Up on the Housetop

U.S.A.

HISTORY AND SONG NOTES

Up on the Housetop is an American Christmas song, written by composer Benjamin Hanby in 1864. It is credited as the first Christmas song that was written about Santa.

Second Verse:

First comes the stocking of little Nell

Oh, dear Santa, fill it well

Give her a dolly that laughs and cries

One that can open and shut its eyes

Third Verse:

Look in the stocking of little Bill

Oh, just see what glorious fill

Here is a train with lots of tracks

A whistle and a ball and a set of jacks

Singing and Instrument playing

With its joyful mood and uptempo beat, this tune works well as both a group singing or instrument playing activity for young children. The children may enjoy singing, or hearing you sing, the song while they play instruments as a group; as this song includes three unique verses, it will be difficult for young children to remember all of the lyrics independently. You might explore singing the verse yourself, and then having the children join you on the chorus, beginning on the third line in the score above.

Shakers and bells work particularly well with this song, enabling the children to play along with the beat and feel the meter. Click here to read more about group singing or instrument playing.

AUDIO RECORDING with words FOR LISTENING, SINGING ALONG, AND LEARNING: 

You may notice that the style of the following recording employs elements of rhythmic variety and syncopation. The children may enjoy experiencing these concepts by listening, moving, or playing instruments along to this recording.

Downloads:

PDF of Score: Up on the Housetop