Criteria: Chosen for ongoing popularity, impact, importance, and strong association with the holiday. This list includes all eras of rock as well as contemporary pop and country; Christmas songs include both religious and secular songs as well as songs about winter which are associated with the festive season.
Note: In some cases, more than one year is provided because
of notable re-recordings of the song by the same artist.
Edited By: Brett Alan
Last Updated: 2020-11-30
Greatest Contemporary Christmas Songs
1. White Christmas (1954) - Drifters 2. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (1958) - Brenda Lee 3. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (1963) - Darlene Love 4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1975, rel. 1981) - Bruce Springsteen 5. Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984) - Band Aid 6. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971) - John & Yoko 7. Jingle Bell Rock (1957) - Bobby Helms 8. Run Rudolph Run (1958) - Chuck Berry 9. Blue Christmas (1957) - Elvis Presley 10. Little Saint Nick (1963) - Beach Boys 11. Please Come Home For Christmas (1960) - Charles Brown 12. This Christmas (1970) - Donny Hathaway 13. Feliz Navidad (1970) - Jose Feliciano 14. Sleigh Ride (1963) - Ronettes 15. Merry Christmas Baby (1968) - Otis Redding 16. All I Want For Christmas is You (1994) - Mariah Carey 17. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1970) - Jackson 5 18. Christmas Wrapping (1980) - Waitresses 19. Wonderful Christmastime (1979) - Paul McCartney 20. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (1957) - Elvis Presley 21. Merry Christmas Darling (1970) - Carpenters 22. Frosty The Snowman (1963) - Ronettes 23. What Christmas Means To Me (1967) - Stevie Wonder 24. Merry Christmas Baby (1947, 1956, 1962, 1968) - Charles Brown 25. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) (1995) - Trans-Siberian Orchestra 26. Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth (1977, rel. 1982) - David Bowie & Bing Crosby 27. Silent Night (1968, 1980) - Temptations 28. Fairytale of New York (1987) - Pogues with Kirsty MacColl 29. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1956) - Cadillacs 30. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1963) - Ronettes 31. Step Into Christmas (1973) - Elton John 32. Grown-Up Christmas List (1992) - Amy Grant 33. Someday At Christmas (1967) - Stevie Wonder 34. Last Christmas (1984) - Wham! 35. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1963) - Crystals 36. Give Love on Christmas Day (1970) - Jackson 5 37. Father Christmas (1977) - Kinks 38. Santa, Bring My Baby Back To Me (1957) - Elvis Presley 39. Same Old Lang Syne (1980) - Dan Fogelberg 40. Pretty Paper (1963) - Roy Orbison 41. I Believe in Father Christmas (1975) - Greg Lake 42. Silent Night (1962) - Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns 43. Hey Santa (1993) - Carnie & Wendy Wilson 44. Please Come Home For Christmas (1978) - Eagles 45. O Holy Night (1998) - Celine Dion 46. Baby It's Cold Outside (1962) - Ray Charles & Betty Carter 47. Christmas in Hollis (1987) - Run-D.M.C. 48. Snoopy's Christmas (1967) - Royal Guardsmen 49. (It's Gonna Be a) Lonely Christmas (1948) - Orioles 50. Winter Wonderland (1987) - Eurythmics 51. Sleigh Ride (1992) - TLC 52. Christmas Rappin' (1979) - Kurtis Blow 53. Christmas Ain't Christmas New Year's Ain't New Years Without The One You Love (1969) - O'Jays 54. Baby's First Christmas (1961) - Connie Francis 55. Jingle Bell Rock (1961) - Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell 56. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1968) - Temptations 57. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (1988) - Mannheim Steamroller 58. The Man With All the Toys (1964) - Beach Boys 59. Here Comes Santa Claus (1957) - Elvis Presley 60. White Christmas (1948) - Ravens 61. Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You (1981) - Billy Squier 62. All I Want For Christmas is You (1989) - Vince Vance & The Valiants 63. 2000 Miles (1983, 1995) - Pretenders 64. Sleigh Ride (1965) - Ventures 65. This Time of the Year (1959) - Brook Benton 66. Merry Christmas All (1976) - Denise Montoya & the Salsoul Orchestra 67. A Marshmallow World (1963) - Darlene Love 68. Santa Baby (1987) - Madonna 69. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (1979, 1982, 1984) - Elmo & Patsy 70. Mary's Boy Child/O My Lord (1978) - Boney M 71. Rock and Roll Christmas (1983) - George Thorogood 72. White Christmas (1968) - Otis Redding 73. Winter Wonderland (1964) - Aretha Franklin 74. It Doesn't Have To Be That Way (1973) - Jim Croce 75. Don't Believe In Christmas (1965) - Sonics 76. Lonesome Christmas (1950) - Lowell Fulson 77. It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (1992) - Amy Grant 78. Do You Hear What I Hear (1987) - Whitney Houston 79. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (1973) - Roy Wood & Wizzard 80. Back Door Santa (1968) - Clarence Carter 81. Please Come Home For Christmas (1993) - Aaron Neville 82. Christmas in Dixie (1982) - Alabama 83. Jingle Bell Rock (1983) - Daryl Hall & John Oates 84. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto (1968) - James Brown 85. Christmas in Jail (1956) - Youngsters 86. Merry Xmas Everybody (1973) - Slade 87. If We Make It Through December (1973) - Merle Haggard 88. Jingle Bells (1990) - Barry Manilow & Expose 89. Mary, Did You Know (1996) - Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd 90. Happy Holiday (1962) - Shells 91. There's a New Kid in Town (1991) - Keith Whitley 92. The Christmas Shoes (2000) - Newsong 93. Celebrate Me Home (1977) - Kenny Loggins 94. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1962) - Four Seasons 95. Deck the Halls (1984) - Mannheim Steamroller 96. River (1971) - Joni Mitchell 97. Hey Santa Claus (1953) - Moonglows 98. White Christmas (1963) - Darlene Love 99. Christmas Auld Lang Syne (1960) - Bobby Darin 100. Merry Christmas Everyone (1985) - Shakin' Stevens