The surprising stories behind your favourite Christmas carols

Deck the Hall offers a blend of scholarly research and accessible storytelling - revealing the surprising origins of 27 beloved Christmas carols

Spoiler alert! If you don’t want to sully your experience of singing ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, don’t read this book and find out that the original tune was about a dead cow and a delinquent ploughboy, who was carried off to hell by a genie. Ah, too late, I’ve told you now…

But if you relish background details, you may love this tremendously comprehensive coverage of 27 carols across 321 pages. Each chapter dives into the history of the lyrics and their accompanying tune(s), complete with simple sheet music and some relevant illustrations.

Gant is a composer, conductor, singer and Oxford University lecturer, whose extensive musical experience includes leading the choir at many state events. His extensive research gives the book an academic feel, yet keeps it accessible.

The resulting work should particularly appeal to serious…