You NEED to Know These 10 Christmas Songs in 2025

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on 10 Christmas songs using only five chords so you can be ready for the parties.

Grab the PDF of all 10 songs (rhythm sheets, no page turns): simpleguitar.com/lastminutechristmas

The Five Chords

You only need G, C, E minor, D, and A minor. Standard open versions are fine. Here's how I like to play them.

G add5 (nickname): third finger on the third fret of the second string, pinky on the third fret of the first string. (Standard G is third fret first string, second fret fifth string, third fret sixth string.) "Add5" isn't a real chord type — it just tells us which G. You can use this anytime you see a G.

Cadd9: leave those third and fourth fingers down. Move first and second over a string: second finger third fret fifth string, first finger second fret fourth string, third string open. Easiest change in the world from G to C — just two finger...

How to Play Joy to the World on Guitar (The Easiest Christmas Song)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on the easiest Christmas song to get down last-minute: Joy to the World. I'll show you the melody (one note at a time) and a simple three-chord strum so people can sing along.

Grab the music first so you can follow along: simpleguitar.com/joytotheworld

The Melody

The melody is really simple. We're only playing your first three strings, and we're using your first three fingers.

The rule: use the same finger as whatever fret you're playing.

• First fret → first finger (any of those three strings)
• Second fret → second finger
• Third fret → third finger
• Plus open strings

I play through the whole melody on the video. If you need to rewind, slow it down, and play along, do it. Repeat any parts you need. The tab in the download has the melody written out.

The Chords You Need

Just three: G, C, and D. This is the simplest versi...

How to Play Silent Night on Guitar (4 Levels)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on Silent Night — from total beginner melody all the way up to a full guitar arrangement where you play the melody and the chords at the same time.

I think Silent Night is one of the most essential Christmas songs to know as a guitar player, because it was originally written for the guitar. I end up playing this every Christmas season.

Grab the tab for all four levels: simpleguitar.com/silentnight

This song is in 3/4 time — three beats per measure.

Level 1: Just the Melody

One note at a time. Super straightforward.

Start with the third fret on your second string. I like my second finger there, because we only play the first fret at the very end of the song.

First phrase (repeats twice): third fret second string, open high E (first string), open first string, open second string.

Then come up to the fifth fret on your first string, down to two, ...

GRAB THE PDF RHYTHM SHEETS FOR THESE LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS SONGS HERE: http://simpleguitar.com/lastminutechristmas

I get it, this time of year is really busy for everybody so you've probably procrastinated learning any Christmas songs this year. But fear not! I'm here to help save your bacon with TEN songs that you can learn really quickly! Most of these songs only use 3 simple chords & only a few of them have 4 or 5 chords (which are also simple).

Here are the songs we're going to learn:

1) I Saw Three Ships
2) Joy to the World
3) Silent Night
4) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
5) Angels We Have Heard On High
6) The First Noel
7) Jingle Bells
8) Deck the Halls
9) Silver Bells
10) Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

Hope it helps you out!

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In today's guitar lesson for beginners we're going over how to play Joy to the World on guitar which is the EASIEST Christmas song for you to learn this season! Get the tab for Joy to the World by going to http://simpleguitar.com/joytotheworld!

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com here with another beginner guitar lesson for you. Today I'm giving you the easiest way to play Joy to the World on guitar so that you can be ready for every Christmas party you go to. I'm going to show you two different ways to play this. First we're going to cover how to play the melody. Second, I'm going to give you the chords for Joy to the World so that you can sing along or have others sing along with you. So grab your guitar for this guitar tutorial for beginners on Joy to the World and let's dive right in!

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