25 December 2025, 15:00
Aled Jones and Malakai M Bayoh sing ‘O Holy Night’
For a decade complete, ‘O Holy Night’ has been voted the best-loved Christmas carol of all time in our annual poll.
‘O Holy Night’, a carol of French origin that has been recorded by countless singers from Luciano Pavarotti to Mariah Carey, has been voted the greatest Christmas carol of all time for the tenth consecutive year!
The annual vote for The Nation’s Favourite Carol took place over three weeks, and the Top 30 list was revealed on Classic FM on Christmas Day from 1-3pm by Alexander Armstrong.
Composed in 1847 by Adolphe Adam, ‘O Holy Night’ is still adored the world over, 170 years on. A tale of humanity’s redemption, the ‘Cantique de Noël’ is a much-loved favourite in our annual countdown, and is thought to have been the first carol played on the radio.
Gustav Holst’s setting of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, originally a poem by Christina Rossetti, was voted the nation’s second favourite, with ‘Carol of the Bells’ in third place followed by ‘Silent Night’ and Harold Darke’s setting of Rossetti’s poem.
Elsewhere in our chart, ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear’ climbed four places from No.14 to No.10. ‘Angels from the Realms of Glory’ and ‘Ding Dong! Merrily on High’ were two new entries in the chart.
A Classic FM exclusive of Aled Jones and Malakai Bayoh singing ‘O Holy Night’ went viral in Christmas 2022.
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Classic FM
The Nation’s Favourite Carol – Top 30O Holy NightIn the Bleak Mid-Winter – Gustav Holst versionCarol of the BellsSilent NightHark! The Herald Angels Sing In the Bleak Mid-Winter – Harold Darke versionO Come All Ye FaithfulO Come, O Come EmmanuelCandlelight Carol (Rutter)O Little Town of BethlehemOnce in Royal David’s CityCoventry CarolGaudeteIt Came Upon a Midnight ClearJoy to the WorldJesus Christ the Apple TreeGod Rest Ye Merry, GentlemenSussex CarolAway in a Manger Gabriel’s MessageThe Three Kings The Holly and the IvyIn Dulci JubiloShepherd’s Pipe CarolBethlehem DownStar Carol (Rutter)Good King WenceslasSee Amid the Winter’s SnowAngels from the Realms of GloryWexford Carol