Det kimer nu til julefest (The Happy Christmas Comes Once More[1]) is a Danish Christmas carol. The lyrics were written by the Danish poet N.F.S. Grundtvig in 1817, and the music was composed by Carl Christian Nicolaj Balle in 1850. [2]
Notable recordings have been made by Swedish singer Sven-Olof Sandberg (1905–1974) and Norwegian soloist Olav Werner (1913–1992).[3] [4] [5]
A number of adaptations of the song into English exist. The earliest, entitled The Bells of Christmas Chime Once More, was translated by Charles P. Krauth in 1867. A later adaptation bore the title O Fir Tree Dark, and was recorded by Bing Crosby in 1947. Another translation is The Happy Christmas Comes Once More by Charles Porterfield Krauth.[6]