Best Carols: God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

A second great carol is God Rest you Merry Gentlemen. I used to dislike it on account of its opening line: I imagined drunken, florid men in top hats being wished a comfortable, well-fed Christmas. It dates back to the sixteenth century, where gentlemen were indeed wealthy landowners. Perhaps it is a plea to the comfortable rich to heed Christmas’ spiritual significance, rather than its attendant feasting. Furthermore, rest in sixteenth-century parlance can mean to keep or remain, rather than to desist or stop. Merry meant pleasant rather than tipsy. It is therefore a request for God to keep safe His pleasant people, even when winter’s icy fingers and dark days cause some to feel dismayed. The tonic for such gloomy thoughts is a reminder of Christ’s bright coming.

The carol goes further. Not pulling its punches during this sentimental and syrupy season, it reminds us of Satan’s dominion over our world, and Christ’s rescue mission therefrom. We were gone astray, like Isaiah’s wandering sheep, and in need of a Shepherd:

God rest you merry gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay;

Remember, Christ, our Saviour,

Was born on Christmas day.

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray;

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy