he origin of the word Carol comes from the Greek "Choros", which was a circle dance. It was without music, and was also secular in nature. For most of the history of the early church carols, spoken, danced, or sung, were prohibited. But outside the church Nativity Carols became increasingly popular with the common folk. In the 13th Century St. Francis of Assisi is credited with bringing the peasant tradition into the church.

In America during the early part of the 17th Century all celebrations tied to Christmas were discouraged, and even occasionally banned due to their secular nature. This lead to the Carol almost being wiped out from society, but in rural areas the tradition is kept alive, once again by the common people.

After Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" interest in Christmas, and things associated with Christmas, once again began to rise. Most of the Carols that we know today were written after the publication of "Christmas Carol" in 1843, although a few date back to the 13th Century.