2014: Well, what can one say, really? There are just so many Christmas songs, most of which have been performed by countless artists. Some of them for centuries. Part of me wants to make some kind of comprehensive list of every Christmas song I've ever heard, and which artists have sung them. But that would be... just overwhelming (probably impossible). I suppose I could just try to say a bit about some of my favorites. I can't really say with any certainty that I actually have one true favorite, because there are so many songs that I love. But I do usually like to say that my favorite is "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses. I even had that as a ringtone one holiday season several years ago.
I think probably the first Christmas album I ever owned was by Nat King Cole. I had that on cassette tape, and I might still have it around here somewhere... or I might not. I don't recall if I ever had any other Christmas albums on cassette, but I've got a bunch of Christmas CDs, and still occasionally get new ones. (I have a number of them on my Amazon wish list.) Also I have acquired numerous Christmas mp3s over the years. Most of those I got from Amazon, either buying them or getting them for free during the site's annual holiday giveaway of mp3s (which normally happens Advent calendar-style). But the year I started this page (2014), Amazon stopped doing that, which made me kind of sad, because I had come to see it as a tradition, over the past few years. I didn't always take all the freebies they were offering, but I listened to all of the samples, and downloaded the ones that interested me. This year, however, the only thing they seem to have is a playlist called "All Is Bright" (edit: no longer available), which you can get for free if you're an Amazon Prime member, but I'm not. So... I could buy any of the songs if I wanted them, but I don't think I will. Anyway... I don't really know what else to say right now. But I've put together a Spotify playlist for your listening pleasure.
2015: Last year, I started making a playlist on YouTube with a few Christmas songs... but I didn't add the list to this page until this year, when I added a bunch more songs to that playlist. (There's some crossover between the Spotify and YouTube lists.) Also this year, Amazon is once again only offering a holiday playlist for their Prime members, called "Indie for the Holidays" (edit: no longer available). I listened to the samples, and only decided to buy one song, "Winter Time," which I think is really nice, but I don't really think of it as Christmas-y at all, and barely even wintry. I also decided to download a few tracks from last year's Amazon playlist: "Ho Ho Ho", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "The Angel Gabriel". And actually there were some other good songs. I also downloaded some other random Christmas songs that aren't on that playlist.
2024: This year I split my playlist into three separate playlists. The one for the 20th century has no particular order to it, but the other two I try to at least get videos in order of what year they were released.
YouTube playlist 20th century:
The First Noel by Crash Test Dummies ft. Ellen Reid (1991), It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Bing Crosby (1951), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland (1944), The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole (1946?), Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) by Gene Autry (1947), I'll Be Home for Christmas by Johnny Mathis (1958), Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt (1953), ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus? by Augie Rios (1958), A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives (1964), Grown-Up Christmas List by David Foster feat. Natalie Cole (1990), Merry Christmas from the Family by Jill Sobule (1995), Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding (1968), 2000 Miles by The Pretenders (1983), Silver Bells by Dean Martin (1966), Boogie Woogie Santa Claus by Mabel Scott (1948), Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry (1958), What's This from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC (1987), Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano (1970), Pretty Paper by Roy Orbison (1963), Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses (1981), Rockin' Little Christmas by Deborah Allen (1984), What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder (1967), Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade (1973), Christmas Must Be Tonight by The Band (1977), Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney (1979), I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Wizzard (1973), Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band (1971), Thank God It's Christmas by Queen (1984), This Christmas by Donny Hathaway (1970), Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town by Bruce Springsteen (1978), Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee (1958/2023), Jingle Bell Rock by Hall & Oates (1983), Last Christmas by Wham! (1984), Hey Santa! by Carnie & Wendy Wilson (1993), O Holy Night from "Home Alone" (1990), Joy to the World by Bruce Cockburn (1993), Silent Night by Boyz II Men (1993), What Child Is This? by Vanessa Williams (1992), Santa Baby by Rev Run ft. Ma$e, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg, Salt N Pepa, Onyx & Keith Murray (1997), Omedetou Christmas by Sailor Moon cast (Japanese; 1995), Frosty the Snowman by Cocteau Twins (1993), I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey (1953), Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters (1950), Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley (1957), Please Come Home for Christmas by Charles Brown (1960), (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays by Carpenters (1984), Father Christmas by the Kinks (1977), Xmas at Kmart by Root Boy Slim (1978), Let It Snow by Luscious Jackson (1999), All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (1994), Christmas Time by Bryan Adams (1985), Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1992), Season's Freaklings by Bunnygrunt (1996), Oi to the World by No Doubt (1997), Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder (1967), Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1996), Winter Wonderland by Doris Day (1964), Good King Wenceslas by Loreena McKennitt (1995), Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by *NSYNC (1998/2023), The 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser (1998), 'Zat You, Santa Claus? by Louis Armstrong (1953), I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek by The Go Go's (1964), Christmas in Killarney by The Irish Rovers (1999), One More Sleep 'Til Christmas by Kermit the Frog (1992), Christmastime by Smashing Pumpkins (1997), Silent Night by Chewbacca (1999/2016),
YouTube playlist 2000s-2010s:
Where Are You Christmas? by Faith Hill (2000), It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Martina Sorbara (2003), The Holly and the Ivy by Mediaeval Baebes (2003), Greatest Time of Year by Aly & AJ (2006), Santa Loves to Boogie by Asleep at the Wheel (2006), The Wexford Carol by Yo-Yo Ma ft. Alison Krauss (2008), Toy Packaging by Sara Groves (2008), Punk Rawk Christmas by MxPx (2009), White Wine in the Sun by Tim Minchin (2009), Must Be Santa by Bob Dylan (2009), Welcome Christmas by Glee Cast (2010), God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Annie Lennox (2010), Shake Up Christmas by Train (2010), Ding Dong Merrily on High by Jackie Evancho (2011), We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Shonen Knife (2011), The Season's Upon Us by Dropkick Murphys (2012), Sleigh Ride by Karmin (2012), Carol of the Bells by Pentatonix (2012), Marshmallow World by Francesca Battistelli (2012), Christmas Time Is Here by Leftover Cuties (2012), Christmas in the Sand by Colbie Caillat (2012), Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix (2013), O Tannenbaum by Celtic Woman (2013), A Holiday Song by Lisa Loeb (2013), Let It Snow by Jean-Luc Picard & crew (2013), Winter Wonderland by Sleeper Agent (2013), Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson (2013), All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (2013), Ho Ho Ho by Liz Phair (2014), Text Me Merry Christmas by Straight No Chaser ft. Kristen Bell (2014), Mary, Did You Know? by Pentatonix (2014), Do You Hear What I Hear? by Home Free (2014), Baby It's Cold Outside by Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé (2014), Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande (2014), Happy Holidays by Janet Devlin (2015), Jingle Bells by Rainbow Dash (2015), Christmas the Whole Year Round by Sabrina Carpenter (2015), Dear Santa by Girls' Generation-TTS (2015), Man with the Bag by Jessie J (2015), Joy to the World by Pentatonix (2015), December Daze by Janet Devlin (2015), Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Broken Peach (2016), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Ingrid Michaelson (2017), You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani ft. Blake Shelton (2017), Christmas C'mon by Lindsey Stirling ft. Becky G (2017), Santa's Coming for Us by Sia (2017), You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Lindsey Stirling feat. Sabrina Carpenter (2017), Socks by JD McPherson (2018), Making Christmas by Pentatonix (2018), All I Want for Christmas Is You by Ingrid Michaelson feat. Leslie Odom Jr. (2018), All I Really Want for Christmas by Lil Jon feat. Kool-Aid Man (2018), Don't Start Without Me by The Fizz (2018), Christmas Means Nothing Without You by Shonagh Murray (2018), Christmas Every Day by David Archuleta (2018), The Christmas Song by Lauren Daigle (2018), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by William Shatner feat. Billy Gibbons (2018), Loneliest Time of Year by Mabel (2019), Christmas Valentine by Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz (2019), Make It to Christmas by Alessia Cara (2019), Christmas Tree Farm by Taylor Swift (2019), Under the Mistletoe! by Elle King & Ronnie Spector (2019), Cozy Little Christmas by Katy Perry (2019), Glittery by Kacey Musgraves ft. Troye Sivan (2019), Love You More at Christmas Time by Kelly Rowland (2019), All I Want for Christmas Is You by Charly Bliss (2019), White Christmas by Janet Devlin (2016/2019), Toys, Toys, Toys by Laura Marano and Isabella Gomez (2019), Holiday Cheer by Bite Me Bambi (2019), Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by Lights (2019).
YouTube playlist 2020s:
Here This Christmas by Gwen Stefani (2020), Here We Come A-Caroling by Blackmore's Night (2020), Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by The Offspring (2020), My Kind of Present by Meghan Trainor (2020), Holidays by Josie Dunne (2020), It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries by Carly Rae Jepsen (2020), Carol of the Bells by Journey Montana (2020), 12 Days of Christmas by Pentatonix (2020), Classic by Dallas Smith (2020), Lonely This Christmas, by The Academic (2020), Christmas Always Finds Me by Ingrid Andress (2020), Snow by Leslie Odom Jr. (2020), Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones) by Norah Jones (2021), More the Merrier by Sarah Reeves (2021), The Christmas Sweater by Michael Bublé (2021), Let It Snow by Broken Peach (2021), Drunk On Christmas by Darren Criss ft. Lainey Wilson (2021), Officially Christmas by Dan + Shay (2021), Merry Christmas, Happy New Year by Ingrid Michaelson feat. Zooey Deschanel (2021), Kid on Christmas by Pentatonix ft. Meghan Trainor (2022), The Christmas Song by Claire & Dave Crosby with Mat & Savanna Shaw (2022), It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Broken Peach (2022), Mall Santa by Bite Me Bambi (2022), I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here) by Old 97's (2022), Christmas Karaoke by American Authors (2022), Together This Christmas by Maisie Peters (2022), Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Hailey Whitters (2022), Groovy Xmas by The Linda Lindas (2022), Shake Things Up by Lisa Loeb & Rob Morrow (2023), Fancy Like Christmas by Walker Hayes (2023), Sleigh Ride by Broken Peach (2023), You're Christmas to Me by Sam Ryder (2023), Christmas Dreaming by Laufey (2023), Dear Santa by OneRepublic (2023), Wrap Me Up by Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor (2023), Red Christmas by Kylie Cantrall (2024), Santa Baby by Laufey (2024), Reindeer Rebellion by Ava Della Pietra (2024), Christmas Magic by Perrie (2024), White Christmas by Seth MacFarlane & Liz Gillies (2024), Winter Wonderland by Broken Peach (2024), I'm Your Christmas Present by Han Sara (2024), My Christmas Story by The Sixsters (2024).