Christmas Pop Songs

More than a decade ago, I compiled a CD of my favourite Christmas songs. I've still got that CD, and play it at least on Christmas day, if not during the weeks leading up to the day. As I look at that playlist that I laboured over all those years ago, I realize that several of my faves were, and still are, not traditional fare, or even new versions of those tunes, but newly-written songs of the pop genre... which were mostly during my era. A few came before my time, but I still heard them throughout my childhood, and later... to this day.

Yo yo yo... Christmas in Hollis with Run-DMC

So these are my personal favourite Christmas pop songs, originals as performed by the artist, not renditions of traditional songs of the season. There are plenty of versions of the classics by every singer and band that ever existed. I think it's no small feat that a pop/rock artist can write a song that instantly becomes a Christmas standard and can endure alongside the oldies like Jingle Bells and Rudolph. 

These songs aren't shown in any particular order, though what I think are the best ones appear closer to the top. What you see here is not the tracklist of that ancient CD, but it does reflect my choices on it, and there are a few brand new additions. Yes, this list is short, but again, these are almost strictly originals, with just a couple of updates to existing pop songs, which are less numerous than re-do's of the oldies. 

2000 Miles - The Pretenders
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey 
Last Christmas - Wham! 
Christmas Wrapping - Spice Girls (original by The Waitresses, 1981... a new wave band!)

Jingle Bell Rock - The Muppets (original by Bobby Helms, 1957)

Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2 (original by Darlene Love, 1963)
Christmas In Hollis - Run-DMC 
Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley 

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Step Into Christmas - Elton John
Run Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry
Merry Christmas, Darling - The Carpenters
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid

Snoopy does a little soft-shoe, or is that soft-paw?

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965

Plus a few honourable mentions... bending the rules a tad:


The 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer features the now-classic We're a Couple of Misfits, and We Are Santa's Elves, just a couple of the shows catchy and memorable tunes. Not really pop music by today's definition, but still...

Put One Foot in Front of the Other and The First Toymaker to the King are highlights from the 1970 TV special Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Again, not pop, but this original Christmas music is certainly embedded in the psyche of more than one generation.

All of the original songs from the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, including Skating, and Linus and Lucy. Even though these tracks are jazz music, they have been established as pop culture classics, having been covered dozens of times by other artists - jazz, pop, and otherwise.