Okay, fair warning here — this isn’t going to be an arbitrary list of the top five Christmas songs that everyone is already familiar with. This is going to be my own personal list of the Christmas songs I love to listen to during this time of year.
There may be songs listed that everyone knows; there may also be one or two songs which may or may not invalidate the rest of my list for some readers.
Either way, here are my top five Christmas songs — if they are not in your Christmas song rotation now, they will definitely be welcome additions for years to come.
5. “Do You Hear what I Hear” — Yolanda Adams
It is an absolute shame how underrated this version of the song is. It’s so underrated that even though this song is on Spotify, it’s actually fairly difficult to find on YouTube.
Yolanda Adams does an absolutely beautiful rendition of this song which stays true to the meaning of Christmas for Christians; she actually shouts out Jesus in the song! Strangely enough, you don’t hear his name often in most commercial Christmas songs.
The elements of gospel she brought to this track combined with her dynamic, or as some would say, anointed, voice create an overall incredible track. Do yourself a favor and give this track a listen!
4. “This Christmas” — Donny Hathaway
I really love this song. The fact that I’ve only ranked it at number four is a testament to how amazing the songs above it actually are.
There have been many remakes of this song, but the original version is by Donny Hathaway.
He hits all the right notes and emotions in this song with incredible vocals and does it all without oversinging. I’m a sucker for any song which incorporates horns into their instrumentals and this song uses them perfectly throughout. “This Christmas” is accessible, memorable, stays true to Christmas and is a song everyone from the old heads to the young ones can love.
I heard this song fairly recently through an Apple commercial with Stevie Wonder that was on repeat around this time last year.
Some people will hate the fact this song is listed instead of the original version Stevie made back in 1967. I have listened to both versions but, I’m sorry, as great as Stevie Wonder is, the chemistry between him and Andra Day is too perfect to ignore.
They complement each other on this song beautifully with both of them giving excellent performances. Stevie kills it with his vocals. Incredibly, his voice is as good as ever, but Andra adds a different type of soul sound which works well with Stevie on this song.
Stevie needs no help making great songs. This song just happens to be a situation when someone was able to share the spotlight with him.
Before Kanye went all the way crazy, he had — and likely still has — a knack for making gems.
There’s always a risk hip-hop/RnB artists take when trying to create a Christmas song that stays true to the holiday, but doesn’t sound like another whack after school hip-hop track or just a terrible track in general (i.e. Sleigh Ride by TLC).
It can either be incredibly dope or cringeworthy, with little room in between.
Kanye, with the help of Cyhi da Prince and especially Teyana Taylor, created a gem with “Christmas in Harlem.” Kanye and Cyhi do their thing, however, Teyana Taylor was the real MVP on the hook.
While staying true to its roots in hip-hop, the song promotes relationships and family as a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Teyana’s voice was perfect for the song and all three artists exemplified what GOOD Christmas music is all about.
I would be remiss if I did not include this song as my number one song for this time of year.
“Never Felt Like Christmas” is only about a year old, but the catchiness combined with the originality will keep you hooked on this song for years to come. I initially thought it couldn’t make it this high up on the list, but I can’t deny the vibes I get when this song comes up.
Anyone who has ever had to spend Christmas time alone, or, even worse, with people you can’t stand, fully understand where Lizzo’s coming from in this song.
There is nothing that says Christmas more than spending this time of year with the one you love. Make no mistake, this song is neither corny nor sad in any way. It’s actually quite the opposite; it’s a loose, carefree song anyone can have fun rockin’ to. After hearing this song, you’ll wonder how it ever felt like Christmas before this song entered your life.
