Christmas Caroling: Tips, Ideas & Advice

Christmas caroling is one of the oldest traditions of the holiday season, but it’s still a fun activity to take part in today. You can spread some good cheer around the neighborhood while also admiring the beautiful decorations and lights adorning each house. If you want to plan your own outing, here are some Christmas caroling ideas.

Organize and add personal touches to your Christmas caroling adventure with these ideas:

• Christmas caroling music: A week or a few days before you plan to go caroling, take some time to decide which songs you’ll want to perform. A great idea is to pick a mix of cheerful, kid-friendly tunes and traditional carols. You may want to search for the lyrics to each song online and print out a copy for each caroler. Since there can be many versions of songs, this can be a helpful tool to organize your carolers. It also allows you to set how many verses you plan on singing. Store your music pages in a binder that can be easily toted along on your outing.

• Christmas caroling invitations: Send out invitations 1-2 weeks in advance to get a head count for how many singers you're going to have joining you. Here's one of our free Christmas invitations, perfect for a caroling party.

• Christmas caroling route: Before everyone arrives, take a few minutes to map out where you’re going to carol and how you’re going to get around. If you’re starting and ending in the same place, plan out a circular route with minimal backtracking. Remember, you want to spend most of your time singing and not walking!

• Christmas caroling food: To keep your carolers’ energy and spirits up, you can pack little snacks to munch on along your walk. Choose food items that travel well, i.e. they don’t require utensils and they don’t make much of a mess. Small crackers or pretzels in ziploc bags work well.

• Christmas caroling drinks: If you’re heading outside in a location with a chilly climate, you may want to bring a hot beverage along to stay warm. Before you leave home, make a big batch of hot chocolate or apple cider and pour it into thermoses. To further insulate your mugs, you may want to wrap a blanket around them and then place them in a bag as you travel. Bottles of water will also keep everyone hydrated throughout the caroling party.

• Christmas caroling safety: Check the weather before you leave home. If it’s windy or snowing heavily, you may want to reschedule your caroling party. You will also want to plan to bring flashlights if it’s going to be dark while you’re out. As you’re visiting the neighborhood, stay on sidewalks and walk together as a group. Parents should always chaperone young children. Finally, make sure to gather all of your carolers at each stop. This ensures that nobody trails off from the group and that you are all ready to sing together when you ring the doorbell of the house that you are visiting.

If you don’t live in an area with many neighbors or if you want to try something new this year, consider caroling at a nursing home, school, or anywhere else you can spread some Christmas cheer. Invite others to join you in singing—the more the merrier! Remember to bring a camera so you can take lots of pictures of your Christmas caroling party. It’s sure to be something that you’ll want to remember and share the memories for years to come.