Deck the Halls

Those famous “Fa la la la la” lines are older than you might think. The melody comes from Nos Galan, a Welsh New Year’s Eve carol dating back to the 16th century, where the refrain was originally played on the harp between verses. The English words we sing today were written in 1862 by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, turning it into the boughs-of-holly favorite loved around the world.

Our Love to Sing choir leans into the upbeat intro and those joyful “fa la la” refrains — they’re brilliant for teaching call-and-response singing, so it’s a hit for Christmas concerts, classroom music lessons and decorating the tree at home.

Find more to sing in our Christmas song lyrics collection, or trim the tree with O Christmas Tree.