10 Seasonal Smash Hits We’re All Singing This Holiday Season
36% of Americans say that Christmas is their favorite holiday, and it’s not difficult to see why. The holiday season overflows with joy, warmth, and togetherness—a recipe for magic and memories. Christmas has also inspired countless songs we all know and love. From the soulful “Merry Christmas Darling” to the infectious “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, so many seasonal smash hits get stuck in our heads during Christmastime and beyond. Here are 10 we just know you’re singing this holiday season.
1. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by the Jackson 5
Michael Jackson is still the undisputed King of Pop, known for songs like “Beat It” and “Smooth Criminal.” But before he moonwalked across the stage at Motown 25, he sang chart-topping hits like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” with his older brothers. Written by British songwriter Tommie Connor, the song has been recorded by many artists, including the Ronettes and John Cougar Mellencamp. However, the Jackson 5’s rendition remains one of the most popular. In fact, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” charted at number 23 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart in December of 2023!
2. “Last Christmas” by Wham!
The English pop duo behind Wham! gave us many timeless hits, like “Everything She Wants” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” They also gifted us one of the catchiest—and most popular—holiday songs of all time. “Last Christmas” paints the picture of a relationship gone wrong. According to his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, George Michael wrote the song in his childhood bedroom during a visit to his parents. “We’d had a bite to eat and were sitting together relaxing with the television on in the background when almost unnoticed, George disappeared upstairs for an hour or so,” Ridgeley said later in a 2017 interview. “When he came back down, such was his excitement, it was as if he had discovered gold which, in a sense, he had.” We couldn’t agree more!
3. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
Love it or hate it, it’s impossible to deny “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a juggernaut. This diamond-certified song has practically become synonymous with the Christmas season. Reportedly, Carey didn’t want to record it back in 1994, feeling that it was too early in her music career to put out Christmas music. Both the singer and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff were convinced the song wouldn’t be a smash hit, let alone popular at all. “Twenty years ago, Christmas music and Christmas albums by artists weren’t the big deal that they are today. Back then, you didn’t have a lot of artists with Christmas albums; It wasn’t a known science at all back then, and there was nobody who did new, big Christmas songs,” Afanasieff told Billboard in 2014. However, the song proved everyone wrong, going on to sell more than 16 million copies and becoming the 11th best-selling single of all time.
4. “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney
Five years after the Beatles disbanded, singer-songwriter Paul McCartney released this classic Christmas song. The beloved Beatle is responsible for every part of the song, from the composition to the vocals to the instruments. While music critics remain divided about the song, it gets substantial airplay during the holiday season, with Forbes reporting that it earns McCartney a whopping $400,000 and $600,000 per year.
5. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by Bruce Springsteen
Did you know that over 200 artists have covered “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”? Written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, this beloved song is a fixture of the holiday season. And while countless versions are available for our listening pleasure, we happen to be partial to Bruce Springsteen’s rock-and-roll rendition. The Boss, as he’s affectionately known, even incorporates the song into his setlists outside of the Christmas season.
6. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Andy Williams
The lyrics of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” harken back to the Gospel of Matthew. But what some fans might not know is that a husband-wife team penned the song as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. “I had thought I’d never write a Christmas song,” songwriter Noël Regney recalled. “Christmas had become so commercial. But this was the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the studio, the producer was listening to the radio to see if we had been obliterated. “En route to my home, I saw two mothers with their babies in strollers. The little angels were looking at each other and smiling. All of a sudden, my mood was extraordinary.” Inspired, he rushed home and jotted down some lyrics. His wife composed the music, and the rest is history. Many talented artists have covered this song, but Andy “Mr. Christmas” Williams’ version might be the definitive one.
7. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by The Carpenters
First sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis, there’s only one other voice in the world who could do this gorgeous song justice—and it belongs to Karen Carpenter. However, neither Garland nor Carpenter’s version would exist if it weren’t for songwriter Ralph Blaine. The song “began with the melody,” his co-writer Hugh Martin said. “I found a little madrigal-like tune that I liked but couldn’t make work, so I played with it for two or three days and then threw it in the wastebasket.” Fortunately, Blaine believed in the song and felt it was too good to be thrown away. “We dug around the wastebasket and found it,” he later explained. “Thank the Lord we found it.” We’re certain that fans of the song echo that sentiment!
8. “Winter Wonderland” by Michael Bublé
“Winter Wonderland” has been a mainstay of the holiday season since it was written in 1934. However, the song never makes any reference to Christmas. Despite that, “Winter Wonderland” has made its way onto countless Christmas albums throughout the years—including Michael Bublé’s Christmas. Since its release in 2011, Bublé’s seventh studio album has garnered millions of sales and several awards. The Canadian crooner sings plenty of seasonal chart-toppers on Christmas, including “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.” However, we’re particularly fond of his version of “Winter Wonderland.”
9. “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt
Did you know this tongue-in-cheek song was written specifically for singer and actress Eartha Kitt? Though many considered it controversial for its sultry tone and suggestive lyrics, “Santa Baby” went on to become the best-selling Christmas song of 1953. Sadly, the song continues to divide audiences today, with many disliking it. In fact, “Santa Baby” was crowned the most annoying Christmas song in a 2021 YouGov poll. Ouch! Despite its somewhat divisive reputation, “Santa Baby” is one of the most popular Yuletide songs, with superstars like Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, and Taylor Swift all releasing their own renditions.
10. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
Last but certainly not least is “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby. The famed crooner himself probably couldn’t have foreseen the song’s enduring popularity. In fact, when he first heard it, the only comment he gave was an offhanded, “I don’t think we have any problems with that one, Irving.” Meanwhile, composer Irving Berlin enthusiastically told his secretary that “not only is [White Christmas] the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote.” Listeners agreed more with Berlin than Crosby, as the song is still the most popular single of all time, having sold more than 50 million copies to date. While many might believe “White Christmas” was written for the movie of the same name, it first appeared in another Crosby flick over a decade earlier.
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Originally published November 26, 2024
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