Carols are good. Well, some carols are good. On an alcohol-fuelled work Christmas outing (Look, atheists can celebrate the winter solstice, OK?) I started a stupid meme about “What’s your favourite carol?”

(This started in the face of someone, who had previously seemed averagely sane, who announced himself to be a devotee of Cliff Richard’s Christmas oeuvre. Argh. You Americans really don’t know how lucky you are. You may never have heard Mistletoe and Wine. Just pray to the inhuman void or Toutatis or whoever that you never find out )

Results were Silent Night as clear winner. at more or less 4 to 1. There were two votes for In the Bleak Midwinter and one each for a random collection that included things like Away in a Manger and Little Donkey.

Given enough wine,. I might argue a case for the German version of Silent Night, but IMHO it must be In the Bleak Midwinter for the win.

It’s by Christina Rossetti. Some of the language is stunning. “Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.” It sings itself. Any urchins on my doorstep that go that extra mile and sing it are guaranteed a payout.

Well what’s the atheists’ favourite carol, then?