Top 10 Christmas Songs
Welp. It’s Christmas season once again, meaning it’s time to break out the same batch of songs we listen to over and over again every single year. We’ve made a lot of them at this point, but clearly, some stand out over others. That’s why I’m ranking the top 10 classic Christmas songs to add to your seasonal playlists. You’re welcome, and happy holidays—love, Skep.
10. Sleigh Ride
We all know that at this point, there’s only three or four Christmas songs that are considered “safe” to play over the speakers in stores and other commercial settings anymore. As Sleigh Ride is one of these select songs, I fully understand that some may feel like it’s been played to death; however, I find it so light and bouncy that the repetition doesn’t hurt it as badly as, say, Winter Wonderland. Sadly, it falls so low on this list because musicians have some weird compulsion that obligates them to loop a sound clip of jingling sleigh bells incessantly throughout the song’s duration.
9. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
I don’t have too much to mention about this one. It’s just a friendly carol with solid Christmas vibes that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Really, the only bad thing I can say about it is that it only works with a group; singing it solo is cringe.
I decline to comment on “figgy pudding”.
8. Duel of the Fates
Wait, I might be thinking of Carol of the Bells. It’s definitely one of them, although if you’re not listening to them that closely, they’re practically the same song.
7. This one particular version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald
As a kid, did you learn the “silly” version of Rudolph, with extra jokes and sound effects between the lines (such as following up “you could even say it glows,” with “like a light bulb!”)? Even though this song doesn’t copy it one-to-one, Crosby and Fitzgerald clearly leaned into that here… and then kept on running with it, adding an entire back half to celebrate Rudolph’s success in a way that gets slightly unhinged at times (the bit about the fedora and cigar lives rent-free in my head to this day). That said, no, I don’t understand what they’re saying half the time, either.
6. O Come All Ye Faithful
Most Christmas songs pick a lane. The fun ones, the intimate ones, the solemn ones, the joyful ones. Rarely does a song deviate from its lane; if an artist tries, the result generally is not worth the trouble (think of any poorly-conceived attempt to make Little Drummer Boy hip and cool and you’ll know what I’m talking about). O Come All Ye Faithful is the exception to this. Modern pop and country singers in particular have been doing more soulful renditions of this one to showcase their range and to try to convince us that they’re not just corporate shills like everyone else. Sometimes, the result is hauntingly beautiful, like Nat King Cole’s take above. But that same amount of emotional force also makes this a song that begs to be shouted in holy rapture to the backdrop of a brass section blaring at full volume. With this much sheer potential, why does everybody insist on subduing it?
Case in point: I need you to check out this performance by Yemi Alade. Honestly I would have used it as the video for this entry, but Coke Studio Africa won’t let me embed it. To that, I say: drink water and go watch that video with an ad blocker turned on. Merry fucking Christmas, Coca-Cola.
5. The Twelve Days of Christmas (the Muppets version)
The Twelve Days of Christmas is an utterly bizarre song. The premise is short and simple, but there is so much repetition that it has a tendency to drag on with little to show for the investment. The gifts themselves are absolutely absurd, and you really ought to be concerned if your true love is gifting you so many birds OR so many people. How did this ever become a popular Christmas tune?
But the Muppets, man. You forget how weird this song is when the Muppets sing it, because they just pour so much personality into it. It’s fun to hear the Muppets. You can’t help but smile because they’re just so delightful. In fact, if you can’t smile at the Muppets, then like, are you okay? What is even keeping you going every day? What makes you continue to live a life where you willingly deprive yourself of joy? Whatever it is, how could it possibly be worth it???
…Ba dum bum bum.
4. Good King Wenceslas
I consider Good King Wenceslas to be the “cult classic” of Christmas carols—it doesn’t get much play, but those that love it swear by it. I have to agree; the bright melody has a pleasant, consistent cadence that remains interesting to listen to multiple times without growing overbearing. Additionally, some Christmas songs show their age by featuring a single word in the lyrics that has either fallen out of fashion or has come to mean something new, with it now being a distracting element. However, Good King Wenceslas has retained far more of its original language, making its lyrics charmingly quaint instead of outright laughable.
Plus, the message is good! The king looks out, sees a peasant collecting firewood on a cold-ass night, and instantly and unwaveringly dives headfirst to deliver a Christmas feast! I mean, I won’t claim it’s a GREAT message—Wenceslas doesn’t seem to be eager to enact sweeping societal change promoting equality since such an act would instantly remove him from power—but like, as far as an example of Christmas spirit goes, it’s pretty okay!
3. A Holly Jolly Christmas
With the introduction of rock ‘n roll music to the public consciousness in the 50s, it makes sense that artists would eventually try to incorporate some of that sound in their Christmas songs. Thus, we enter what I would dub the “Christmas party era” of music, with songs like Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee designed to be fresh, fun songs built to get you moving and swaying. These entries into the canon, while now iconic, have lost some of their luster over time. Helms’s lazy drawl drags out what should be an energetic bop, flattening the tune and giving real “bad office party” vibes. Lee manages to inject more character into Rockin’, but so many Christmas references are crammed into the lyrics that it feels like we’re going down a checklist; this is the song that might be performed at a good office party.
On the other hand, A Holly Jolly Christmas expertly incorporates the guitar without it being the focal point of the piece; it offers something fresh while remaining respectful toward the season. Now, this song wasn’t written for Burl Ives, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was. His rendition is authentically playful in a way that will forever make his the definitive version of the song. Combined, these elements perfectly encapsulate what you imagine a good Christmas party to be—a relaxed atmosphere, filled with family and friends and awash in warm, fun conversation interspersed with laughter. Hell yeah, that’s the party I want to go to.
2. Joy to the World
Okay, I have to ask a real question here. Why in the fuck aren’t there more Christmas songs that are basically “HOLY SHIT the creator of the WHOLE GODDAMN UNIVERSE is HERE! On EARTH! With US! This is AMAZING, are you KIDDING me with this shit?!?!” Like, it seems like that should be the ONLY kind of Christmas song there is, right???
Instead, we pretty much just get Joy to the World, which is an absolute banger for this very reason. If it weren’t for this one song, though, I’d have to claim that Christianity completely fumbled the ball when it comes to rejoicing.
1. Silver Bells
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Silver Bells is so overlooked. It has that type of old-timey composition everybody loves, and there’s a good chance your favorite crooner has done a version of it. It isn’t repetitive, it’s not propped up by any annoying elements, and it hasn’t grown outdated. If nothing else, it’s a perfectly suitable song; yet I consider myself lucky if a Christmas playlist includes a version of it.
But what sets Silver Bells apart is that it feels attainable. This isn’t some idealistic movie version of Christmas full of peace on earth, winter hijinks, and long-forgotten traditions that cling to relevancy. It says, hey, maybe Christmas doesn’t need all those things. The fact that it’s Christmas is, by itself, enough to introduce that little bit of magic into the world. You can feel that holiday spirit no matter where you are; you just need to slow down for a moment and let it wash over you. Don’t let it be about the shopping, or the music, or the parties, or whatever design Starbucks is using on their cups this year. You don’t have to stress about any of that. Just let Christmas be Christmas, and that’s enough.
And can you think of a cozier, more comforting feeling than that?