The fifty-five songs and one fiddle tune in this collection are part of our heritage. They are the folk songs, the ballads that sprang from a need of people both black and white to express the spirit of old Christmas.

Ruth Crawford Seeger, a distinguished musician and noted music educator, transcribed thirteen of the songs from traditional recordings in the Library of Congress. The others come from folklore journals and collections, shape-note books, and, of course, from singers themselves. Mrs. Seeger purposely kept the arrangements of these tunes simple, so that everyone can enjoy playing and singing them.