"Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Nativity 2 Danger in the Manger! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What do you get when a Christmas movie leans harder on songs than on plot, and then quietly lets the songs do the emotional heavy lifting anyway? Nativity 2 Danger in the Manger! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) answers that with a very British mix of school-assembly chaos, actual bops and unexpectedly sharp feelings. On screen, anxious teacher Donald, unhinged TA Mr Poppy and a class of kids trek from Coventry to a Welsh castle for the “Song for Christmas” competition. On record, you mostly hear that story through the songs the children write, rehearse and finally belt out under hot stage lights.

The album feels like dropping into different corners of that competition. You get the gleeful consumerism of “Counting Down to Christmas”, the swingy, showbiz confidence of “Christmas Is for Crackers”, the aching solo “Everybody’s Got a Dad but Me”, the competition-ready polish of “Peace and Joy” and the ridiculous-but-gorgeous tropical fantasy “Hawaii in My Heart”. In between, nativity-tinged numbers like “Born in the Hay” and the lullaby “Snow Angel” pull the film back towards the stable and the baby at its centre. It is short, loud and rough around the edges, but that roughness is the point – these are school choirs, not West End kids.

Genre-wise, the soundtrack hops from kids’ pop to swing pastiche to hymn-like ballad. Each style carries some character weight. Bouncey, slightly bratty pop tracks like “Counting Down to Christmas” embody the consumerism that the film both laughs at and understands. Old-school swing in “Christmas Is for Crackers” makes the Christmas Puddings’ act feel like a mini-variety show. The modulated choir-pop of “Peace and Joy” sells Donald’s twin brother Roderick as the slick, high-art rival. And then the country-tinted “Born in the Hay” and soft rock glow of “Hawaii in My Heart” tie everything back to the nativity story and to the idea that Christmas is as much about longing as it is glitter.

How It Was Made

Like the first Nativity! film, Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! was shot largely without a traditional script. Debbie Isitt would outline a plot, then let actors and kids improvise around it. That approach extends to the songs. Writer-director Isitt and composer Nicky Ager are credited for the original music, but a lot of the energy comes from building numbers around real children’s voices rather than fitting children into pre-existing adult pop structures.

Most of the core songs for St Bernadette’s were written to be performable by primary-school choirs, then arranged so they could survive multiple contexts: rehearsal room, bus sing-along, full competition stage and finally soundtrack album. “Born in the Hay” appears early as a rough classroom song, then comes back later as a full-on competition piece. “Yes We Can” is built for crowd participation – it has those call-and-response lines and simple, march-like rhythms – so it can turn quickly from a performance into an assembled stadium sing-along.

The production team recorded a lot of vocals live on set, especially during the “Song for Christmas” sequences, and you can hear it on the album. Lines drift slightly in and out of tune, kids rush in a bar too early, breath noise is everywhere – but that is exactly what stops the soundtrack from feeling like a polished TV talent show. Studio work mostly cleans up balance and adds gentle support tracks rather than replacing performances. When you hear audience noise under “Yes We Can” and “Born in the Hay”, that is not a fake crowd loop; it is the real Courtyard Theatre audience from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s space in Stratford.

Alongside the original songs, Isitt and Ager weave in licensed Christmas standards – “Jingle Bells”, “Sleigh Ride”, “Mister Santa”, “(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag” and even a blast of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”. Those cues mostly sit in the film as background or radio moments, but they shape the overall sound world. The official album, however, keeps the focus on the in-story songs, crediting them collectively to Nativity 2 Cast and Mirrorball Films (Nativity) Limited.

Tracks & Scenes

The movie wears its songs on its sleeve – nearly every big plot beat is built around kids performing something. Here is how some of the key numbers land in the story, and why they matter when you listen to the soundtrack on its own.

“Counting Down to Christmas” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

Late in the film, during the talent-audition montage for the “Song for Christmas” contest. Angel Matthews and her panel watch children cycle through seasonal routines, and this song explodes over a fast-cut sequence of kids singing, dancing and joking about Santa, presents and “Christmas stuff”. It runs nearly as a pop video within the film, with cutaways to eye-rolling adults and the judges trying not to look bored.

Why it matters:

On album, it is a silly, hooky kids’ pop song. In context, it nails the tension between consumerism and meaning – the kids chant about material gifts while the lyrics quietly acknowledge that they are chasing feelings as much as objects.

“Christmas Is for Crackers” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

During the competition final in Wales, performed by the Christmas Puddings – a group of kids in giant pudding costumes wheeled onstage as the first act Angel introduces. Swing brass kicks in, and they sing about mistletoe, stockings, and “happiness and all goodwill”, while the crowd claps along and the judges scribble notes. The camera lingers on their slightly chaotic choreography and whirling foam costumes.

Why it matters:

It sets the tone for the contest: this is not X Factor, it is messy, homemade entertainment. Musically it leans into retro swing, but the goofy lyrics ground it firmly in school-play territory. On the soundtrack it becomes the neatest encapsulation of the film’s festive, slightly tacky charm.

“Everybody’s Got a Dad but Me” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

Roughly halfway through the film, during a quieter stop on the road trip. One of the children steps forward and sings this solo, surrounded by classmates who, for once, stop messing about and just listen. Donald overhears, already sensitive about his own domineering father and golden-boy twin. The camera holds on the singer and on Donald’s reaction rather than staging it as a “number”.

Why it matters:

It is the emotional gut punch of the soundtrack. The melody is simple, but the lyric about feeling like the only kid without a dad lands hard. On album it re-centres the stakes: beneath the slapstick, these are children working through real abandonment and family fears.

“Yes We Can” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

In the “Song for Christmas” final at the castle, after St Bernadette’s have been locked in a giant inflatable snow globe and then pushed onstage as a substitute act. The kids start “Yes We Can” inside the globe, singing about mountains, rivers and not giving up, while the audience slowly gets pulled into the chant. By the last chorus, the entire auditorium is standing, clapping overhead in a wave as the snow globe lights whirl.

Why it matters:

This track is the mission statement. It turns the class’s disastrous road trip into a story of resilience that the audience inside the film literally joins in on. On the soundtrack, the crowd noise and big group chorus make it feel like a recorded school concert, which is exactly the mood you want from this series.

“Born in the Hay” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

The song appears twice. Early on, a rough classroom version introduces Donald to the tune as the kids demo their original nativity-rap hybrid, complete with “danger, danger in the manger” foreshadowing. Later, in the competition, “Born in the Hay” becomes their second number, bursting out once the snow globe unzips and the children spill across the stage, dancing in chaotic, exuberant patterns.

Why it matters:

The double use lets you feel how far the kids have travelled. On album, hearing the fully produced version after “Yes We Can” captures that sense of a small song finally getting the huge audience it deserves, without losing its daft rhymes and clapping breakdowns.

“Peace and Joy” (Nativity 2 Cast – St Cuthbert’s Choir)

Where it plays:

Also in the castle final, performed by Roderick’s elite St Cuthbert’s choir. They stand in precise rows, immaculate blazers and perfect vowels, delivering a soaring choral ballad about harmony “all over the world”. The staging is tight, with slow dolly moves and tasteful lighting, everything Donald’s scruffy class supposedly is not.

Why it matters:

It is the soundtrack’s “villain song”, even though the lyrics are pure Hallmark. Harmonies are richer, the arrangement slicker, and David Tennant’s Roderick glows with pride in the cutaways. On the album it works as a foil, making St Bernadette’s rough joy feel even more honest.

“Snow Angel” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

Used as a tender, almost hymn-like piece around the story’s softer moments – in particular the barn sequence where Sarah goes into labour and the group gathers around the new twins. The vocals are hushed, leaning into a lullaby feel, with the visuals echoing a nativity tableau among hay bales and fairy lights.

Why it matters:

On the soundtrack it reads as the spiritual centre of the film, the one track that could sit comfortably alongside traditional carols. It ties the slapstick of the road trip back to the baby and the idea of a fragile new beginning.

“Hawaii in My Heart” (Nativity 2 Cast)

Where it plays:

Right at the end, into and over the closing stretch. After the barn birth, reconciliations and the competition result, “Hawaii in My Heart” plays as a kind of fantasy coda: a laid-back soft-rock tune about imagining warmth and beaches even while snow is “coming down” outside. The montage cuts between the barn, the castle and travel shots, ending on a joke with the talking donkey and the kids still singing.

Why it matters:

It is the soundtrack’s curveball – a faux-exotic Christmas track that is both a parody and genuinely lovely. As a closer, it lets the film drift out on a dreamy, slightly surreal note, and on album it is the earworm people tend to add straight to Christmas playlists.

“O Holy Night” / “Silent Night” (Nativity 2 Cast + Traditional)

Where it plays:

Fragments of carols run through the film – children auditioning with “Silent Night”, choirs warming up with “O Holy Night”, and background snatches during classroom scenes. Some of those takes appear on the album as shorter, almost demo-like tracks.

Why it matters:

The carols anchor the new songs inside a recognisable Christmas sound. When you jump from a classic like “O Holy Night” to something as goofy as “Elfing Christmas”, the contrast keeps the whole record feeling playful rather than cynical.

Trailer and non-album songs

Where they play:

The UK trailers cut together competition footage using hooks from “Born in the Hay”, “Yes We Can” and instrumental stabs from the original score. In the film, licensed tracks like Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters’ “Jingle Bells”, The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride”, Amy Grant’s “Mister Santa”, Mary Stahl’s “(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag” and Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” pop up on radios and over travel montages.

Why they matter:

These cues are not on the official album, but they colour the listening experience. If you have seen the film, hearing the soundtrack will automatically summon those older recordings in your head – the record lives in dialogue with classic Christmas pop.

Notes & Trivia

• The film’s plot revolves around writing an original “Song for Christmas”, so nearly every major character decision feeds straight into a musical number.
• Composer Nicky Ager also edited the film, which helps explain how tightly the songs and cutting rhythms are synced.
• Many of the child performers are non-professionals from real Midlands schools, which is why the choir sound is endearingly uneven rather than stage-kid perfect.
• “Born in the Hay” is built from a tune first workshopped with kids in Coventry during pre-production, then reshaped for the finished film.
• The official soundtrack album focuses on in-story performances; none of the big American Christmas standards licensed for background use made the cut.
• Because the film was the official Children in Need movie for 2012, some early screenings used the songs as part of fundraising events, blurring soundtrack and charity single territory.

Reception & Quotes

Critics were not kind to Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! overall – reviews often called it scrappy and over-extended – but the music usually escaped the worst of the complaints. Several write-ups singled out the original songs as the part that actually felt like a proper Christmas movie, even when the improvised plotting went off the rails. Fan communities have gone further, treating this sequel as the musical high point of the series.

Retroactively, the soundtrack has gained a cosy cult status. Online essays and fan reviews talk about watching the film every December purely to hear “Yes We Can”, “Born in the Hay”, “Snow Angel” and “Hawaii in My Heart” in situ. Kids who grew up with the movie are now adults putting these tracks on Christmas playlists, often alongside far glossier holiday pop.

“The music is very catchy and gives a real sense of Christmas.” IMDb user review

“Slack and savvy in equal measure, and a guaranteed hit.” London Evening Standard (on the film and its songs)

“A blitzkrieg of awfulness… yet the kids’ numbers are disarmingly heartfelt.” Paraphrased from UK broadsheet coverage

“Their joy and enthusiasm are undeniable… they leave the stage to thunderous applause.” Close-reading essay on the ‘Song for Christmas’ finale

Unlike some Christmas films, there has not been a big deluxe reissue of the soundtrack – no expanded vinyl box or anniversary edition yet. Instead, its legacy lives mostly through streaming and the way schools borrow these songs for their own nativity plays.

Interesting Facts

• “Yes We Can” is a fully in-universe anthem about climbing mountains and crossing rivers, but it doubles as a sly nod to contemporary political slogans.
• The competition sequences were shot in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Courtyard Theatre, which is why the auditorium looks so grand compared to the scrappy school setting.
• Fans often quote the line “danger, danger in the manger, don’t give baby to a stranger” as peak Nativity 2 lyric-writing – silly and oddly smart at the same time.
• “Hawaii in My Heart” plays over a snowy Welsh landscape, making the incongruous beach imagery feel like exactly the kind of fantasy a freezing British kid would dream up.
• Because the series is improvisation-heavy, some song moments feel almost documentary – you can catch children corpsing or glancing at the camera mid-chorus.
• The soundtrack uses both diegetic songs (performed on-screen) and “performance-adjacent” recordings, but almost nothing functions as anonymous background score.
• Several UK reviewers who disliked the film still admitted that their kids went home singing the songs for weeks.

Technical Info

• Title: Nativity 2 Danger in the Manger! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2012
• Type: Original motion picture soundtrack (song compilation)
• Film: Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! (British Christmas comedy film)
• Primary artists credit: Various Artists / Nativity 2 Cast
• Key vocal performers in film: David Tennant, Marc Wootton, the children of St Bernadette’s, rival school choirs and guest performer Jessica Hynes as Angel Matthews
• Composers / lyricists: Nicky Ager and Debbie Isitt (original songs)
• Music supervision / direction: Nicky Ager with the production team at Mirrorball Films
• Representative songs: “Counting Down to Christmas”, “Christmas Is for Crackers”, “Everybody’s Got a Dad but Me”, “Yes We Can”, “Born in the Hay”, “Snow Angel”, “Peace and Joy”, “Hawaii in My Heart”
• Licensed Christmas standards in film (not all on album): “Jingle Bells”, “Sleigh Ride”, “Mister Santa”, “(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag”, “Rehab” and others
• Label / rights holder: Mirrorball Films (Nativity) Limited, with digital distribution via major platforms
• Release date: 23 November 2012 (aligned with the UK theatrical release)
• Running time: Around 28 minutes; 14 songs on the standard edition
• Formats: Digital download and streaming, with CD availability in selected territories
• Chart / availability notes: Widely available on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon; more of a seasonal evergreen than a chart-focused release
• Related releases: Nativity! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), later sequels Nativity 3 and Nativity Rocks! soundtracks

Questions & Answers

Is there an official Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! soundtrack album?

Yes. Nativity 2 Danger in the Manger! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) collects the film’s original songs as performed by Nativity 2 Cast, running just under half an hour.

Which songs do the kids perform in the “Song for Christmas” final?

On screen, the big competition numbers include “Christmas Is for Crackers”, St Cuthbert’s “Peace and Joy”, and St Bernadette’s double act of “Yes We Can” and “Born in the Hay”.

Are the classic Christmas pop tracks from the film on the album?

No. The soundtrack sticks to in-story performances. Licensed tracks like “Jingle Bells”, “Sleigh Ride” or “Mister Santa” sit only in the film’s mix, not on the official album.

Who wrote the original Nativity 2 songs?

Writer-director Debbie Isitt and composer Nicky Ager are credited for the original songs, continuing their collaboration from the first Nativity! film.

Where can I stream the Nativity 2 soundtrack today?

The album is available on major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, usually filed under Various Artists or Nativity 2 Cast.

Key Contributors

Sources: Industry databases, soundtrack listings and critical essays on Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!.

December, 05th 2025