One of the best things about Christmas is getting into the festive spirit in the weeks before the big day. There is literally nothing more Christmassy than spending an afternoon in front of the Christmas tree, singing along to seasonal songs and wrapping presents – I get happy just thinking about it! So I thought I’d share some of my favourites – let me know which ones I’ve missed in the comments!
Childhood Classics
These are songs that I grew up with as a child – the 70s/80s were GOLDEN decades for cheesy Christmas songs. Oh so golden.
- Step into Christmas – Elton John – one of the best songs for getting you into the Christmas party spirit EVER
- Do they know its Christmas – Band Aid – Clearly it does sometimes rain in Africa, but that doesn’t stop this being one of the catchiest festive tunes ever
- Last Christmas – Wham – If you’ve never seen the video, its well worth 6 minutes of your life
- The Power of Love – Frankie Goes to Hollywood – that John Lewis songstress doesn’t have a patch on the original. Not a straightforward Christmassy song but great nonetheless
- Happy Christmas (war is over) – John & Yoko – Just the soundtrack to my childhood Christmases. Christmasi? Christmi?
- Fairytale of New York – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – this has to be the strangest Christmas song ever. It’s wonderful.
- I believe in Father Christmas – Greg Lake – Don’t we all?
- I wish it could be Christmas every day – Wizzard – I personally think Christmas every day would be a bit much but that doesn’t stop this song being the ACES.
- Merry Christmas everybody – Slade – I find it somewhat hilarious that the most lasting contribution of the Wolverhampton born glam rock band will be this song.
- Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney – its cheesy, the lyrics are naff to say the least. It’s everything you want in a Christmas song!
- Stop the cavalry – Jona Lewie –
- Driving home for Christmas – Chris Rea
- All I want for Christmas is you – Mariah Carey – THAT OPENING. Christmas perfection
- Another rock n roll Christmas – Gary Glitter
- In dulci jubilo – Mike Oldfield
- Thank God its Christmas – Queen
- A Spaceman Came Travelling – Chris de Burgh
Christmas Classics
- White Christmas – Bing Crosby – If you’ve never seen the film which brought about the song (also called White Christmas), add it to your Christmas to do list!
- Have yourself a merry little Christmas – The original is from Meet Me in St. Louis, but there are literally dozens of great versions
- Here comes Santa Claus – Doris Day
- Winter Wonderland – Dean Martin
- Let it snow – Dean Martin
- Jingle Bells – Frank Sinatra
- It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Perry Como
- Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys
- Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
- Carol of the Bells – Prepare to thwart burglers!
Modern Christmas
They’re not classic classics but some modern songs do deserve to be added to your Christmas playlist…
- Christmastime – Smashing Pumpkins
- Christmas Wish – She & Him – from their album A very She & Him Christmas
- Christmas Time (don’t let the bells end) – The Darkness
- The Cowboys Christmas Ball – The Killers – another video worth 4 minutes of your time – Brandon! Helpful robots! Swoon
- Oh Holy Night – Surfjan Stevens
- Last Christmas – Travis
- Have yourself a merry little Christmas – Coldplay
- Little Drummer Boy – Bright Eyes
- Christmas (baby please come home) – Death Cab for Cutie
- Someday at Christmas – Pearl Jam
Sigh. I’m feeling so festive now! Let me know of any Christmas crackers I’m missing out on in the comments!
x Kerry
I posted a list of my favorite Christmas songs too. Seems like I forgot a few really great ones (Oh Holy Night by Sufjan Stevens & Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon!) I really like how you broke it down into different categories. There is so much great Christmas music – probably why I can’t seem to turn it off!
Thanks Di! I love the cheesy ones the best 😀
What a sweet post Kerry. They bottle and sell you.
Thanks Susannah!
Haha YES! Cannot get enough of the Christmas tunes at our HQ 🙂 loving the compilation!
Thanks! I wish we had some kind of christmas music on in the background, that would be awesome! Sadly not everyone is as festive spirited!
This is BRILLIANT. My Christmas cheer is in overdrive; I think it’s because I haven’t experienced a northern Christmas before and my brain can’t handle the stimulation. And you have excellent taste in Christmas songs! I am the same, I love the 70s/80s ones the best. My favourite is Thank God It’s Christmas.
I’ve been driving my coworkers nuts with my Christmas cheer. Bouncing everywhere, singing, twitching for snow!
Aaaaaaah! Christmas!!!
Northern Christmas – love it!! Fingers crossed for a bit of snow this week!
This is going to sound massively OCD but I actually have a favourite Christmas Album becuase I like the order the songs play in hahaha! It also has (almost) all of the classics! This is the running list..
Disc: 1
1. Please Come Home For Christmas – Jon Bon Jovi
2. Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
3. Run Rudolph Run – Bryan Adams
4. Merry Christmas Everybody – Slade
5. Lonely This Christmas – Mud
6. Another Rock N’ Roll Christmas – Gary Glitter
7. Step Into Christmas – Elton John
8. December Will Be Magic Again – Kate Bush
9. Rockin Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
10. Stop The Cavalry – Jona Lewie
11. I Believe In Father Christmas – Greg Lake
12. Keeping The Dream Alive – Frei Heit
13. It may Be Winter Outside – Love Unlimited Orchestra
14. I was born On Christmas Day – Saint Etienne
15. Last Christmas – Whigfield
16. Happy New Year – Abba
17. Little Drummer Boy – Michael Jackson With The Jackson 5
18. What Christmas Means To Me – Hanson
19. The Christmas Song – James Brown
20. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer – The Temptations
21. Walking In The Air – Aled Jones
Disc: 2
1. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
2. Little St. Nick – Beach Boys
3. Driving Home For Christmas – Michael Ball
4. A Winter’s Tale – David Essex
5. Pretty Paper – Roy Orbinson
6. Power Of Love – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
7. Stay Another Day – East 17
8. A Spaceman Came Travellimg – Chris De Burgh
9. Silent Night – Sinead O’Connor
10. The Perfect Year – Dina Carroll
11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Diana Ross & The Supremes
12. Frosty The Smowman – Jackson 5
13. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Vanessa Williams
14. Winter Wonderland – Doris Day
15. In Dulci Jubilo – Mike Oldfield
16. Walking In The Air – The Shadows
17. Wonderful Christmastime – Free The Spirit
18. This Gift – 98 Degrees
19. Inkanyezi Nezazi (The Star And The Wisemen) – Ladysmith Black Mambazo
20. Auld Lang Syne / You’ll Never Walk Alone – Slade
(Thanks amazon!)
I particularly like how it starts with “Driving home for Christmas” – every year my dad would drive me back home from Uni we played this album 🙂
It doesn’t sound OCD at all, it sounds great! Haven’t heard a few of those, will check them out 🙂
Seriously though this is the BEST Christmas Album ever haha. Its called Christmas: the Album. Is on amazon for 1p (not a good sign…) and has santa on the front with sunglasses on 😉
1p!! A bargain at twice the price!
Fab – love Christmas songs!!
Jona Lewie Stop The Cavalry for me 😉
love your selection! check out the futureheads Christmas song ‘Christmas was better in the 80s’ funny,catchy and perfect for our generation!
Aaha! will do, thanks Helen!
Great list!
Thanks Emma! Our childhoods really were the heyday of amazing Christmas songs!