That’s right, we’re laying down the gauntlet and offering up what we believe to be THE definitive list of the very best music to listen to over Christmas. Whether you’re a year-round listener, or believe that Christmas songs should only be listened to on the big day, it’s hard to ignore the infectious catchiness of these holiday songs. But be warned: readers of this article may find themselves humming these songs all the way through to the New Year! So get ready for the very best Christmas songs to listen to this winter.
Oh, and by the way, no we’re not going to number this list. We’re already opening ourselves up to enough potential for hate in case we didn’t include your favourite track. We’re not about to wade into the argument of whether ‘Last Christmas’ is better than ‘Blue Christmas’, or whether ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ should rank above ‘Killing In The Name’. We’ll leave the rankings up to you!
Listen along while you read by heading over to our Spotify playlist:
Whether you grew up listening to them with your family, or can’t escape them when you’re out and about over Christmas, these are the undeniable classics of the Christmas song world.
‘White Christmas’ – Bring Crosby
Topping the list of classic Christmas tunes has to be Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’. After all, it’s not just the best-selling holiday single, but, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s the “Best-selling physical single” of all time. It’s estimated to have sold over 50 million copies since 1942.
‘Fairytale of New York’ – The Pogues
In the wake of the sad passing of Shane Macgowan, there’s no doubt that this Christmas classic will be heard everywhere this winter – and rightly so! Year after year it tops polls and surveys as one of the most beloved Christmas songs, but this year’s listening sessions will be tinged with sadness.
‘Last Christmas’ – Wham!
Apologies to all those participating in Whamageddon this year, but if you got this far without hearing the song you’ve surely just been walking around with earplugs in! As our Abi says:
“Who can resist singing along to our George? Sad Christmas songs are the best Christmas songs and sound even better on karaoke after everybody has had a few cheeky glasses of Bucks Fizz. Best lines to sing after said glasses o’ fizz: ‘Once bitten and TWICE SHYYYY’ and ‘Now I know what a FOOOOL I’ve been’. Oh, the drama!”
‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ – Mariah Carey
We don’t need to say anything to explain this one. It’s cemented its place in the Christmas music hall of fame – and for good reason. That opening “I… don’t want a lot for Christmas” sets hearts a-racing immediately.
‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ – Slade
With its charming, winking lyrics, it might come as a shock that most members of Slade were originally against making a holiday single. However, band members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea were able to repurpose previous song ideas into what has now become a holiday classic. The track rakes in over half a million pounds for the band each year, and singer Noddy Holder has called it “a pension plan”.
‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town’ – Bruce Springsteen
One of the best versions of the song out there. Stick around for the bit where Bruce clearly starts to lose it when one of the E Street guys comes in with the “ho ho ho”.
‘All Alone On Christmas’ – Darlene Love
That saxophone! Her voice! On paper, it may be a pretty depressing subject, but it’s still a certified Xmas bop!
‘Christmas Wrapping’ – The Waitresses
Show me a Christmas song that tells as full a story as this, I’ll wait. As a plus, it has perhaps the best bassline of any Christmas song. Also perfectly illustrates our inability to make plans with friends in a time-poor world, which is extremely 2022.
‘Wonderful Christmastime’ – Paul McCartney
The song is often written off as too cheesy, but those synths slap. And isn’t Christmas the time for cheese, anyway? Ever since the Get Back documentary, everyone knows Paul is the best Beatle too…
‘Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays’ – *NSYNC
Ah, Christmas – one of the few times a year when it makes sense to move from a Beatle to that little band that Justin Timberlake was in for a while. Remember them? Well, you almost definitely remember this song!
‘Blue Christmas’ – Elvis Presley
Sometimes Christmas songs take on a lovely personal meaning, even beyond their connection to the holidays. Says our Kat: “Every Christmas when I was little, my dad would throw a present containing socks and mentos at me at 6 am, singing this song.” That sound is the sound of all of us melting into the ground from cuteness.
‘Driving Home for Christmas’ – Chris Rea
Georgie threw this one out as a favourite because “it reminds me of driving home from uni back in the day and screaming it down the M1 with whichever parent was driving me back.” We will never tire of these adorable little Christmassy stories!
From self-defined ‘basic’ obsessions to newer entries to the Christmas music canon, and sometimes ignored songs from the past, we’re fairly certain these songs will still be kicking around for many years to come.
‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’ – The Killers
Our Alex sums up this bizarre little Christmas track thusly: “It feels like an anti-Christmas song in all honesty (how many other Xmas songs have the lead singer pleading with Santa Claus not to kill him for being on the naughty list?), but it always gets stuck in my head around this time.”
‘Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call’ – Bleachers
Jack Antonoff channels his ever-influence Bruce Springsteen in this scathing, yet Christmassy, track. It’s hard to resist singing along as he wishes the best, but warns “We both know/ What happened to you/ Why you’re out on your own/ Merry Christmas, please don’t call“.
‘Christmas Lights’ – Coldplay
A high-school girlfriend who was obsessed with Coldplay introduced this to me when I was in my typical high-school-boy-music-snobbery phase, and it never fails to get stuck in my head at this time of year, every year. Bonus points for not sounding like any other Christmas songs!
‘So Much Wine’ – Phoebe Bridgers
With Phoebe Bridgers’ last Christmas cover (sadly she didn’t release one this year!), she proves that there’s nothing better than a spot of sad Christmas music. It’s a perfect track for the evening before Christmas, most likely, as the wine starts to make everyone drowsy.
‘A Christmas Song’ – Keaton Henson
One for the heartbroken looking to wallow at Christmastime. Henson brings his trademark hushed vocals and ‘heart-on-his-sleeve’ lyrics to this touching track about the difficulty of celebrating Christmas in the wake of a breakup.
‘santa doesn’t know you like i do’ – Sabrina Carpenter
On her fruitcake EP, Sabrina Carpenter treated the world to all of the Christmas moods and feelings in one 6-song package. Songs run the gamut from joyful to melancholy to horny, all with Carpenter’s trademark wit and unforgettably infectious melodies.
‘Just like Christmas’ – Low
Our Charlie describes this Christmassy tune, from the band’s Christmas EP, as “one of the few Christmas songs I can stomach listening to over and over. As sweet and simple as the holidays should be.”
‘Stay Another Day’ – East 17
Not cemented in its status as a Christmas classic just yet, East 17’s Christmas number 1 single from ’94 is yet another example of the sad stuff being the best stuff over Christmas. What is it about the happiest day of the year that has us all loving the sad Christmas songs?
‘Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man This Christmas)’ – The Weather Girls
Another song sadly not as popular as it could be, no doubt overshadowed by their mega-hit ‘It’s Raining Men’, this song is catchy and infectious enough to bring anyone out of their Christmas flu stupor.
‘Santa Tell Me’ – Ariana Grande
Sometimes you just need to step back to the 2010’s and luxuriate in the sheen of Christmas pop music. Plus, with pipes like Ariana Grande’s, could this have the staying power of Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic?
‘Mistletoe’ – Justin Bieber
Don’t pretend you’re too cool for this one. You’re not. Just let the teeny-bopper years of Bieber wash over you with pure, unfiltered Christmas joy.
‘Christmas is all Around’ – Billy Mack (Bill Nighy)
Anyone who hasn’t seen Love Actually (who? Who hasn’t at this point?) has missed out on what is probably the simultaneously greatest and worst Christmas song of all time. An utter earworm, it remains permanently stuck in my head.
Some of these may be up for debate among the more strict Christmas music fans as to whether or not they truly classify as Christmas songs. But we won’t hear it! These are absolute tunes, and they’re plenty Christmassy to boot. Well, some of them are at least.
‘Killing in the Name’ – Rage Against The Machine
How can you say this isn’t a Christmas song? It was a number one! It’s veritably the Number One Christmas Number One of all time!
Mi Burrito Sabanero
It’s a danceable, and enjoyable, Christmas song about a donkey. What else do you need?
‘Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis’ – Tom Waits
The least Christmassy Christmas song ever is a masterclass in story-telling and characterisation. It also has the added boon of being a Christmas song that you’re allowed to listen to all year round without getting told off for it.
‘Christmas Unicorn’ – Sufjan Stevens
As well as being a hugely prolific musician/singer/songwriter in general, Sufjan Stevens may just be the world’s biggest Christmas fan. Collaborative efforts with friends, and a decade of exploring the Christmas catalogue, have seen Sufjan Stevens releasing 100 Christmas songs across multiple EPs and two expansive box sets. It’s hard to pick just one, but the epic 12-and-a-half minutes long Christmas Unicorn displays his talent for Christmas music and songwriting in general.
‘Vegetarian Christmas’ – FEET
It’s fucking hilarious and a certified (veggie) banger. Pop this on and crank the volume when a family member makes a snarky comment about the lack of meat on your plate.
‘White Wine In The Sun’ – Tim Minchin
Did an Australian stand-up comedian write the most moving Christmas song of all time? Oh, yeah he did. ‘White Wine In The Sun’ will never, ever, not make me cry as I think of my childhood in Australia, and my family members celebrating Christmas across the pond – drinking white wine in the sun.
Because we haven’t run out of Christmas songs just yet!
‘It’s Christmas Again’ – Baron
Our Tamsin says of this track: “Three of my grandparents are originally from Trinidad, where Parang music is played at Christmas; something I’ve grown up with all my life. Whenever I hear this song, I’m instantly transported back to childhood Christmases.”
‘Last Christmas x Alright’ – Wham! x Kendrick Lamar (Green Power Ranger)
A mashup of Wham and Kendrick Lamar shouldn’t work, but it’s so damn good (and TikTok gold!).
‘Papa Noël’ – Janiro Basic One
Says Amanda: “This is a Christmas song from Curaçao, and I play it every year because I love the rhythm and reminds me of the Caribbean way of celebrating the season. It’s in papiamento, the language spoken in the island”
‘Feliz Navidad’ – José Feliciano
It’s a Puerto Rican classic!
Let’s be real. We couldn’t include all of our favourites or all of our Secret London readers’ favourites. So here are a few honourable mentions that you’ll find us whacking on during the festive period.
- ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ – Wizzard
- ‘Snoopy’s Christmas’ – Royal Guardsmen
- ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ – John Lennon
- ‘Run Rudolph Run’ – Chuck Berry
- ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ – Boney M.
- ‘Step Into Christmas’ – Elton John
- ‘Sleigh Ride’ – TLC
- ‘I Believe in Father Christmas’ – Greg Lake
- ‘These Are the Special Times’ – Céline Dion
- ‘Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy’ – Bing Crosby and David Bowie
- ‘One More Sleep’ – Song by Leona Lewis
- ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ – Chris de Burgh
- ‘Last Christmas’ – Taylor Swift
- ‘Thank God It’s Christmas’ – Queen
- ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ – Brenda Lee
- ‘River’ – Joni Mitchell
- ‘I’m Yours For Christmas’ – Shalamar Baker
- ‘Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto’ – James Brown
- ‘Christmas Feeling’ – The Merrymen
So, there you have it… Secret London’s definitive, ultimate, conclusive, final, never-to-be-bettered guide to the best Christmas songs. What do you think? What did we miss? Should we have left any of them off? And which Christmas song is your favourite?
And if you’re now in the Christmas spirit – here’s another link to that playlist!