The enduring magic of Christmas songs: It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Life changes every day with different emotions, achievements, discoveries and laughter or sadness, but Christmas songs remain the same year after year, carrying echoes of joy and cherished memories: an everlasting nostalgia that brings with it feelings of warmth, home, festive cheer and celebrations.
Starting mid-November something magical fills the air. Christmas decorations are everywhere in each store, on every corner, and the familiar sound of Christmas music begins to echo, ranging from the cheerful jingle of sleigh bells to soulful carols of various songs.
No matter what your favorite song is, whether the classics or modern hits, one reality remains the same: Christmas songs transcend generations and unite them in the true spirit of this wonderful month of the year full of gifts, glitter, kindness and shared memories. Kindness it is, where the traditional wish of “Merry Christmas” is heard everywhere, addressed to strangers, colleagues, shopkeepers, sales persons, bakeries… to people you don’t really know but united in the spirit of Christmas.
What is the history of Christmas songs?
Christmas market in old town Nicosia
Christmas songs date back centuries, with some of the earliest carols written in the Middle Ages before witnessing a total transformation into pop music in the twentieth century with popular hits like Wham’s “Last Christmas” (1984) or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” echoing everywhere in the buildup period to Christmas. Another example is Chris Rea’s song “Driving home for Christmas” which takes the imagination to a scenery of someone anxious to reach home and celebrate with his loved ones. It immediately brings the emotions of Christmas travels and holidays with the idea of returning home.
In the Middle Ages, these songs weren’t only about Christmas, but also a celebration of the winter season and community gatherings. Over time, they became tied to Christian traditions celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The 19th century gave us some of the most enduring Christmas music, such as the classics “Silent Night” (1818) and “O Holy Night” (1847) emerging from that era, with their timeless beauty still echoing through churches and choirs today, spreading worldwide.
Fast forward to the mid-20th century when the golden age of Christmas music started. That was the era when Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas” in 1942, Nat King Cole “The Christmas song” in 1946 and Frank Sinatra “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 1957, turning holiday songs into cultural treasures and bringing hope that despite the rough times, this season will connect people.
In more recent decades, pop and rock artists have added their own sparkle to the Christmas playlist. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (1994) has become a modern pop classic playing every December all around the world and Wham’s “Last Christmas” (1984) became omnipresent also, while newer hits kept coming from artists like Ariana Grande, Michael Bublé, and Sia.
Nevertheless, “Jingle Bells” and the original title “One Horse Open Sleigh” written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857, remains the most popular Christmas songs. Add to this the equally celebrated “Last Christmas”, giving a bitter-sweet taste for the holiday mood, and “All I want for Christmas” songs, which became the soundtracks of family gatherings and Christmas Eve traditions due to their charm living on for generations and still resonating each season.
Then came “Do they Know it’s Christmas?”
The popular song, “Do they Know is Christmas”, released in 1984 by Band Aid, a supergroup of British and Irish musicians, was a turning point in the history of Christmas songs, as it was the first time that such big stars in the music industry come together in a pop charity single.
Created by Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure (Ultravox) who were inspired by the scenes of famine in Ethiopia, the song sold millions of copies from the first week of its release and it is still played every December.
This symbolic song signaled the birth of celebrity humanism and established the idea that stars can influence world politics through pop culture to mobilize public opinion and raise money to help others.
It brought together stars like Sting (The Police), Bono (U2), George Michael, Boy George, Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Paul Young, Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Marilyn, Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17) with Phil Collins on the Drums as well as many other musicians. It was the inspiration that led to other charity songs like “We Are The World” by USA For Africa in 1985.
“Do they Know it’s Christmas” remains a landmark song in the Christmas music history as it revealed the power of stars in carrying a humanitarian cause with its simple message “there's a world outside your window”, and “feed the world, let them know it’s Christmas time again”.
Why do Christmas songs endure?
Eleftheria Square in Nicosia during Christmas
The magic of Christmas songs lies in its ability to evoke memory, community and family gatherings as well as the imagery of professional people and students living outside their native countries, coming back home for this special season. Each song has a different memory whether childhood traditions, the iconic Santa or cozy winter moments.
It carries simple joys beyond the gifts and the glitter, like decorating the Christmas tree or baking Christmas cookies and spreading the smell all over the place.
Here is a list of the most popular Christmas songs of all times:
- “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey)
- “Last Christmas” (Wham!)
- “The Christmas Song -Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire-” (Nat King Cole)
- "Joy to the World” (Isaac Watts)
- “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
- “Jingle Bell Rock” – Bobby Helms
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (Brenda Lee)
- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (Andy Williams)
- “Feliz Navidad” (José Feliciano)
- “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Judy Garland / Frank Sinatra)
- “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Dean Martin)
- “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (Michael Bublé / Perry Como)
- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Gene Autry)
- “Jingle Bells”
- “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (Bruce Springsteen / Jackson 5 / various versions)
- “Do they know it’s Christmas?” (Band Aid)
- “Merry Christmas everyone” (Shakin’ Stevens)
- “Santa Tell Me” (Ariana Grande)
- “Underneath the Tree” (Kelly Clarkson)
- “Christmas Lights” (Coldplay)
Timeless Carols:
- “Silent Night”
- “O Holy Night”
- “Joy to the World”
Et voilà! The magic of the festive season continues!
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The song “Silent Night, Holy Night” (original German title: “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!”), composed in 1818 in Austria is recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage since 2011 as it “transcends confessional and national borders”.
“O Holy Night” helped promote abolition of slavery as the song’s composer, Adolphe Adam, supported abolitionist ideas.
Mariah Carey’s song “All I want for Christmas is you” is still topping the charts of 2025 achieving a record-breaking cumulative number of weeks at No. 1.
White Christmas” is still one of the best-selling songs of all times and the author, Jody Rosen, wrote a book about its origins titled “White Christmas: the story of an American Song”.
Some Christmas music started as church music and early carols were part of Christian liturgy.
(Sources: America Magazine-The Jesuit Review, Billboard, Variety magazine, The American media organization NPR (National Public Radio), UNESCO, Wikipedia)