- 6th string).

L. 12. WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE - Level 12 - Am, E7, C, G7, Dm, F

This song has a constant progression of chords, so it can be tricky if you're not a confident player. Take it nice and slowly, and don't worry about the right hand rhythm too much- a steady, slow downbeat works well for this song.

L.12. ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH - Level 12 - A, D, E7 - the "Gloria" song, tricky to sing, but easy to play (4/4 time)

L.12. GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN - Level 12 - Am, C, F, Dm, G7, E7

This song has couple of tricky chords if you're not used to Dm and F, with fairly constant chord changes throughout, but I've cut out some of the chords so the changes are not as fast, and you can play the song at an easy, relaxed pace.

The rhythm is 4/4, so a steady "Down up down up" strum works well.

L.12. ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY - Level 12 - A, E7, D - another classic, lovely to sing and only 3 easy chords.

L.13. RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER - Level 13 - D, A, A7, G, E7, E - classic children's song with a bouncy 4/4 rhythm and a few fast chord changes but no hard chords.

L.13. WHAT CHILD IS THIS - Level 13 - Key Am; chords: Am, C, F, G, E - "Greensleeves" tune, lovely slow song with no hard chords once you've mastered 'F' on guitar (or E on ukulele).

L.13. WHEN A CHILD IS BORN - Level 13 - A, D, E7, E - a beautiful song, much easier to play on guitar than to sing.

More Challenging Christmas Songs for Guitar, Level 14+

L.14. WHEN SANTA GOT STUCK UP THE CHIMNEY- Level 14 - Key G; G, D7, C, Em, A7, A, E7, B7 - this is a fun children's song, but with lots of chord changes - you don't have to play it fast, though.

L. 8-15. FROSTY THE SNOWMAN - Level 8 (or 15) - G, C, D7, D, A7, Am; (Bm) A seasonal classic with a bouncy 4/4 rhythm and just one (optional) tricky chord.

L.15. ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE - Level 15 - G, Em, C, D, D7, A7, Bm -

The only really difficult bit in this song is the Bm chord, if you're not used to it. Bm (B minor) sounds best as a bar chord (where you put your first finger across all the strings as a "bar") but there is an easier version shown, too, where you only play the "top" 4 strings - just don't strum the 2 "lowest" (thick) strings.

If you like this song, have a go at it. Don't be put off by the Bm chord- it's only in a couple of places, and the rest of the song is easy so it's a good chance to practise playing Bm. It's not a very hard change from C- your fingers don't need to move much; just pull them back a bit and add in the 4th finger. Practise this change before you play the song.

I've put a link in to a Youtube clip of this song. If you have a capo, you can put it on the first fret and play the chords a semitone up so that you can play along with the clip if you like.

L.16. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING (Hi 5) - Level 16 - C, Am, G, Dm, F, Fm, A, A7, Gm - This is a catchy song performed by children's group Hi 5 - a link to the YouTube clip is on the song sheet. I've made up some chords to go along with it... including a couple of bar chords ( Fm, Gm).

L.17. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - Level 17- Key C; C, F, G7, Bb

L.18+ CHRISTMAS ISLAND - Level 18+ - D, G, A, A7, E7, Bm7, F#7, Db, Ab7 -

I heard this song at the sjhops several years ago, and I fell in love with the laid-back sound; this is my version, somewhat simplified but it sounds OK to me. It has a couple of bar chords but it's not too hard. The timing is best picked up from a recording of the song; you can strum something like “and- a-ONE, and- a-ONE” (down, up-DOWN, etc)

– see You Tube clip for a recording by the Andrews Sisters with wonderful harmonies.

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Christmas Songs - for Banjo

These are listed in level order at the bottom of the Banjo Songs page

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Extras- Links, Free Resources

More sites for Christmas Songs-

You can find most songs if you Google "lyrics, chords" and the song title. Most will be free to copy, and some will have a key changing option. Most have lots of ads everywhere, and can be a little confusing to navigate. These are some favourites for Christmas songs (not checked lately, so some may be outdated).

http://www.classic-country-song-lyrics.com/Christmassongslyricschords.html Notes- good site, easy to navigate, chords on all verses, option to change key (copy and paste). Ads not too intrusive.

http://www.guitarsongs.info/xmas.htm Notes- scroll down past the ads for the list of songs. The formats vary- some songs have the cords inset, and some have the chords at the end of the line- not so good if you don't know where to change them.

FREE ONLINE KEY CHANGER-

If you find songs with the chords inset [in brackets], or in a font such as courier with the chords written above the words, you can copy and paste into the online key changer at http://www.logue.net/xp/ - just choose your new key and the chords will be magically changed. Brilliant!

Note- The online key changer works with fonts like courier because all the letters are spaced evenly, so the chords don't get moved as the text expands. It also works with chords inset in brackets. I use Verdana for my songs as it's easy to read, so my songs won't work in the changer - but if you need to change the key, you can use the chord transposing wheel or use a capo to raise the pitch a bit.

FREE CHRISTMAS CLIP ART-

I had a lot of trouble with searching for free Christmas images- many were copyright, and several were "free" but all of a sudden, my computer was "infected with viruses", according to the window that popped up! There were some other nasty surprises in the Google image search, too. In the end, I found a few good sites with a range of free Christmas clipart. These are the sites I can recommend (most have other themes, too):

http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/holiday/christmas/christmastree1.html -good range of free Public Domain clipart for Christmas and other topics- check the index on the right side of the page

http://clipart.edigg.com/Christmas_Clipart/ -good range of free Public Domain clipart for Christmas and other topics