It’s that time of year again. Once it hits December, it’s time to stick on the Christmas playlist and argue about which new tunes should be added to it.
Are you more of a Last Christmas fan? Or is it Elton John’s Step into Christmas that gets your Christmas spirit going? Or do you sway, pint in hand, to the sultry tones of Shane MacGowan's Pogues classic Fairytale of New York?
If you feel any of those classics is the number one Christmas song, be sure to give it an upvote below for a chance at unseating the current top ranked song, Wham!’s Last Christmas.
We have many, many more options for you too, mind, 30 of them.
Some are earworms that make folks question whether an ability to hear is really such a boon. Others are certain to get your in the mood for Christmas.
It’s a time for literal cheese, so why not dollop a bit of figurative musical cheese on top?
There may even be a Christmas song pick you haven’t encountered before in our list below, as we have tried to dig a little deeper rather than just collecting all the most obvious picks. Take a look.
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Enjoy, and merry bloody Christmas to you all.
The best Christmas songs of all time
It's always been part of the Christmas rotation, but Last Christmas has really come into its own over the last few years, and it's now considered to be the best of the bunch across the board. And why? Because it's really bloody good, that's why.
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It's pretty much the definitive Christmas song, isn't it? It's poignant, it's sad, it's moving – and it's a total banger to boot. There's a reason it's a classic, folks.
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Yes, yes it is, Mr Williams, and it is all because of your wonderful song.
Alright, you're probably sick of it by now – you've heard it 9,000 times a year every year since before time began. But it wouldn't be Christmas without it, no matter how annoying.
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With over 25 million copies sold, this is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time - and for good reason. Johnny Marks wrote the song (he was already Christmas famous thanks to penning Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer) but it's Brenda Lee's singing that elevates this song from good to greatness.
When you think of Christmas, you probably think of Mariah Carey. Every year this starts flying up the charts – and every year Mariah becomes more and more the complete embodiment of Christmas. Frankly, the song's so good she deserves it.
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Another old favourite, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this retro classic. Get your mulled wine, wrap yourself up on the sofa and whack on the Top of the Pops Christmas special.
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Irving Berlin's traditional Christmas song is a stunning, sombre tune that evokes Christmas in the most sentimental way. Bing Crosby sings the song best and it is thanks to him that its the world's best-selling single. The song made it on to the movie Holiday Inn, which is a bit confusing as it also turns up in the movie White Christmas some 10 years later, which also stars Crosby.
Heavy on the sleigh bells, as the name suggests, there's nothing better to get you in the mood for Christmas than this cool 1963 Ronettes tune written by composer Leroy Anderson.
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We're sorry. It's already in your head isn't it? The Mariachi-style jingle, the repeating of Feliz Navidad like a Christmas chant. Look, we apologise, all we wanted to do was... wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart. Feliz Navidad...
Bit of a weird combo, we'll allow, but somehow it just... works. You might not have initially seen them as a particularly likely pair, but Bowie and Bing croon and soar with the best of them.
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We are biased here as any song that appears in both Lethal Weapon and Home Alone is going to get our Christmas song seal of approval, but Jingle Bell Rock is a stunning festive track that adds a bit of rockabilly to the wintry season. From the opening riff to the 'rock around the clock' rhythm, this is just a brilliant song.
Darlene Love features on this list a few times but this is her ultimate song - a perfect Phil Spector produced masterpiece that evokes the holiday season while being catchy as hell. It's such a rousing track that even if you are Scrooge-ing throughout the whole of the season, this one will put a smile on your face.
There have been multiple updates in the years since, but there's not much that can beat the 1984 original by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure of Ultravox. Its star-studded lineup is also great for playing 'guess that singer'.
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Christmassy without being too... Christmassy, this is the ultimate bop for the festive season. Much cooler than many other songs of the genre, it's since been covered by a multitude of artists – but the original simply can't be beaten.
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Elton John could have quite easily gone into crooner mode for his Christmas song, but he wanted to put the fun into Christmas, creating this classic toe-tapper. From the catchy guitar intro to the ever-excellent piano, Elton puts his all into getting us all up and dancing over the festive period. First released in 1973, this was written around the same time as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and it shows.
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The Jackson 5 version is also in this list, but boy we prefer the Bruce Springsteen version. This is Bruce having a lot of fun, bringing his signature growl to one of the best Christmas songs of all time. Originally recorded in 1975 and made famous for being on a Sesame Street compilation album, this is just a charming rock version of the all-time classic.
If there ever was a Christmas record to get your foot tapping, then Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses would be it. From its funky beat to its double meaning title this is one fun song. Given this one came out in 1981, it was inevitable that it was going to try and capitalise on the explosion of rap in America at that time.
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Given its status as a rock-solid Christmas ear worm, you might be surprised to hear Happy Xmas (War is Over) wasn't a huge hit at its original US release in 1971. There's real charm to the Harlem Community Choir backing vocals. It's pure Xmas spirit syrup, if your ears are game for it.
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The obvious choice for rockers out for something released later than the 70s, Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) was released in 2003. It narrowly missed out on a Christmas number one, beaten by a cover of Mad World by Gary Jules & Michael Andrew. But for operatic rock Christmas songs, this has to be no. 1.
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Some eight years after former band mate John Lennon scored a huge Christmas hit with Merry Xmas (War Is Over), Paul McCartney added to the Christmas spirit with Wonderful Christmastime. It's a jaunty number and was released just after McCartney departed his post Beatles band, Wings. While it doesn't have the message of Lennon's festive opus, it is very hummable.
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Look, it's a great Christmas song and definitely deserves to be on the list - so stop sighing! Putting the 'car' into 'carol', Chris Rea somehow manages to make the idea of being stuck in traffic a romantic Christmas song. Even though it is a well-played Christmas classic now, it didn't even reach the top 40 when first released in 1988.
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This anti-war tune mainly centres on the tragic events of World War I but it also mixes in Nuclear fear, given it was a song that was made in 1980. But enough of all that, it gives us the Christmas feels with its wintry brass and its line "Wish I was at home for Christmas". Chilling stuff.
East 17 went all out for their unofficial Christmas song. It was released in the festive period - mid November and managed to land the coveted Christmas number one spot - but doesn't actually mention anything Christmassy. Saying that, the white parkas the band wear in the music video have become just as memorable as the song and signify that it's chilly outside, so there is that. Amazingly, the song that Stay Another Day stopped getting the top spot was... All I want For Christmas Is You!
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Originally asked to contribute the ace Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) to the second Home Alone movie, Darlene Love declined and wanted to pen something original, which also ended up being one of the Christmas songs of all time. The E-Street Band sax does it for us, but the whole song is just a fantastic, fun Christmas tune.
Greg Lake wrote this song as a protest of the commercialisation of Christmas and the song ended up being a product of the commercialisation of Christmas due to its success. Lol. That's what happens, Greg, when you make your anti-Christmas song too damn catchy. At least it didn't get to number one - which would have pleased Lake - as it was blocked from the top spot by Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
This song isn't about Christmas but has been adopted as a Chrimbo anthem, thanks to it charting over the Xmas period many a time. That and the fact that singer Chrissie Hynde dresses up as a member of the Salvation Army somewhere where it is snowing heavily in the video. It's a beautiful song, one that quite rightly gets belted out on many a drunken Boxing Day karaoke session.
Sampling Back Door Santa - of course it does - plus a ton more Christmas classics, this is a funk-driven Xmas track that has found itself on many a soundtrack, including Christmas classic Die Hard and, more recently, The Grinch. It's an absolute banger of a tune that is so cool for school, Argos nicked it for an advert a few years back. Argos!
This song could have been dismissed as an Elvis Presley parody song, but it is earnest enough to stand up on its own and scored Mud their second number one, the first being Tiger Feet. We're happy the Glam Rockers decided to croon this one as, piss-take or not, it's a brilliant Christmas song.
It may be a less obvious choice, but the Pet Shop Boys are one of the most consistent acts out there – and their Christmas offering is no different. Plus, it references Bing Crosby – how much more traditional do you want?
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- The best Christmas jumpers, revealed.
As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.
