Christmas season is officially here! Amid the hustle and bustle, the shopping and the gift exchanges, Christmas music remains a hallmark of the season. To help get in the holiday spirit, we found ten songs that will be the perfect soundtrack to whatever you are doing over the holidays.
10. “On This Winter’s Night,” Lady A
It’s hard to make an original song sound like a Christmas classic, but that’s exactly what Lady A did. The song was written by the three Lady A members — Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, along with hit tunesmith, Tom Douglas, and was the title track of Lady A’s Christmas album, released in 2012.
9. “Where Are You, Christmas?” Faith Hill
Faith Hill sang this song for the Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie, released in 2000, and starring Jim Carrey and Molly Shannon. Perhaps surprisingly, Mariah Carey wrote “Where Are You, Christmas?” along with James Horner and Will Jennings. Carey was also originally planning on recording the song, but due to a legal dispute with Tommy Mottola, as part of Carey’s divorce proceedings with him, she was unable to release “Where Are You, Christmas?.” with Hill being tapped to record it instead. The song became a Top 10 hit for Hill on the Adult Contemporary chart.
8. “Mary, Did You Know?” Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd
Mark Lowry originally wrote the lyrics to “Mary, Did You Know?” in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1991 that Buddy Greene added music. Since then, more than a dozen artists have covered the song, including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton and more. But it was Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd who turned the song into a duet, releasing it as part of Rogers’ 1996 The Gift album.
7. “Let It Be Christmas,” Alan Jackson
It almost feels like we are part of Alan Jackson‘s holiday celebration when he sings this song. The song, written by Jackson, is the title track of his 2002 album. It’s also the only original song on the record, which is filled with classics like “Silent Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Jingle Bells” and more. Jackson is backed by a children’s choir for this song, only adding to the magic.
6. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Gene Autry
Johnny Marks wrote “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” but it was Gene Autry who took the song to the top of the charts when it was released in 1949. The song, based on the 1939 story of the same name, became a No. 1 hit for Autry, and sold two million copies — an almost unheard of number back then.
5. “Silent Night,” Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood
Kelly Clarkson was joined by Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire for a stunning performance of “Silent Night,” as part of Clarkson’s NBC holiday special, A Cautionary Christmas Tale, which aired in 2013. The TV show also included performances by Blake Shelton, Jay Leno and more, but it was this performance that stood out the most. Clarkson also included the trio performing the song on her holiday Wrapped in Red album, also released in 2013.
4. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Josh Turner
Countless artists have covered “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” over the years, but few as smoothly and effortlessly as Josh Turner. The South Carolina native included the song on his holiday album, King Size Manger, released in 2021 and recorded with his entire family.
“I always swore that if I ever made it to doing a Christmas record, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ was going to be on there, because it’s always been my favorite Christmas song,” Turner recalled. “And sometimes, I have to sit back and reflect on why I feel certain ways about certain things.
“And so, when I started on this record-making process, I had one of those moments,” he continued, revealing that he had always been a Judy Garland fan, but only recently discovered that she was the first person to perform this iconic song.
3. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” unable to predict that the song, released in 1958, would still be played at the holidays more than 60 years later.
Famed producer Owen Bradley produced Lee singing the now-classic Christmas song.
“Owen had the studio all freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood just a little bit,” Lee recalled (via Songfacts). “We had a lot of fun.”
2. “Hard Candy Christmas,” Dolly Parton
Parton released “Hard Candy Christmas” in 1982. Written by Carol Hall, the song was part of the musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Parton later included it on the 1997 re-release of her 1984 Once Upon A Christmas album with Kenny Rogers.
Numerous other artists have recorded “Hard Candy Christmas” over the years, including Cyndi Lauper, McEntire, LeAnn Rimes and more.
1. “O Holy Night,” Carrie Underwood
Underwood included “O Holy Night” on her 2020 Christmas album, My Gift. Her version of the song, one of 11 on the record, was inspired by listening to one of her favorite singers perform the Christmas classic.
“I went through like every single song and I went on my iTunes and just started listening to so many versions, and marked down notes to give [producer Greg Wells] an idea of what I was looking for,” Underwood said (via MusicRow). “Like Celine Dion’s version of ‘O Holy Night’ is so beautiful and big and classic. That was one I referenced.”
