Britain’s favorite Christmas carols revealed – is yours in the top spot?

CHRISTMAS carols are seeing a resurgence in popularity – thanks to Gen Z.

A survey of 2,000 adults who celebrate the holidays found that 85 percent enjoy hearing or singing Christmas carols in December.

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But it’s Gen Z who claim to be the biggest fans (90 percent). 29 percent say hearing the music reminds them of their time at school.

While 43 percent say it helps them remember fond memories of their friends and family.

It also found that Gen Z knows the words to classics like “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas” better than their older Millennial, Gen X and Boomer counterparts.

‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘We Three Kings’ are also among the Christmas carols that young adults are more likely to sing along to than any other age group.

Following the findings, Chessington World of Adventures, which commissioned the research, organized an adrenaline-fuelled concert featuring The Crypt Choir from The King’s School Canterbury in a rendition of Ding Dong! Merrily on High on the Mandrill Mayhem roller coaster – traveling at a speed of 72 km/h and 20 meters high in the air.

Howard Ebison, division director of Chessington World of Adventures, which is kicking off the Winter’s Tail Christmas event with the extreme carol concert, said: “Many of us love carols – especially the younger generation, judging by these findings.

“We love to bring some extra excitement to the holidays, and what better way than to combine the joy of Christmas carols with the excitement of our rides?

“We are delighted to be working with the incredible Crypt Choir from The King’s School Canterbury for this unique performance.”

The survey also revealed the country’s best Christmas carols, with ‘Silent Night’ topping the list.

This was followed by ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ and ‘Jingle Bells’, with ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ and ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ completing the top five.

Other popular songs included Away in a Manager, Once in Royal David’s City and Little Donkey.

Three in ten (30 percent) of those surveyed said Christmas carols are one of their favorite things about the holidays.

Despite the appeal of Christmas pop hits, 45 percent still prefer timeless traditional carols, while 21 percent admit to listening to festive songs almost every day during this period.

While 67 percent say Christmas carols are crucial for creating the perfect holiday atmosphere.

The survey, conducted via OnePoll, found that of all adults surveyed, 41 percent admitted they appreciate Christmas carols more when everything around them feels festive.

A quarter listen to it a few times a week during the holidays and indicate that their favorite listening places are at home (25 percent), shopping centers and stores (18 percent) and church (17 percent).

While 14 percent find listening to Christmas music comforting at any time of the year, 28 percent warn that listening to Christmas music too early can lead to festive burnout.

More than half (52 percent) of young adults ages 18 to 27 consider November an acceptable time to play Christmas carols, while only 16 percent of Boomers feel the same way.

But 40 percent of younger adults say it’s never too early to turn on the Christmas music.

And they are more likely to listen to the festive songs every day than those in their late 50s.

Younger adults are also more likely to attend a Christmas concert this year – while 31 percent of adults hope to attend, this rises to 38 percent of Gen Z and 47 percent of millennials.

Only 12 percent of all respondents find Christmas carols boring, while 18 percent admit they have never sung one since they were at school.

The King’s School Canterbury Crypt Choir is launching the Chessington World of Adventures Winter’s Tail event, which will include a grotto, live shows and entertainment, with an exclusive carol concert for guests on November 23.

Will Bersey, Director of Music at The King’s School Canterbury said: “Singing such extreme carols was an experience our choristers will not soon forget.

“Singing traditional Christmas carols while riding a roller coaster was a challenge, but one we embraced with great enthusiasm.

“We look forward to our festive appearance at the Winter’s Tail event, albeit perhaps from a more stationary position.”

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