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Silent Night! Your Fave Christmas Carols Are Dying A Death, Apparently

Almost 50% of 18–29-year-olds have never belted out a round of Little Donkey or Holly and the Ivy.
By 

Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor

Christmas carols could become a thing of the past
georgeclerk via Getty Images
Christmas carols could become a thing of the past

Christmas might be a little quieter this year as new data shows that one in five Brits don’t remember the last time they attended a carol concert.

And it looks like Christmas carols are fading out for good, as almost half (46%) of 18 to 29 year olds have never belted out one of the traditional festive songs.

According to the new research from Groupon, one in three admit they can’t remember the last time they sang Silent Night (31%), Little Donkey (31%) or Holly and the Ivy (29%).

And the results are no real surprise, considering that four in 10 of the 2000 young people quizzed as part of the study believe traditional festive songs are outdated and old fashioned, while 39% said that they would never dream of going carolling with friends and relatives during the festive season.

Instead of sticking on the sound of classic carols over Christmas, 57% of the young Brits surveyed opt for Christmas pop songs to act as backing music to their festivities. I mean, who doesn’t like a little blast of Mariah Carey?

And many couldn’t even recognise classic tunes, with four in 10 (39%) unable to identify O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Do You Hear What I Hear? (38%), Little Donkey (36%) and In the Bleak Midwinter” (34%).

In fact, it’s not just traditional carols that this age group are saying goodbye to - 47% believe that going to Midnight Mass is a thing of the past, as well as attending a service on Christmas Day (43%), reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (41%), finding a satsuma or orange in their stocking (40 percent) and watching festive ballet, The Nutcracker (38%).

The Christmas Carols At Risk Of Dying Out

Here’s the tunes that 18 to 29 year-olds surveyed couldn’t recognise.

  1. In Dulci Jubilo (47%)
  2. Coventry Carol (46%)
  3. Here We Come A-Wassailing (45%)
  4. Christians Awake (45%)
  5. Carol of the Bells (41%)
  6. See Amid the Winter’s Snow (41%)
  7. Angels From the Realms of Glory (40%)
  8. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (39%)
  9. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (39%)
  10. Do you hear what I hear? (38%)
  11. Little Donkey (36%)
  12. In the Bleak Midwinter (34%)
  13. Joy to the World (33%)
  14. O Holy Night (33%)
  15. Silent Night (32%)
  16. The Holy and the Ivy (31%)
  17. The first Noel (31%)
  18. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (31%)
  19. Good King Wenceslas (31%)
  20. Once in Royal David’s City (31%)
  21. We Three Kings (31%)
  22. O Little Town of Bethlehem (30%)
  23. While the Shepherds Watch Their Flocks (29%)
  24. Ding Dong! Merrily on High (29%)
  25. O Come All Ye Faithful (28%)
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