Holiday Songs and Secular Christmas Songs: The Big Festive Playlist

Holiday songs and secular Christmas songs are the soundtrack of snowy sidewalks, shopping-center speakers, tree decorating, office parties, winter travel, family gatherings, and the annual debate over when it is socially acceptable to start playing Mariah Carey.

This list focuses mostly on Christmas-season songs that are not traditional religious carols. These are songs about Santa, snow, bells, reindeer, romance, home, nostalgia, winter weather, funny gifts, holiday parties, and that strange December feeling when everything smells faintly like cinnamon and panic.

That does not mean these songs lack meaning. A secular holiday song can still be emotional, comforting, joyful, funny, or deeply tied to family tradition. Some are playful novelty records. Some are romantic pop songs. Some are old standards. Some are modern hits that managed the nearly impossible trick of joining the Christmas canon after the invention of streaming.

Use this page for Christmas playlists, holiday party music, winter road trips, office-safe festive songs, nostalgic favorites, modern holiday hits, and seasonal trivia. For best results, play on shuffle. For maximum results, wait until someone says, “I forgot this one!”

Best Holiday Songs and Secular Christmas Classics

1. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

All I Want for Christmas Is You is the modern holiday song that refuses to act modern anymore. Released in the 1990s, it now sits beside the older classics as a yearly Christmas-season giant. It has the sleigh bells, the romance, the big vocal, and the annual power to reappear like tinsel in the carpet.

2. White Christmas – Bing Crosby

White Christmas is one of the most famous holiday recordings in American pop history. Bing Crosby’s version helped define the sentimental, snowy side of Christmas music. It is less a song than a weather pattern with orchestration.

3. The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole

The Christmas Song is warm, elegant, and nearly impossible to separate from Nat King Cole’s voice. The song is built around cozy images: chestnuts, cold weather, kids waiting for Santa, and holiday calm. It is the fireplace of Christmas standards.

4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree has become one of the most durable upbeat Christmas songs ever recorded. Brenda Lee’s youthful vocal, swinging rhythm, and compact arrangement make it a perfect holiday party song. It is short, bright, and impossible to overthink.

5. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms

Jingle Bell Rock is one of the cleanest blends of early rock and holiday novelty. Bobby Helms gave Christmas music a little swing, a little twang, and a title that sounds like it was designed for jukeboxes and school concerts forever.

6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is one of the great character songs in holiday music. Gene Autry’s recording helped turn Rudolph into a permanent Christmas figure. The song is cheerful, simple, and secretly a story about workplace bullying with antlers.

7. Frosty the Snowman – Jimmy Durante

Frosty the Snowman is pure winter magic. Jimmy Durante’s version gave the snowman a warm, vaudeville-style charm that made the song feel timeless. It is hard to be cynical about a song where the hero is basically weather with a hat.

8. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is one of the great holiday mood-setters. Andy Williams turned seasonal excitement into a full orchestral announcement. It sounds like December opening the front door while carrying too many shopping bags.

9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas brings a softer, more wistful feeling to the holiday season. Judy Garland’s version from Meet Me in St. Louis gives the song emotional depth beyond simple cheer. It is a reminder that holiday songs can comfort as much as celebrate.

10. Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson

Underneath the Tree is one of the strongest modern Christmas originals. Kelly Clarkson brought big vocals, bright production, and classic holiday energy to a 21st-century song that actually feels like it belongs in December. That is harder than it looks.

Modern Christmas Songs That Became Real Holiday Favorites

New Christmas songs have a tough job. They have to compete with decades of classics that return every year. These newer holiday songs managed to break through because they sound festive, memorable, and replayable without feeling like wrapping paper over a weak tune.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson
Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande
Snowman – Sia
One More Sleep – Leona Lewis
Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
Christmas Tree Farm – Taylor Swift
Like It’s Christmas – Jonas Brothers
Cozy Little Christmas – Katy Perry
Oh Santa! – Mariah Carey
Santa, Can’t You Hear Me – Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande
Make It to Christmas – Alessia Cara
Christmas Without You – Ava Max
You Deserve It All – John Legend
Text Me Merry Christmas – Straight No Chaser featuring Kristen Bell

Classic Christmas Pop Standards

These are the holiday songs that seem to exist outside time. Many came from mid-century pop, film, radio, and television traditions. They still work because they create instant atmosphere: snow, lights, bells, family, travel, and the annual discovery that every store owns the same playlist.

White Christmas – Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
Jingle Bells – Frank Sinatra / Rosemary Clooney
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
Winter Wonderland – Johnny Mathis
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin / Frank Sinatra
(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Bing Crosby / Johnny Mathis / Michael Bublé
Silver Bells – Bing Crosby and Carol Richards / Andy Williams
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
The Christmas Waltz – Frank Sinatra / The Carpenters
Mistletoe and Holly – Frank Sinatra
Happy Holiday – Bing Crosby / Andy Williams
A Marshmallow World – Dean Martin
Snowfall – Tony Bennett

Santa Songs, Reindeer Songs, and North Pole Favorites

Santa songs are their own branch of holiday music. Some are sweet, some are silly, some are rock-and-roll, and some create serious logistical questions about chimneys. These songs keep the playful side of the season front and center.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry / Burl Ives
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen / The Jackson 5
Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry / Elvis Presley
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt / Madonna
Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry
Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys
Must Be Santa – Mitch Miller / Bob Dylan
Up on the Housetop – Gene Autry / The Jackson 5
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jimmy Boyd / The Jackson 5
Santa Claus Lane – Hilary Duff
Shake Hands with Santa Claus – Louis Prima
Back Door Santa – Clarence Carter
Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande
Santa, Can’t You Hear Me – Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande
Hey Santa! – Carnie and Wendy Wilson

Winter Songs That Feel Like Christmas

Some songs are not strictly Christmas songs, but they belong to the season because of snow, cold weather, winter romance, or cozy atmosphere. These are useful when you want holiday feeling without every song mentioning Santa by name.

Winter Wonderland – Johnny Mathis
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin / Ray Charles and Betty Carter
Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes / The Carpenters
Snowman – Sia
2000 Miles – The Pretenders
Christmas Lights – Coldplay
Christmas Island – The Andrews Sisters with Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Mele Kalikimaka – Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Snowfall – Tony Bennett
A Marshmallow World – Dean Martin
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews / John Coltrane
River – Joni Mitchell
Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg
Celebrate Me Home – Kenny Loggins

Rock, Soul, and R&B Christmas Songs

Holiday music is not all sleigh bells and crooners. Rock, soul, R&B, and pop artists have given Christmas music some of its most energetic, emotional, and replayable songs. These are the tracks that keep the party from becoming a sweater catalog.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Merry Christmas, Baby – Otis Redding / Bruce Springsteen
This Christmas – Donny Hathaway
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
Step into Christmas – Elton John
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon and Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band
Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
Please Come Home for Christmas – Charles Brown / Eagles
Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) – Ramones
Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love) – The O’Jays
What Christmas Means to Me – Stevie Wonder
Someday at Christmas – Stevie Wonder
Give Love on Christmas Day – The Jackson 5 / The Temptations
Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas – Carla Thomas

Funny Christmas Songs and Holiday Novelty Favorites

Funny Christmas songs are a necessary public service. They break up the sincere ballads, keep kids awake, and remind adults that the season is supposed to include some nonsense. Holiday novelty songs are the fruitcake of music: divisive, persistent, and somehow always back next year.

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – David Seville and The Chipmunks
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas – Gayla Peevey
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – Spike Jones and His City Slickers
Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey) – Lou Monte
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Elmo & Patsy
Christmas at Ground Zero – “Weird Al” Yankovic
Santa Claus and His Old Lady – Cheech & Chong
Rusty Chevrolet – Da Yoopers
Nuttin’ for Christmas – Barry Gordon
Christmas Is All Around – Billy Mack from Love Actually
Christmas Don’t Be Late – Alvin and The Chipmunks
Mister Snow Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Mister Heat Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Snoopy’s Christmas – The Royal Guardsmen
The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler

Holiday Songs About Home, Missing Someone, and Christmas Loneliness

Not every holiday song is cheerful. Some of the most powerful seasonal songs are about missing someone, traveling home, remembering better times, or trying to feel festive when life is not cooperating. December has sparkle, but it also has shadows.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Bing Crosby
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Merry Christmas Darling – The Carpenters
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Please Come Home for Christmas – Charles Brown / Eagles
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Pretty Paper – Willie Nelson / Roy Orbison
2000 Miles – The Pretenders
Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg
Christmas Auld Lang Syne – Bobby Darin
Another Lonely Christmas – Prince and The Revolution
All Alone on Christmas – Darlene Love
Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love) – The O’Jays
Christmas Day – Dido
Where Are You Christmas? – Faith Hill

Holiday Songs From Movies, TV, and Specials

Christmas movies, TV specials, and animated classics have helped turn songs into traditions. Some of these work because of the song itself. Others work because viewers remember exactly where they first heard them.

Welcome Christmas – from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Where Are You Christmas? – Faith Hill, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You? – Taylor Momsen, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Believe – Josh Groban, from The Polar Express
Somewhere in My Memory – John Williams, from Home Alone
White Christmas – Bing Crosby, from Holiday Inn and White Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland, from Meet Me in St. Louis
We Need a Little Christmas – Angela Lansbury, from Mame
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews, from The Sound of Music
Mister Snow Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Mister Heat Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Christmas Is All Around – Billy Mack, from Love Actually
Put a Little Love in Your Heart – Annie Lennox and Al Green, from Scrooged
Christmas Vacation – Mavis Staples, from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft

Big Holiday Playlist: 120 Christmas and Winter Songs

This big holiday playlist blends old standards, modern Christmas hits, winter songs, Santa songs, rock and soul favorites, funny novelty tracks, movie songs, and cozy December staples.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
Frosty the Snowman – Jimmy Durante
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson
Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande
Snowman – Sia
One More Sleep – Leona Lewis
Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Last Christmas – Wham!
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen
Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Winter Wonderland – Johnny Mathis
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Bing Crosby
(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – David Seville and The Chipmunks
Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Silver Bells – Andy Williams
Mele Kalikimaka – Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry
This Christmas – Donny Hathaway
Merry Christmas, Baby – Otis Redding
Please Come Home for Christmas – Charles Brown
I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Bing Crosby
Merry Christmas Darling – The Carpenters
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
Step into Christmas – Elton John
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon and Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band
Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
Christmas Tree Farm – Taylor Swift
Like It’s Christmas – Jonas Brothers
Cozy Little Christmas – Katy Perry
Oh Santa! – Mariah Carey
Christmas Lights – Coldplay
Where Are You Christmas? – Faith Hill
Believe – Josh Groban
Welcome Christmas – from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You? – Taylor Momsen
We Need a Little Christmas – Angela Lansbury
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews
Silver and Gold – Burl Ives
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers – The Crystals
Christmas Melody – The Salsoul Orchestra
My Only Wish (This Year) – Britney Spears
Someday at Christmas – Stevie Wonder
What Christmas Means to Me – Stevie Wonder
Give Love on Christmas Day – The Jackson 5
Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid
Christmas Is the Time to Say “I Love You” – Billy Squier
Christmas Time – Bryan Adams
Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) – Ramones
Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays – *NSYNC
Hey Santa! – Carnie and Wendy Wilson
Santa Claus Lane – Hilary Duff
Grown-Up Christmas List – Amy Grant
Must Be Santa – Mitch Miller
Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
Up on the Housetop – The Jackson 5
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – The Jackson 5
Pretty Paper – Willie Nelson
A Marshmallow World – Dean Martin
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas – Gayla Peevey
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – Spike Jones and His City Slickers
Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey) – Lou Monte
Snoopy’s Christmas – The Royal Guardsmen
The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
Cool Yule – Louis Armstrong
Christmas in New Orleans – Louis Armstrong
Shake Hands with Santa Claus – Louis Prima
Christmas Island – The Andrews Sisters with Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Snowfall – Tony Bennett
Baby’s First Christmas – Connie Francis
The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle – Herb Alpert
It Must Have Been the Mistletoe (Our First Christmas) – Barbara Mandrell
Christmas Auld Lang Syne – Bobby Darin
Christmas Day – Dido
All Alone on Christmas – Darlene Love
Another Lonely Christmas – Prince and The Revolution
Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love) – The O’Jays
Christmas Without You – Ava Max
Make It to Christmas – Alessia Cara
You Deserve It All – John Legend
Santa, Can’t You Hear Me – Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande
Text Me Merry Christmas – Straight No Chaser featuring Kristen Bell
Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg
River – Joni Mitchell
Celebrate Me Home – Kenny Loggins
Christmas Vacation – Mavis Staples
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft
Mister Snow Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Mister Heat Miser – from The Year Without a Santa Claus
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Elmo & Patsy
Christmas at Ground Zero – “Weird Al” Yankovic
Nuttin’ for Christmas – Barry Gordon
Rusty Chevrolet – Da Yoopers
Christmas Is All Around – Billy Mack
Back Door Santa – Clarence Carter
Rock and Roll Christmas – George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Christmas of Love – Little Isidore and The Inquisitors
Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas – Carla Thomas
Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio
Linus and Lucy – Vince Guaraldi Trio
O Tannenbaum – Vince Guaraldi Trio
We Wish You a Merry Christmas – John Denver and The Muppets

Holiday Song Trivia

All I Want for Christmas Is You Became the Modern Holiday Giant

Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You is the rare modern Christmas song that became as familiar as the older standards. Its yearly return to radio, streaming, and charts made it a holiday-season fixture for multiple generations.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Took the Long Road to the Top

Brenda Lee recorded Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree as a young singer, but the song’s holiday life grew steadily over decades. Its compact energy and classic rock-and-roll feel helped it become one of the season’s most replayed upbeat songs.

The Chipmunk Song Proved Novelty Christmas Songs Can Last

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) is silly, high-pitched, and deeply committed to the bit. It also became one of the best-known holiday novelty records ever. Christmas music has always made room for both elegance and squeaking rodents.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Became a Soul Holiday Standard

Darlene Love’s Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) combines holiday sparkle with emotional longing. That mix gives it more staying power than a simple cheerful Christmas song. It sounds festive and heartbroken at the same time, which is a very December combination.

Modern Christmas Songs Have a Harder Job

Holiday playlists are crowded with older standards, which makes it difficult for newer songs to break through. That is why songs like Underneath the Tree, Santa Tell Me, Snowman, and One More Sleep stand out. They found room on a very full sleigh.

Why These Holiday Songs Keep Coming Back

Holiday songs keep coming back because they are tied to ritual. People do not just hear them once. They hear them while decorating, traveling, shopping, cooking, gathering, remembering, and trying to untangle lights that were definitely put away neatly last year.

The best secular Christmas songs work because they give listeners a feeling quickly. White Christmas creates nostalgia. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree starts a party. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) adds longing. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tells a story. All I Want for Christmas Is You brings modern pop sparkle. Different songs handle different holiday jobs.

That variety matters. A good holiday playlist needs old standards, modern hits, funny songs, winter songs, Santa songs, movie songs, soul songs, and a few sentimental favorites for the ride home. Too much cheer gets sticky. Too much sadness gets heavy. The magic is in the mix.

Holiday music may be seasonal, but the memories are not. That is why these songs return every year, wearing the same scarf, acting like they were invited, and somehow making the room feel warmer.

Sources and Further Listening