I keep running across a cappella Christmas songs and carols, and loving them, so I’m just going to collect some here to share.  The beauty of the voices can be stunning!

Pentatonix: The Little Drummer Boy

This is the video that inspired me to write about a cappella Christmas carols.

I knew about this group because Kelly and I had just watched Pentatonix: On My Way Home, a delightful documentary about them and their a cappella singing… the link is to that program on Netflix, where we watched it.

Then bingo! I was delighted to find their collection That’s Christmas to Me at Amazon, where it’s free for Amazon Prime members to stream. Expect I’ll be listening to it a lot this season. It’s also for sale of course, as mp3 or CD.

Peter Hollens: Mary, Did You Know?

I’d never heard of this singer (or should I say these singers?) until I came across him (them) on Facebook. What a group! Later I found other a cappella singing of the same sort, but I’ll stick with just one carol here.

Home Free: Angels We Have Heard on High

Here is another a cappella group I’d never heard of before. I’ve always loved the Gloria on this Christmas carol, ever since I was in grade school. When we were driving around Washington, D.C., where I grew up, my mother, my sister and I would sing carols during the season. Never thought about us singing a cappella! I guarantee you that these guys sound better than we did.

RESOUND: Christmas Medley

This Christmas carol video went viral on Facebook last year, and I can hear why!

BYU Vocal Point: Silent Night

I specially like the staging of this Christmas carol, sung by a university a cappella group:

Not An A Cappella Christmas Carol: The Prayer

But one of the most moving songs here… Nathan Pacheco and David Archulata singing, with accompaniment…

More About A Cappella Singing

There’s a very long and detailed a cappella article at wikipedia. It explains that the term simply means singing without musical accompaniment and goes on to give a lot of fascinating history, about Christian and Jewish traditions and about different countries. Collecting these Christmas carols made me once again appreciate the internet and what it can bring to us.