There are very few holidays where a great playlist is needed to make your day more fun. Christmas is definitely one of them. But if we’re being honest, listening to Best Christmas Songs on repeat starts way before December 25.
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If you happen to be one of those people who can’t wait to belt out the best Christmas songs of all time, have we got a treat for you.
We’ve put together the ultimate Christmas playlist, including all of your favorite merry holiday tunes. We’ve got classics (think traditional numbers like “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Jingle Bells”), as well as modern Christmas songs from Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson and more.
We have some of the most popular country jingles centered around Christmastime, including the best holiday hits from Dolly Parton.
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All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994)
Mariah Carey has a whole album filled with Christmas songs, but this upbeat pop song (complete with jingle bells!) is her most enduring. So enduring, in fact, that the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts at the end of 2021, 27 years after it was originally recorded. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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White Christmas (1942)
Bing Crosby’s classic hit about a picturesque Christmas scene is one of the most popular holiday songs ever — the Guinness World Records even named it the best-selling single of all time.
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Last Christmas (1984)
Pop duo Wham!, composed of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, released this song in 1984, but it didn’t hit the top of the charts until 2017 (after Michael’s death), despite inspiring many cover versions over the years. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1943)
We couldn’t stop at one Crosby tune; this heartfelt holiday song is a moving tribute to the soldiers who fought in World War II.
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944)
Judy Garland originally recorded this soft Christmas song for the musical Meet Me in St. Louis, which is about four daughters coming of age while getting ready to move to New York. Time for a re-watch? Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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Jingle Bell Rock (1983)
The best-known version of this holiday classic was recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957, but Hall & Oates released it as a single in the early ’80s complete with a can’t-miss music video.
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Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971)
John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded this with the Harlem Community Choir as a protest song against the Vietnam War, and it eventually became a classic Christmas hit.
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The Christmas Song (1946)
Everyone knows this holiday song, so it barely needs a name — it’s the one where Nat King Cole sings, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” It’s so popular that it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.
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Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (1958)
Brenda Lee was only 13 years old (!) when she recorded this holiday favorite. She’d probably wouldn’t have guessed that people would still be listening to it today.
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Christmas Vacation (1989)
The only Vacation movie to not feature Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road,” National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation opens with Mavis Staples singing this upbeat tune instead.
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Christmas, Baby Please Come Home (1963)
Darlene Love’s barn-burner of a song may be about heartbreak, but it makes us happy to hear it every year.
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Frosty the Snowman (1947)
Gene Autry is the performer behind this song and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” so it’s a voice you’ve been attached to since you were a little kid.
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Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (1948)
This jazzy holiday song by Frank Sinatra is about that cold winter weather we all have a love-hate relationship with. Although it wasn’t on his original Christmas album, it was featured on the updated compilation album.
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Mele Kelikimaka (Merry Christmas) (1950)
Bing is back, this time with the Andrews Sisters for a fun and bouncy song that tells listeners that “Mele Kelikimaka” is Hawaii’s way to say “Merry Christmas to you.”
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Jingle Bells (1960)
Ella Fitzgerald’s jazzy rendition of this Christmas classic is a holiday staple. A harmonica version of it was actually the first song ever played in outer space, according to the Smithsonian.
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Santa Baby (1953)
This cheeky song by Eartha Kitt is about wanting some pretty extravagant Christmas gifts. Even though this is a holiday tune, it’s one of her most well-known songs ever.
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Blue Christmas (1957)
Elvis Presley’s recording of this song is the most well-known version, but rumor has it that he didn’t even want to sing it in the first place, according to an interview with late singer Millie Kirkham.
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Hard Candy Christmas (1982)
Written as a song for the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dolly made the tune her own for the big screen adaptation that she starred in with Burt Reynolds in the ’80s.
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Run, Rudolph, Run (1958)
When you need a Christmas song with some rock and roll to it, Chuck Berry is the first one to call. This one will get people to get up and dance!
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Sleigh Ride (1958)
This Johnny Mathis pop song is from his first Christmas album ever — in total, he’s released six throughout his career.
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The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) (1958)
This novelty Christmas song came out back in the ’50s, but we’re sure everyone still knows what Alvin wants to find under the tree. It’s a certified kid-pleaser.
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Somewhere in My Memory (1990)
Composed by John Williams with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse for the original Home Alone film, this song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (it lost out to Stephen Sondheim’s “Sooner or Later” from Dick Tracy).
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Winter Wonderland (1966)
Dean Martin’s take on this classic holiday hit is upbeat and genuinely fun to listen to. He, too, has an entire Christmas album complete with his take on all your holiday favorites. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (1963)
Fun fact: This holiday pop song by Andy Williams has been featured in back-to-school commercials for Staples.
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Little Saint Nick (1963)
Instead of a “little deuce coupe,” this time the Boys are singing about Santa and his sleigh.
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Christmastime Is Here (1965)
There’s something melancholy about this song, which everyone knows from A Charlie Brown Christmas, but it wouldn’t feel like the holidays without it. You can get this song with the vocals, or as an instrumental.
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A Holly Jolly Christmas (1965)
Though it’s sung by the great Burl Ives, this song was actually written by Johnny Marks, who, despite being Jewish, wrote tons of other popular Christmas songs, including “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and “Run Rudolph Run.” Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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It Must Be Santa (2009)
Bob Dylan seems like a strange fit for a Christmas album, but his Christmas in the Heart features this jaunty, accordion-filled tune that no one can resist.
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Do You Hear What I Hear? (1987)
Whitney Houston’s voice make this traditional carol soar above the others. In 2019, Pentatonix worked with a recording of her voice for a posthumous collaboration.
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1985)
Just give this Bruce Springsteen song a listen, and you’ll instantly realize why he’s called “The Boss.” It’s the most energetic performance of this classic holiday song out there. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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This Christmas (1971)
You’ve probably heard this soulful song covered by plenty of other artists, but Donny Hathaway was the first. Rolling Stone even called him one of the “most important Black performers” of his time.
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Merry Christmas, Baby (1968)
For an R&B Christmas, there’s nothing more soulful that Otis Redding’s version of the Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers tune. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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River (1971)
While this melancholy tune is not about Christmas but merely set during Christmastime, it’s become an anthem for those who feel loneliness instead of joy in December.
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Christmastime Is Here Again (1968)
The Flirtations may not have achieved the heights of other ’60s girl groups, but their Christmas number, originally released as a B-side, is a banger.
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Christmas Wrapping (1981)
This New Wave tune details a lot of near-misses between the singer and a love interest, until they finally get together on Christmas. Anyone nursing a holiday crush can relate. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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Feliz Navidad (1970)
Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano’s upbeat song has easy-to-remember lyrics in both Spanish and English, making it the best bi-lingual Christmas song.
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I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1970)
Even though Jimmy Boyd was the original artist of this song, Jackson 5’s cover is so much catchier, with funky beats, amazing vocals and innocent conversations recorded in the background.
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Silent Night (1970)
The Temptations’ soulful rendition of Silent Night is one of Motown’s best. Best Christmas Songs For 2022
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What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas? (1973)
Not all Christmas songs are uplifting. The holidays can be a rough time for many. Let this soulful song by The Emotions help you find some comfort.
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Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (1977)
David Bowie and Bing Crosby teamed up for this duet for the TV special Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. Sadly, it was was one of the last recordings Crosby made before he died
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Christmas in Hollis (1987)
When it comes to hip-hop Christmas songs, nothing comes close to Run DMC’s ode to spending the holiday in Queens and having a chance run-in with Santa Claus.
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Merry Christmas Baby (1997)
Hanson’s first Christmas album, Snowed In, was the best-selling holiday album of the year in the United States. “Merry Christmas Baby,” the first track on the album, was originally written in the 1940s, but the Hanson brothers put their own rock ‘n roll spin on it.
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Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)
For Christmas with a roots-rock vibe, this song by The Band celebrates the life of the “son of a carpenter” who brought the world joy.
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Wonderful Christmastime (1980)
John Lennon wasn’t the only Beatle to make a Christmas classic: Paul McCartney wrote his about the good vibes on Christmas.
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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1982)
Julie Andrews’ graceful voice rings crystal clear in this classic religious hymn from her first holiday album, Christmas With Julie Andrews.
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Deck the Halls (1984)
The electric guitar in this Mannheim Steamroller song is nothing short of iconic. Expect to hear it in commercials, at restaurants, and in the background of holiday light shows all season long.
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Give Love on Christmas Day (1985)
The Jackson 5 made this song a classic holiday tune, but New Edition gave it their own flair in this updated rendition.
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Fairytale of New York (1987)
The Pogues originally wrote this song on a dare a challenge put forth by Elvis Costello! — and in the years since its release, it’s become the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the U.K. and Ireland. Not bad for a bet!
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Pretty Paper (1979)
Written by Willie Nelson but originally recorded by Roy Orbison, Nelson included this Christmas song on his first Christmas album.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1993)
Harry Connick, Jr.‘s take on this song about everyone’s favorite reindeer is so upbeat — he even greets the kids (who you hear singing, too) at the beginning of the track.
