Stop the bus. We’ve arrived. We’ve made it to the final weeks of our first semester, and as the holiday season gets closer we’re going to be at the mercy of Mariah Carey. It’s that time of the year where the chaos of finals season is overshadowed only by the ballads of a talking snowman with a top hat, a reindeer with a lightbulb for a nose, and someone’s mom making out with Santa. There’s probably no better way to get into the holiday spirit than by cranking some high-quality yuletide tunes. Here’s your definitive list of the top 5 Christmas songs.
5. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
Starting things off is this classic, jolly holiday anthem. Every year, I always make sure that this is the first song I listen to right after Thanksgiving. It’s so fun and happy, I find that this song has the right amount of pep and fervor to make for a good segue into the last month of the year. It’s like everything good about the season, with all the happy memories from previous years, comes galloping back with the opening bell chimes. All the warm and cozy feels rolled up into one song.
4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Taking the fourth spot on this list is this song, celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. What I find special about this song is the superior nostalgia and camaraderie that it offers. I’m sure that more than a few of us have put this on while decorating a Christmas tree with their family, lighting a holiday wreath, or doing some other form of festive tradition. Fun fact: Lee recorded and released this song in 1958 when she was only 13.
3. Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson
The last three on this list all differ from the previous two in that they’re more so love songs, which I feel is largely one of the two veins that a Christmas song can be in. “Underneath the Tree” isn’t necessarily as “classic” as the other songs on this list per se, (it was only released 10 years ago), but I’m still a huge fan of this absolute banger. Kelly Clarkson offers up some stunning vocals with an extremely catchy chorus. What I think makes this song so appealing is is its blend of the charm of older Christmas songs with a newer pop feel. It’s upbeat and fairly energetic, with just a bit of a melancholic touch.
2. Last Christmas – Wham!
The synth. The George Michael. This song takes the penultimate spot on the list mainly because of these two things. I get drawn back to the lyrics year after year, and I find myself loving it more every time the season comes around. It’s one of the few christmas songs that I occasionally listen to during the other non-winter times of the year.
Honorable mentions:
Before I get to the final Christmas song on this top 5, I have to share some of those that didn’t quite make the cut:
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Christmas in Hollis – Run-D.M.C.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
Step Into Christmas – Elton John
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
I don’t care. I had to, and you all know it. This reigns supreme in the realm of Christmas songs, and I have zero regrets about putting it at the top of this list. It’s the first song in history to have spent time at no. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 4 years in a row (2019-2022), and it’s made the singer over $60 million in the 29 years since its release. Every part of this song is an absolute earworm, from its quiet opening that leads into a frenzied piano intro, to the the high notes that few other pop singers can muster. I’m sure most of us can agree that when it comes to Christmas, this song is the star.
Sources used:
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142704853/mariah-carey-billboard-charts-all-i-want-christmas