Joy and Christmas One of the most well-known Christmas carols of all time, “Joy to the World,”  wasn’t written for Christmas. In 1719 Isaac Watts wrote it as part of a group of hymns on the Psalms. If you read Psalm 98 that it’s based on, you won’t find the phrase “Joy to the World” anywhere in it. Over 100 years after Watts wrote it American composer Lowell Mason wrote the musical arrangement we know today. Even though it wasn’t written for Christmas the theme of joy resonates with us at Christmas time. Let’s take a quick look at this theme ...