Public Domain Christmas Songs You Can Record and Sell

A Christmas song is in the public domain if it was published in 1930 or earlier, and you can record, release, and sell your own version of it without paying anyone a cent. That covers most of the classic carols: "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," "O Holy Night," "Deck the Halls," and dozens more. It does not cover the 20th-century radio standards. "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" are still under copyright and need a mechanical license to cover.

Below: the full list, the traps that catch people, and how to turn a 200-year-old carol into a release you own outright.

What "public domain" means for your cover

When a song's copyright expires, the composition (melody and lyrics) belongs to everyone. For a musician that means:

• No mechanical license, no royalties owed. You keep 100% of the revenue from your recording.
• Your recording is fully yours. You own the master, and your arrangement can itself be copyrighted.
• You can register and monetize it everywhere — streaming, sync licensing, radio — with no rights-holder to clear.

Under current US law, works published in 1930 or earlier are in the public domain, and that line advances a year every January — the US Copyright Office sets out the full term rules in its copyright duration FAQ. If you want to check a title that is not on the list below, the Public Domain Information Project keeps a searchable register of public domain songs. (Details differ by country; this is general information, not legal advice.)

The list: Christmas songs in the public domain

All of these compositions are safely public domain:

Where these links go. Sheet music opens a free score at IMSLP, the Petrucci Music Library. Choral score opens a free edition at CPDL / ChoralWiki, useful if you are arranging for voices. Hymn record opens the entry at Hymnary.org, which lists the tune, the meter and every hymnal the text appears in. Carol notes opens the history and source notes at The Hymns and Carols of Christmas. Lyrics opens the public domain text at Wikisource, and History opens the song's background on Wikipedia. All six are free and need no account.

* The familiar melody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is Frederic Austin's 1909 arrangement. Old enough to be public domain, but a reminder that carol melodies sometimes arrived later than the lyrics.

Still under copyright: the modern classics

These feel traditional but are not free to use. Covering them is legal and common, but you need a mechanical license (your distributor typically handles this for a small fee or royalty share), and the songwriters get paid:

Those are the versions a programmer pictures when the title comes up — worth a listen if you are weighing whether your own arrangement has anywhere to go.

Three traps that musicians should know

1. The song is free. A famous arrangement is not. Copyright protects arrangements as separate works. "Carol of the Bells" is the classic trap: the underlying Ukrainian melody ("Shchedryk," 1914–1916) is public domain, but the English lyrics and the choral arrangement everyone knows are from 1936 and still protected. The principle holds everywhere. Base your version on the original public domain source, not on Pentatonix's or Mariah's arrangement of it.

2. The composition is free. Old recordings may not be. Public domain status covers the sheet music, not someone else's recording. Never sample or re-release an existing recording without checking its own status. Record your own version.

3. Distributor claims. Streaming platforms' automated systems sometimes flag public domain covers because hundreds of versions exist. Keep documentation of the song's publication date and your arrangement's originality; disputes over genuinely public domain works are routinely resolved in the artist's favor, but expect the occasional false positive.

Why public domain carols are a smart indie release

• Zero licensing cost, full royalties. You keep everything your distributor pays out.
• Search and playlist demand already exists. Nobody searches for a song they have never heard. A distinctive version of "O Holy Night" can ride on the searches that already exists every December.
• Your arrangement remains yours. An original arrangement of a public domain carol is a copyrightable work that you own. It's registrable with your PRO, licensable for sync, and it's yours to earn on every year.
• Curators need fresh versions. Holiday radio shows and Christmas playlists refresh every season and actively look for new takes on songs their audience already loves. A carol cover is often an easier pitch than an original.

Recorded your version? Get it heard!

Once your public domain carol is recorded let people hear it! With Holiday programming being decided in October and November, this is your time to spread the word. When your version is mastered:

• Read the timeline in How to Get Your Christmas Song on the Radio. The season's deadlines apply to covers exactly as they do to originals.
• Submit your Christmas song through MusicSubmit to reach the radio stations, blogs, and playlist curators building their holiday rotations. Submissions are listened to and answered by a real person, all music industry professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Is "Jingle Bells" public domain?

Yes. Published in 1857, "Jingle Bells" is fully public domain, melody and lyrics. You can record, release, and sell your own version without any license.

Is "White Christmas" public domain?

No. Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) is still under copyright. You can cover it, but you need a mechanical license to distribute your recording, and royalties go to the rights holders.

Can I copyright my version of a public domain Christmas song?

You can copyright your arrangement, and you own your recording. Those are the new creative elements you added. The underlying melody and lyrics stay public domain, so others can still record their own versions.

Do I owe royalties for streaming a public domain carol?

No composition royalties are owed on a genuinely public domain song. You keep the full share your distributor pays out. If a platform's automated system flags your cover, dispute it with documentation of the song's publication date.

This page is general information for musicians, not legal advice. Copyright terms vary by country and edge cases exist — when real money is at stake, confirm with a music attorney.