There's nothing like hearing your favorite Christmas song to get those holiday memories and emotions flowing full force. Between traditional spiritual carols that date back to the 18th century, silly mid-century novelty bops and modern pop classics that somehow perfectly evoke the spirit of the season, there's truly something for everyone. Even among the crankiest of Scrooges, there's always at least one beloved holiday tune with the power to tug at heartstrings, evoke just a little bit of nostalgia and get you in the mood to pour yourself a cup of cheer and make merry. The oldest known Christmas song, "Angels Hymn," dates all the way back to 129 AD, and the Victorians popularized the tradition of families singing carols together while gathering for holiday dinners and celebrations. Love, joy, longing, melancholy, snow, romance, a big old pile of gifts — whatever your wish this season, there's a Christmas song for you. Did your favorite make this list?
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"Blue Christmas," Elvis Presley
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The holidays are a time for all sorts of emotions, including melancholy and longing. Elvis set the standard for those feeling sad amid the presents and decorations with his 1957 cover of "Blue Christmas." The song was originally a country hit for Ernest Tubbs in 1950. The King's version appeared on Elvis' Christmas Album, the first of his two Christmas albums. It was released again as a single in 1964, at which point it topped the Billboard Christmas chart.
"All I Want For Christmas Is You," Mariah Carey
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Have the holidays really begun until you've heard this classic banger? The lead single off Mariah's 1994 Merry Christmas album, the song was an instant worldwide success. It set a new standard for Christmas-centric pop songs. The song's power to delight even the crankiest of Scrooges continues. In 2019, it went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time — 25 years after its original release!
"Joy To The World," Aretha Franklin
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British minister Isaac Watts wrote "Joy To The World" way back in 1719. It's a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus. The tune most commonly used to this day comes from an 1848 arrangement by American composer Lowell Mason. Covered by everyone from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to Whitney Houston to Toby Keith, the Aretha Franklin version from the 1994 remake of "Miracle On 34th Street" is particularly, well, joyful.
"Carol Of The Bells," John Williams
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Composer Peter J. Wilhousky wrote the lyrics to "Carol of the Bells" and set them to the tune of the Ukrainian song "Shchedryk" after seeing a performance of said song at Carnegie Hall in 1922. It's been adapted by artists in numerous genres, including metal, country and jazz. Its ubiquity makes it a popular choice for holiday mood-setting on the silver screen. John Williams' powerful arrangement inspired 8-year-old Kevin to stand up to the burglars invading his home in the '90s Christmas classic "Home Alone."
"Jingle Bells," The Singing Dogs
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The Singing Dogs came to be when Danish ornithologist Carl Weismann decided to repurpose the dog barks that often spoiled his field recordings of bird sounds. Weismann joined forces with record producer Don Charles and spliced together the dogs' barks into tunes. "Oh! Susannah" was a single in 1955 with a B-side featuring a medley of other songs, including "Jingle Bells." In 1971, RCA re-released "Jingle Bells" on its own. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas chart and remains a perennial novelty favorite to this day.
"Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," Elmo & Patsy
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This zany chestnut by bluegrass comedy duo Elmo Shropshire and his wife, Patsy, was written by Randy Brooks. Brooks caught the duo's show at the Lake Tahoe Hyatt in 1978 and passed "Grandma" along to them. Shropshire called the song "the most original take on Christmas music," and the duo recorded it and pressed a few copies. A year later, a San Fransisco DJ played the song and made it a local hit. Inspired, Elmo & Patsy made a video for the song. MTV picked it up in 1983, and the song went on to sell 11 million copies. Pass the eggnog!
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire)," Nat King Cole
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Crooner Mel Torme and his songwriting partner Bob Wells wrote "The Christmas Song" in an attempt to think cooling thoughts during the particularly hot summer of 1945. According to Torme's son James, Torme came across a notepad on Wells' piano with the lines that begin "chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose." Wells reportedly explained, "I thought that maybe if I could just write down a few lines of wintery verse I could psychologically get an edge over this heat." Torme was inspired and completed "The Christmas Song" in 45 minutes. Covered by numerous artists over the years, Nat King Cole's 1961 version of the song continues to be popular, hitting the Billboard Top 10 for the first time in January 2023.
"Last Christmas," Wham
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"Last Christmas" came to be while George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael's parents in 1983. Michael reportedly wrote the lyrics in his childhood bedroom while Ridgeley watched television. Released in December 1984, it joined "Blue Christmas" as a beloved holiday song about feeling sad and heartbroken. Its popularity and ubiquity have given rise to the survival game Whammageddon, in which a winner is determined by being the last person in a group to hear the song at any point between Dec. 1 and Dec. 24.
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," Darlene Love
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It's just one of the many now-beloved tunes from the 1963 album A Christmas Gift To You From Phil Spector. However, Darlene Love's powerful and affecting song — written by songwriting heavyweights Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry — was not an immediate hit. It has since become a celebrated holiday tradition thanks in part to Love's annual live televised performance that began in 1986 on "Late Night With David Letterman." It continues on "The View" to this day. Rolling Stone in 2019 named it one of the best rock 'n' roll Christmas songs of all time.
"White Christmas," Bing Crosby
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Penning one of the first secular Christmas songs to become a hit single, songwriter Irving Berlin reportedly wrote "White Christmas" over a weekend in 1940. He told his secretary, "Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote." Berlin wrote the song for the movie "Holiday Inn." The film's star Bing Crosby first performed the song on his radio show on Christmas Day 1941. It has since been covered repeatedly, but Crosby's version has been in the Billboard Top 100 over a dozen times. It also holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling single of all time — over 50 million physical copies have sold worldwide!
"The Little Drummer Boy"
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American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis wrote "The Little Drummer Boy" in 1941. It tells the story of a child who visits the newborn Jesus and his mother Mary and, having no other gift, plays the family a song on his drum. The idea reportedly came to Davis as she was trying to nap and thinking about a French song, "Patapan," which became the song's famous refrain, "pa-rum-pa-pum-pum." The carol was first made famous by the Trapp Family in 1951. A 1958 version by the Harry Simeon Chrorale followed. There have been many covers since, including one by Christmas crooner Bing Crosby in 1962.
"The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth," Bing Crosby and David Bowie
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In 1977, Bing Crosby taped a television special, "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas." One of the skits involved David Bowie showing up at Crosby's door to ask to borrow the piano. After stiffly discussing their musical tastes and Christmas traditions, Bowie selects sheet music for "The Little Drummer Boy," calling it his son's favorite. They sing together, with Bowie eventually offering a counterpoint tune, "Peace On Earth," written by the special's musical supervisors. Crosby died just over a month after the recording; the song went on to become his last popular hit as well as one of Bowie's best-selling singles.
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid
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Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox (above) wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984. They assembled the supergroup Band Aid to record the song and raise relief money for the mid-'80s famine in Ethiopia. Recorded in a single day in London, it featured members of Duran Duran, Bananarama, Kool & The Gang, Spandau Ballet and U2, among others, and raised over $9 million in the year after its release. Some of the lyrics make modern audiences cringe, including Bono's infamous solo in which he yells, "Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you!" Yikes.
"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," Bruce Springsteen
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Songwriters J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie wrote "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" in 1934. A cover by Eddie Cantor performed live on his radio show made it an instant hit, with 500,000 copies of its sheet music and 30,000 records sold in the day after its broadcast. There have been many covers, but modern audiences are probably most familiar with the Bruce Springsteen version, which The Boss first recorded with his E Street Band in 1975. It remains a favorite at Springsteen's live shows, during which he encourages the crowd to sing along, particularly the line, "You better be good for goodness' sake!"
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," Alvin and the Chipmunks and Dave Seville
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This perennial fav, first released in 1958, introduced the world to the high-pitched charms of Alvin, Simon and Theodore. It holds the distinction of being the first Christmas song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, a distinction it alone held until "All I Want For Christmas Is You" got there in 2019. Dave Seville was the stage name of songwriter and musician Ross Bagdasarian, who created the chipmunk voices in his studio by speeding up his own voice. The song won three Grammys including Best Comedy Record.
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee
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Rockabilly queen Brenda Lee recorded this holiday classic in 1958 when she was just 13 years old. Penned by songwriter Johnny Marks — who also wrote "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" — the song didn't become a hit until 1960. At that point, Lee's other signature song, "I'm Sorry," had made her a star. Like "Carol of the Bells," its popularity was boosted by its use in "Home Alone," and it has remained a beloved holiday tradition, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022.
"Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24," Trans-Siberian Orchestra
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Symphonic metal band Savatage recorded this song, a hard-driving instrumental mashup of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells," in 1995. Band members Robert Kinkel, John O'Neill, and Jon Oliva were inspired by the story of Vedran Smailovi?, a Bosnian cellist who played amid ruined buildings for 22 days in 1992 during the siege of Sarajevo. They re-released the song in 1997 under the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a side project of several band members. The group has gone on to write and perform several Christmas-themed rock operas, including "The Christmas Attic" and "The Lost Christmas Eve."
"Christmas Time Is Here," Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson
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"A Charlie Brown Christmas" premiered as a television special in 1965 and remains a beloved tradition for many people who continue tuning in each holiday season nearly 60 years later. Jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi composed "Christmas Time Is Here" as an instrumental specifically for "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Producer Lee Mendelson added lyrics just before the recording, writing them at his kitchen table in "about ten minutes." Guaraldi brought in the children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California, to sing the beautiful, haunting vocals.
"Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms
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When songwriters Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe wrote "Jingle Bell Rock" in 1957, rock 'n' roll was still relatively new. The song's references to both the traditional "Jingle Bells" alongside 1950s hit "Rock Around The Clock" and dancing at a "jingle hop" were cutting edge. The original recording by singer Bobby Helms remains the most well-known version. Many know the song thanks to its use in the 2004 film "Mean Girls," in which the titular heroines dance to the song in sassy Santa outfits.
"Hard Candy Christmas," Dolly Parton
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Another song that recognizes that the holidays are often, well, hard, "Hard Candy Christmas" was written by songwriter Carol Hall for the 1978 musical "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas." When Parton starred in the 1982 movie adaptation of the play, she recorded her sweet, sad version of "Hard Candy Christmas" as a single. It went to No. 8 on the country charts in January 1983 and remains popular, covered by everyone from RuPaul to June Carter Cash to Cyndi Lauper.
"Feliz Navidad," José Feliciano
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Missing loved ones who are far away is a common theme at Christmas, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano used his own experiences to write "Feliz Navidad" in 1970. In a 2020 interview, Feliciano told NPR, "It was expressing the joy that I felt on Christmas and the fact that I felt very lonely. I missed my family, I missed Christmas carols with them. I missed the whole Christmas scene." The iconic song consists of just two repeated lines with which Feliciano wishes us "Próspero año y felicidad ... from the bottom of [his] heart."
"Mistletoe," Justin Bieber
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Recording a Christmas album is a classic milestone in the careers of pop stars, and the Bieb is no different. He released Under The Mistletoe in 2011, and the lead single, "Mistletoe" showcased a more-mature sound for the then-17-year-old along with a subtle reggae sound and sleigh bell flourishes. It was a worldwide hit and had the highest debut of a Christmas song in the history of Billboard's Hot 100.
"Where Are You Christmas?" Faith Hill
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Christmas movies often feature songs that go on to become holiday favorites, and 2000's "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" gave the world the plaintive tearjerker "Where Are You Christmas?" Sung by actress Taylor Momsen in the movie, the song was written by James Horner, Will Jennings and none other than Mariah Carey. She recorded her own version but was blocked from releasing it during her divorce from music executive Tommy Mottola. Faith Hill's rendition was a crossover pop and country success and remains a best-selling Christmas single.
"That's Christmas To Me," Pentatonix
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Pentatonix brought a capella music to the mainstream with its tight harmonies and impressive vocal percussion and beatboxing. The group is nearly as well known for performing Christmas music. They've released three hit Christmas albums and have covered many holiday favorites. "That's Christmas To Me," the title track from their 2014 album, is an original. It's filled with classic Christmas references to mistletoe, Santa, children playing in the snow, reindeer and, of course, joy. The album was an instant hit, and seven of its singles charted on the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs chart, cementing the group's place as a Christmas tradition in and of themselves.
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," John Lennon and Yoko Ono
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono released "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" in 1971. The couple had spent the previous two years devoting their time to peace activism, including bed-ins and sponsoring billboards in cities around the world that read "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It - Happy Christmas from John & Yoko." The song was a protest against the Vietnam War and featured the Harlem Community Choir, which consisted of children ages 4 to 12, on backing vocals. It has been a perennial holiday hit since its release and has been covered by many artists. Lennon and Ono's son, Sean, recorded it with Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson in December 2018. The three performed it live on "Saturday Night Live" a day later.
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," Judy Garland
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One of Judy Garland's iconic signature tunes, it was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the 1944 well-loved Christmas-centric movie "Meet Me In Saint Louis." Garland gives an emotional performance of the song in the movie, and the single became popular among soldiers serving in World War II. Frank Sinatra recorded his own version in 1957. He asked that the songwriters "jolly up" some of the lyrics. This version became so popular that Garland herself performed in it her 1963 Christmas special.
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," Gene Autry
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Songwriter Johnny Marks put the story of Rudolph to music in 1949. Rudolph was a bit of a family business. His brother-in-law Robert L. May created the character and wrote the story for the department store Montgomery Ward, which published it as a Christmas giveaway in 1939. Cowboy crooner Gene Autry recorded it in September 1949. The week of Christmas, it went to No. 1 on the American pop charts, making it the first No. 1 song of the 1950s.
"Run Rudolph Run," Chuck Berry
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"Run Rudolph Run" was written as a sort of sequel to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and Chuck Berry recorded the song in 1958. It has since become a rock 'n' roll holiday staple. Numerous performers did covers, including Foo Fighters, Foghat and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band. Berry didn't realize that Johnny Marks had trademarked the character of Rudolph. Marks sued, and Berry had to share songwriting credit with him. Berry's version entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 2021, 62 years after its release.
"Mele Kalikimaka," Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
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This is another Christmas favorite from Bing, here joined by the boogie-woogie harmonizing superstars the Andrews Sisters. Hawaii-based songwriter R. Alex Anderson wrote several songs about Hawaii throughout his long career. He composed the song in 1950 after a co-worker noted that there were no Hawaiian Christmas songs. Anderson and Crosby were friends, and when Anderson played him the song, he liked it so much that he surprised the composer with a recording. It featured on Crosby's 1955 album Merry Christmas and remains a seasonal classic.
"Santa Baby," Eartha Kitt
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In 1953, songwriters Philip Springer and Joan Javits wrote a Christmas song for chanteuse Eartha Kitt. The result was the iconic "Santa Baby." It's a sly, winking ode to excess featuring a woman listing the many expensive gifts she'd like to receive from Santa. The song was controversial from the get-go, which perhaps helped its popularity. It was the bestselling Christmas song of 1953. It's been covered by an array of pop divas, including Madonna in 1987, and Michael Bublé recorded a version in 2011 in which he referred to Santa as "Buddy," "Pally" and "Poppy."
"Sleigh Ride," Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra
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There's something about hot weather that inspires people to write Christmas songs. Composer Leroy Anderson wrote the instrumental in the summer of 1946. Two years later, the Boston Pops Orchestra recorded the first version, which remains popular. In 1950, Mitchell Parish wrote the lyrics depicting a snowy, cozy ride accompanied by sleigh bells and friends calling, "Yoo hoo!" The Andrews Sisters recorded the first vocal version; the Ronettes performed their own much-loved version on 1963's A Christmas Gift To You From Phil Spector.
"Winter Wonderland," Guy Lombardo
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This is another Christmastime favorite that's actually about wintertime fun and romance rather than the holiday itself. Apparently, it was the "beautiful sight" of Honesdale, Pennsylvania's Central Park that inspired lyricist Richard B. Smith. Released in 1934, the version by Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo was one of the year's biggest hits. Numerous covers followed, several of them hits including versions by Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett.
"Little Saint Nick," The Beach Boys
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Written by the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson and Mike Love and released in December 1963, "Little Saint Nick" also appeared on the group's Christmas album a year later. The Boys had a penchant for lyrics about cool cars, hot rods and racing culture. Here, they describe Santa Claus' sleigh, the "Little Saint Nick" in question. The song strongly resembles the single "Little Deuce Coupe," which had come out six months earlier. The "run run reindeer" part remains one of the best singalong opportunities of the season.
"I'll Be Home For Christmas," Bing Crosby
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Crosby recorded "I'll Be Home For Christmas," the unofficial king of Christmas songs, written by lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent in 1943. It was a tribute to soldiers stationed overseas during World War II. The lyrics take a sad turn when the song's narrator announces that he will be home for Christmas — if only in his dreams. The song became a popular request at Christmas USO shows. Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis and Kelly Clarkson, to name just a few, performed covers.
"Frosty The Snowman," Gene Autry
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Here's another much-loved Christmas story song from Gene Autry! Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson wrote "Frosty The Snowman" for Autry as a follow-up to his hit version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." This time, the book and television adaptations followed the song, including one of Rankin-Bass' iconic animated specials in 1969.
"All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," Spike Jones and His City Slickers
Novelty songs and Christmas go together like cocoa and marshmallows. "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" is one of the silliest and most famous examples. Written by music teacher Donald Yetter Gardner, the song came to be after Gardner asked a class of second graders what they wanted for Christmas. Many of them lisped their answers, as they were missing at least one front tooth. Band leader Spike Jones' version, published in 1948, topped the pop charts for two years in a row.
"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Andy Williams
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Easy-listening singer Andy Williams was a standard-bearer of Christmas crooning. In fact, he made eight Christmas albums over the course of his long career. The first, 1963's The Andy Williams Christmas Album, introduced the world to "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," written that same year by Edward Pola and George Wyle. A celebration of holiday gatherings and parties, it's also used in ads by Staples. The commercials feature parents celebrating their children's return to school. The hap-happiest season of all!
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" Whitney Houston
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This is another plaintive Christmas song that doubles as a plea for world peace. Husband-and-wife duo Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne wrote the song in 1962 as a response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Harry Simeone Chorale recorded it and sold 250,000 copies during the holiday season. It's been covered many times, but Whitney Houston released what is perhaps the definitive version in 1987 for the A Very Special Christmas compilation. Pentatonix recorded its hit 2019 version as a posthumous collaboration with Houston.
"This Christmas," Donny Hathaway
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The legendary soul singer Donny Hathaway co-wrote this beautiful Christmas classic with Nadine Theresa McKinnor in 1970. He recorded and released it that same year. It wasn't a hit upon release, but its inclusion on the 1991 Atco Records compilation Soul Christmas re-introduced it to a wider audience. It's now a holiday standard and covered widely.
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," Jimmy Boyd
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"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is another novelty Christmas selection. It tells the story of a child who sneaks downstairs on Christmas Eve. There, he discovers his mother and Santa Claus sharing a kiss under the mistletoe. Department store Saks Fifth Avenue commissioned the song from British songwriter Tommie Connor to go with its annual Christmas card. It featured, yes, a woman kissing Santa Claus as a child looks on. Thirteen-year-old Jimmy Boyd recorded it in 1952 and it went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart that December. Eighteen years later, a 12-year-old Michael Jackson covered it with The Jackson 5.
"Christmas Wrapping," The Waitresses
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Perhaps the only new wave Christmas carol, "Christmas Wrapping" features a woman too despondent to celebrate Christmas. Basically, she's had a busy year that kept her from getting together with a love interest. The two run into each other on Christmas Eve, and she gets a happy ending after all. Waitresses band member Chris Butler wrote the song for the holiday compilation A Christmas Record, and frontwoman Patty Donahue semi-raps the lyrics, hence the punny title.
"Christmas In Hollis," Run-DMC
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Another hit from 1987's A Very Special Christmas compilation, "Christmas In Hollis" is actual Christmas rapping from Run-DMC. Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay describe sighting Santa on Christmas Eve in their New York neighborhood of Hollis, Queens. They find his lost wallet, only to learn that Santa left it behind as a gift. The song's video was particularly popular and went on to be named Video of the Year by Rolling Stone.
"Wonderful Christmastime," Paul McCartney
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"Wonderful Christmastime" is slightly controversial, love it or hate it song. The former Beatle released his contribution to the holiday genre in December 1979. It's a keyboard-heavy ode to the Christmas spirit, entirely performed and recorded by McCartney. Furthermore, it was his first solo single in eight years. Criticized as one of McCartney's least-accomplished songs, it still gets plenty of airplay come the holidays. Silly? Yes. Catchy? Also yes.
"Silent Night," Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood
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"Silent Night," or "Stille Nacht," started as a poem written by Catholic priest Joseph Mohr in 1816. Organist and composer Franz Xaver Gruber put it to music two years later. It was first performed at the St. Nicholas parish church in the town of Oberndorf in modern-day Austria. The first recording dates back to 1905. The 2013 version by Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood for Clarkson's Christmas album Wrapped In Red is particularly gorgeous.
"Dominick the Donkey," Lou Monte
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This is another Christmas classic that elicits strong feelings, both positive and negative. Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg and Wandra Merrell wrote "Dominick the Donkey" and Lou Monte recorded it in 1960. It tells the tale of Dominick, a donkey that assists Santa Claus in bringing Christmas gifts to Italian children. (Obviously, reindeer can't traverse Italy's hilly terrain!) Rereleased in 2011, it continues delighting and irritating us all. Just try not to sing along with the incessant, catchy refrain!
"It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas," Michael Bublé
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"It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" is a midcentury classic written by Meredith Wilson in 1951; he also wrote the musicals The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Its gentle swing and nostalgic lyrics were perfect for crooner Perry Como. Hence, his version with the Fontane Sisters was a hit. It makes perfect sense that modern easy-listening star Michael Bublé did his own popular version for his 2011 Christmas album.
"A Holly Jolly Christmas," Burl Ives
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"A Holly Jolly Christmas" dates back to 1962 and is another holiday favorite from songwriter Johnny Marks. It was featured in the 1964 Rankin-Bass stop-motion animation classic "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" as performed by singer Burl Ives. He voiced the film's narrator, Sam The Snowman, and released the song as a single from his holiday album. It remains a Christmas standard; it reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart in 2020. This made Ives the oldest performer, living or dead, to have a Top 10 single. It was a whopping 109 years after his birth!
"Someday At Christmas," Stevie Wonder
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This is another anti-war song that is now a Christmas staple. It's the title track from Stevie Wonder's eighth record and first Christmas album. He released it in 1967 when the musical prodigy was just 17 years old. It's still a powerfully moving track, as evidenced by Lizzo's 2022 cover; she called it "a reminder to us that almost 60 years later, we are still fighting for peace, compassion, and equality."
"Mary's Boy Child," Harry Belafonte
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"Mary's Boy Child" started out as a calypso song written for a friend's party by composer Jester Harrison called ""He Pone and Chocolate Tea." Hairston later used the music as background for new lyrics to a Christmas song for a friend's choir. "Mary's Boy Child" was the lovely result. Harry Belafonte, the King of Calypso himself, heard it and asked to record his own version. He released it as a single in 1956. It was particularly popular in England. It went to No. 1 on the pop charts, as did a cover of the song by Boney M in 1978.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas," John Denver and the Muppets
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"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is one of the oldest songs on this list. It dates back to the late 1700s. The first-known publication of the words occurred in 1780 in a British children's book. The ongoing cumulative list tells of the many gifts presented by the narrator's true love over the course of 12 days. It's enough to make anyone giddy, and the 1979 version by John Denver and the Muppets is especially fun.
