Christmas Songs: The Best Festive Tracks of All Time
Christmas songs are the festive soundtrack that turns a normal December day into the most wonderful time of the year, spanning everything from centuries-old carols to the modern pop hits that re-chart every single winter. In the UK we have our own special relationship with them, from the Slade and Wizzard singalongs blasting in every shop to the annual scramble for the coveted Christmas Number One. This guide rounds up the most-loved tracks, explains where they came from, and helps you build the perfect playlist for every festive moment.
A Christmas song is any piece of music that celebrates the themes, traditions and feelings we link with the season, whether that is joy, nostalgia, romance or a quiet bit of reflection. There are really two families. The first is the traditional carol, often rooted in the nativity story and sung in churches for generations, like "Silent Night" (written in 1818) and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". The second is the modern festive song, the secular pop, rock and jazz tracks that capture the magic of Christmas without necessarily mentioning the religious meaning at all. Interestingly, a few all-time favourites such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Let It Snow!" never actually mention Christmas, they simply celebrate snowy winter days.
2Last Christmas - Wham! – the UK's biggest-selling Christmas song after Band Aid, a bittersweet pop classic that finally bagged its first official Number One in 2021.
3Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade – Noddy Holder's 1973 singalong sold over a million copies on release and still defines a British Christmas.
5Fairytale of New York - The Pogues – the much-loved 1988 duet with Kirsty MacColl, regularly voted the nation's favourite Christmas song.
The most-loved Christmas songs of all time
Some tracks come back year after year and feel like an old friend the moment they start. Here are the ones that top almost every British playlist, with a little of the story behind each.
If your December playlist needs a cosy crooner moment too, you cannot beat Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", which won the Academy Award for Best Song back in 1942 and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time, or Nat King Cole's warm "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)".
Christmas songs by mood
The best playlists shift with the day. Here is a simple way to sort the classics so every moment has its tune.
Snug and merry
Women's Brewdolph Christmas Jumper
Curl up by the tree in Women's Brewdolph Christmas Jumper and feel instantly more merry.
Upbeat party hits for decorating and dancing: "Jingle Bell Rock", "Step Into Christmas" by Elton John, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard and Mariah Carey's unbeatable anthem.
Cosy crooners for trimming the tree by the fire: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Let It Snow!" by Dean Martin and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams.
Traditional carols for a nostalgic, reflective evening: "Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".
Melancholy and heartfelt for a quieter mood: "River" by Joni Mitchell, "2000 Miles" by The Pretenders and "Driving Home for Christmas" by Chris Rea, which has charted every year since 2007.
For a proper photo-worthy moment, a set of matching family Christmas jumpers turns the whole household into the cosiest choir on the street.
The British tradition: the Christmas Number One
Nowhere takes the festive chart more seriously than the UK. The race for the Christmas Number One, the single sitting at the top of the Official Singles Chart in the week of 25 December, has been a national obsession for decades, complete with bookmakers' odds and family debates. It is a uniquely British piece of pop culture: a song crowned Christmas Number One earns a permanent place in the nation's holiday memory.
The honour has gone to everyone from glam-rock legends to charity supergroups. Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia, became one of the most famous festive Number Ones of all. More recently the chart has been claimed by talent-show winners, viral campaigns and, in 2021, Wham!'s "Last Christmas" reaching the top spot a remarkable 36 years after its release. You can follow each year's countdown on the Official Charts Company.
How Christmas music has changed over the years
The festive soundtrack has evolved alongside society, and you can trace the whole story through the decades.
The early days: religious hymns and carols like "Silent Night" (1818) and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (1739), sung in churches.
1940s to 1950s: secular pop and jazz arrived, with Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942) and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" (1946) becoming instant classics.
1950s to 1970s: rock and roll brought energy, from "Jingle Bell Rock" (1957) to a wave of British glam-rock anthems by Slade, Wizzard and Mud.
1980s: charity singles and social conscience, led by Band Aid in 1984, plus enduring UK favourites from Shakin' Stevens and Chris Rea.
1990s to today: Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994) launched the modern pop-anthem era, and streaming now mixes R&B, indie folk and pop from artists like Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.
For a deeper dive into the history of the genre, the Wikipedia overview of Christmas music traces carols and seasonal hits back through the centuries.
Make your singalong even cosier
Half the fun of Christmas songs is belting them out with the people you love, and the right outfit makes the moment. A daft, comfy Christmas jumper is practically the unofficial uniform of a festive singalong, whether you are hosting the family carol session or just dancing round the kitchen to Wham!.
And if the playlist is more about curling up under a blanket with a hot chocolate than throwing a party, a soft pair of Christmas pyjamas is the perfect partner for those melancholy crooners. However you celebrate, the right song and a bit of festive cosiness make all the difference.
Did you know?
Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" took 25 years to reach Number One on the Billboard Hot 100, finally topping it in 2019.
Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" in 1958.
"White Christmas" by Bing Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1942 and is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written in 1984 to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
"Winter Wonderland" and "Let It Snow!" are festive staples that never actually mention Christmas.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas Songs: The Best Festive Tracks of All Time
The all-time favourites include "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey, "Last Christmas" by Wham!, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee. These tracks re-chart almost every December and top most British playlists.
A solid top ten would be "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Last Christmas", "White Christmas", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Fairytale of New York", "Merry Xmas Everybody", "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and "The Christmas Song".
The most enduring carols include "Silent Night" (written in 1818), "O Holy Night", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Away in a Manger". Many are centuries old and still central to Christmas church services and choir performances.
It is the single sitting at the top of the Official Singles Chart in the week of 25 December. The race for it is a long-running British tradition, with famous winners including Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and, in 2021, Wham!'s "Last Christmas".
Worldwide, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is the highest-earning Christmas song in history. In the UK, the biggest sellers are traditionally Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and Wham!'s "Last Christmas".
