A carol is simply a festive song, often of a dance-like or popular nature. Carol-singing was one of the pagan customs the medieval church adopted, initially at both Easter and Christmas. The earliest English Christmas carol was written around 1350. The period from 1400-1550 was the heyday of the English Christmas carol. However, after the Reformation, some in the church suppressed the custom. Puritans saw it as a pagan activity, and John Calvin promoted singing only metrical psalms in the sanctuary. By contrast, Luther adored congregational singing and wrote several Christmas hymns in the...