A collection of pieces written between 1874 and 1876, and revised between 1879 and 1881, including several arrangements of Christmas carols. Although written for his granddaughter, Daniela von Bülow, it is interesting that the last three pieces conclude with retrospective works. This is because the 10th piece, "Once Upon a Time," is a recollection of his encounter with Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, with whom his relationship had become strained around 1870, while the 11th piece, "Hungarian," and the 12th piece, "Polish," are a march and a mazurka respectively, the former depicting Liszt himself and the latter the Princess.

No. 1 "Old Christmas Carol"

A lively piece in F major, based on a chorale theme by Praetorius.

No. 2 "O Holy Night"

A serene Lento piece, subtitled "Christmas Song on an Old Melody," featuring an impressive theme in the Mixolydian mode.

No. 3 "Shepherds at the Manger"

This piece is also a pastorale using a Christmas carol, beginning in D-flat major, modulating to E major, and returning to D-flat major.

No. 4 "Adeste Fideles" (O Come, All Ye Faithful)

This piece is also a march-like work in A major, based on a Christmas carol. It should be noted that for Nos. 1 to 4, the performing instrument is specified as "piano or harmonium."

No. 5 "Scherzoso"

As indicated by its subtitle, "When the Tree is Lit," this is a cheerful piece in F major depicting a festive scene. The octave passages in the middle section are among the most virtuosic in the entire collection.

No. 6 "Carillon"

Music related to bells, along with No. 9 "Evening Bells." Liszt left several pieces related to bells. Examples include "Les cloches de Genève, S.160-9" from Années de pèlerinage, Première année: Suisse, the famous "La Campanella," and "The Bells of Strasbourg Cathedral, S.6," a theme from which Wagner used in his Parsifal. A "carillon" is an instrument integrated into a building, consisting of tuned bells played by pressing bars similar to organ pedal keys. The sound in A major helps to imitate the metallic resonance of bells, and the piece is characterized by repetitive sounds "like trills."

No. 7 "Lullaby"

Written in F-sharp major in a variation-like style, where a single melody is accompanied by trill- or tremolo-like figures appearing in the low and high registers. It is uncertain whether Liszt adopted this variation-like style with Chopin's Lullaby in mind, but this would be an interesting connection for performers.

No. 8 "Old Provençal Song"

A concise three-part form with light music in B minor and a middle section in G major. It has a short coda, but ends on a tonic chord (second inversion) over the dominant.

No. 9 "Evening Bells"

In contrast to No. 6 "Carillon," this piece, also related to bells, has a serene atmosphere and is centered around the flat-key sonorities of A-flat major. Although its structure alternates between A-flat major and E major, the imitation of bells by the sustained A-flat in the bass at the end seems to foreshadow the bells in Act I of Wagner's Parsifal.

No. 10 "Once Upon a Time"

Both the single melody, which suggests F minor, and the main section, which suggests A-flat major, have a weak sense of functional harmony, with tonality barely maintained by a dominant pedal point. The piece quietly concludes with a chromatically progressing single melody, but there is almost no sense of finality.

No. 11 "Hungarian"

A Hungarian-style march. The use of augmented second intervals creates a "Hungarian" atmosphere. It begins in F minor, but the overall tonality is not clear, and the final note also lacks a strong sense of tonality.

No. 12 "Polish"

A Polish-style mazurka. It is likely one of the more frequently performed pieces in this collection. The introductory single melody also lacks a strong sense of tonality, but the mazurka in the main section, where this melody is harmonized in various ways, is supported by chords with a relatively clearer sense of tonality. Nevertheless, it modulates to A minor, A major, etc., and chromatic harmonic progressions are interspersed throughout, reflecting Liszt's style of this period. The fact that it concludes brightly in B-flat major might also be a factor contributing to its frequent performance.