Christmas Comes But Once A Year is an early Christmas song of mine written in 1990.  When I imagine this song, I see a procession of people and a small band playing and singing while walking through the narrow and winding streets of a European village on Christmas morning with snowflakes in the air – or as a choir marching down the middle aisle of a church singing this song a cappella – announcing the news of the arrival of the baby Jesus to all who can hear on Christmas morning.  The song is stripped down to the basic fundamentals of Christ’s arrival as a babe born in a manger on Christmas Day, and flows in a very rhythmic and marching type of beat.  So imagine a town crier announcing to a sleepy and just waking village at dawn, as townspeople throw open their shutters and lean out their windows to hear for themselves the news of the birth of Jesus Christ as a babe in Bethlehem, “Lord our Savior, God is man, Born this day in Bethlehem…”

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I recorded my original song “Christmas Comes But Once A Year” on Set 13 in 1997, and it tells the story of Jesus’ birth as a babe in Bethlehem on Christmas Day, “Christmas comes but once a year, Bringing to all people here, News that Jesus Christ is born, In a manger our Savior’s born…” Enjoy! ♡ 🙂 Mark

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(Note: Emailed versions of these songs lose their chord alignment and formatting, so refer to the original post and/or the scanned lyric sheet as your guide!)

Christmas Comes But Once A Year

“Christmas 1990” – Collected Works Volume VII, Copyright 1990, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved

Intro:

C,   G,   C,   D         G,   C,   D,   G

Verse One:

C             C              Am      C

Christmas comes but once a year

F           C      Gsus4  G

Bringing to all people here

C             C       Am       C

News that Jesus Christ is born

F     C                Gsus4   G

In a manger our Savior’s born

C        D         G          D

Let the people rise and say

G       Gsus4    Dsus4  D

Jesus Christ is born today

C           D         G        D

Lord our Savior, God is man

G         Gsus4   Dsus4    D

Born to Mary in Bethlehem

C,   G,   C,   D         G,   C,   D,   G

Verse Two:

C        C   Am           C

People all around the world

F       C         Gsus4  G

Celebrate His birth today

C        C           Am       C

Giving praise to God above

F         C          Gsus4      G

For the birth of Christ our Lord

C      D      G       D

Glory be to God above

G         Gsus4  Dsus4       D

For this sacred Christmas Day

C           D          G           D

Lord our God has come to us

G     Gsus4   Dsus4  D

As a babe in Bethlehem

C,   G,   C,   D         G,   C,   D,   G

Verse Three:

       C         C        Am         C

Sing praises to the Heavenly Host

F          C    Gsus4  G

For this very Holy day

C      C        Am          C

For unto the world has come

F       C           Gsus4  G

Jesus Christ to us this day

C       D          G         D

Let us sing His praise today

G             Gsus4  Dsus4  D

Christ our Lord is born today

C           D         G         D

Lord our Savior, God is man

G            Gsus4 Dsus4  D

Born this day in Bethlehem

C,   G,   C,   D         G,   C,   D,   G         D,   G,   C,   D         G