Christmas Lead Sheets — Free PDF Downloads

Which Key Do I Need?

Quick Instrument Reference

Choose the correct transposition for your instrument. If you are new to transposing instruments, the saxophone transposition chart covers everything you need to know.

Concert Pitch — Piano, guitar, flute, oboe, trombone, bass, violin, cello.
Bb — Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, trumpet, clarinet.
Eb — Alto saxophone, baritone saxophone.

Every lead sheet below is available in all three transpositions as a free PDF download. Simply click the button for the key you need.

Using These Lead Sheets

Public Domain Lead Sheets

Every song in this collection is a traditional Christmas carol whose copyright has expired, so each one is provided as a full lead sheet — melody written in standard notation together with chord symbols above the staff — free to download, print and use however you like.

Many of the traditional carols below include jazz-influenced chord voicings — passing diminished chords, ii–V–I movements, and tasteful substitutions that work well for jazz gigs and cocktail parties without straying too far from the original harmony. These lead sheets are also available alongside 40+ jazz standards in the Online Real Book.

Christmas Gig Setlist Ideas

Three Sets for Common Scenarios

One of the most useful things about having a large collection of Christmas lead sheets is being able to build a setlist quickly for different types of gig. Here are three suggested sets drawn from the songs on this page, designed for common December scenarios.

Jazz Club / Wine Bar (45 minutes) — Silent Night (jazz waltz arrangement), Auld Lang Syne, Carol of the Bells (brisk waltz), What Child Is This, We Three Kings, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Christmas Tree, Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard on High, Deck the Halls. Keep tempos relaxed, lean into ballads, and use the changes as a springboard for improvisation.

Church Service / Carol Concert (30 minutes) — O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, Joy to the World, The First Noel, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. All public domain, all available as full lead sheets with melody.

Corporate Party / Background Music (60 minutes) — Mix upbeat and mellow: Jingle Bells (swing), Deck the Halls, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Up on the Housetop, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Joy to the World, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Twelve Days of Christmas, Carol of the Bells, O Christmas Tree. Keep energy up and tempos moving.