10 Lesser known Christmas songs 6 Drive the cold winter away

Census at Bethlehem Bruegel the elder

This is an Elizabethan song, again from Kate Rusby's The Frost is all over

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
And good fortune attends each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with music and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

'Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined
To think of small injuries now,
If it's wrath that you seek, do not lend her your cheek
Nor let her inhabit thy brow.
Cast out of thy books malevolent looks,
Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort with mirth and sport
To drive the cold winter away.

Oh this time of the year is spent in good cheer
And neighbours together do meet,
Oh to sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet.
And old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
And sorrows aside they all lay,
The old and the young doth carol this song,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmas tide comes in a like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
For twelve days of the year are spent in good cheer
In every household is glad.
Then the country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
And every young man does the best that he can
To drive the cold winter away.

This is another version

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love do greet;
Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay,
The old and the young doth carol his song,
To drive the cold winter away.

To mask and to mum kind neighbours will come
With wassails of nut-brown ale,
To drink and carouse to all in the house,
As merry as bucks in the dale;
Where cake, bread and cheese is brought for your fees,
To make you the longer stay;
At the fire to warm will do you no harm,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmastide comes in like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year, much mirth and good cheer,
In every household is had;
The country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do best that they can,
To drive the cold winter away.

When white-bearded frost hath threatened his worst,
And fallen from branch and brier,
Then time away calls, from husbandry halls
And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go to plough and to sow,
To get us both food and array;
And thus with content the time we have spent
To drive the cold winter away.

I also have instrumental versions by Horslips to the traditional tune