Carols may be secular as well as religious, e. g. the "Boar's Head Carol."

ClaireBear, many thanks for that link. I prefer the old Billings arrangement of "While Shepherds...." (also given at that same website). Nothing more Amurican than Billings, one of America's first great songwriters, even though he stuck pretty much to hymns (Maddy Prior belts them out in one of her cds). The original words, however, are by Nahum Tate, an Irishman who became a poet Laureate in England.

Ron, some humorous versions of "It came..." at Hymns and Carols of Christmas: Index ij Carols