The Ultimate Christmas Songs List: Top Festive Hits Dominating 2024
Why Christmas Songs Matter This Festive Season
Christmas songs have become an essential part of the holiday season, transforming ordinary December days into magical moments filled with festive cheer. As we celebrate Christmas 2024, music streaming platforms reveal fascinating insights into which tracks continue to capture hearts worldwide. Every December sees festive favourites flood back into official charts, with both classics and newer tracks emerging, creating an ever-evolving soundtrack to our celebrations.
The significance of Christmas music extends beyond mere entertainment. Holiday music can make up a significant fraction of December’s total music consumption, with marquee tracks pulling in millions of plays per day. This annual tradition brings families together, evokes nostalgia, and creates new memories year after year.
The Top Christmas Songs Dominating Streaming Charts
Looking at the UK’s most-streamed Christmas songs, Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You lands at the top with 475 million streams to date, followed by Wham’s Last Christmas on 457m. Today on iTunes the current number one Christmas song is All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, demonstrating its enduring appeal.
Other perennial favourites include classic tracks that have stood the test of time. Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ has been a Christmas favourite since its release in 1958, with a rock ‘n’ roll twist that has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. Meanwhile, Ariana Grande’s sparkly 2014 single Santa Tell Me landed as the UK’s eighth most-streamed Christmas track with 232m streams, proving modern songs can also achieve classic status.
New Christmas Releases Making Waves in 2024
The 2024 Christmas season has brought fresh musical offerings from contemporary artists. 2024 is closing with a bevy of new Christmas recordings from modern artists spanning pop, R&B, hip-hop, K-pop, jazz and rock, with artists like FIFTY FIFTY, Coco Jones and GloRilla and Kehlani releasing brand-new anthems. These new entries complement the established favourites, offering listeners a blend of tradition and innovation.
Laufey brings her light, airy tone to Christmas in her rendition of holiday classics, releasing tracks in a Christmas EP titled A Very Laufey Holiday in 2024. The diversity of 2024’s Christmas offerings ensures there’s something for every musical taste this festive season.
The Lasting Impact of Christmas Music
Christmas songs represent more than seasonal entertainment—they’re cultural touchstones that unite generations. The highest-placed modern Christmas song goes to Michael Bublé’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, coming in at Number 6 with 257m plays, demonstrating how recent recordings can achieve classic status.
As families gather around speakers and create festive playlists, these songs continue their remarkable journey through digital platforms, ensuring that both timeless classics and contemporary hits remain part of our collective holiday experience for years to come.