American Folk Songs for Christmas by Ruth Crawford Seeger, Barbara Cooney

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953), distinguished musician, noted music educator and authority on folk music has assembled a collection of songs from the old-time Christmas, before Santa Claus came to America and neatly trimmed fir trees bloomed with tinsel. These are the folk songs, the ballads that sprang from a need to express the Christmas spirit, and they are a part of our heritage. The songs are as varied as the singers who have given them utterance over the years, but whether they dance with whimsy or echo with a haunting plaintive cry, they always express the wonder and joy of Christmas. Arranged for piano and guitar.