Opinions

The ultimate list of holiday song rankings

Sara Drzik getting ready to listen to these fire holiday songs in her best holiday attire. Photo Courtesy of Lindsey Dettloff

Lindsey Dettloff, Staff Reporter
December 16, 2022

1. “Last Christmas” by Wham!

Wham! sets the bar for Christmas songs with this emotional classic. This song tells the story of giving love to someone for Christmas and the love not being reciprocated. This piece of music is so moving from the catchy chorus to the meaningful verses. This combines raw emotion with the Christmas season, making it the best holiday song in the world.

2. “Drummer Boy” by Justin Bieber and Busta Rhymes

Justin Bieber and Busta Rhymes put a modern twist on a classic song with their amazing version of Drummer Boy. Both artists put their rapping skills to good use with the fire verses of this song. This song is my personal hype song for the Christmas season.

3. “Santa Tell Me” by Arianna Grande

Arianna Grande’s powerful vocals make this one of the most impressive Christmas songs of all time. It’s catchy, it’s got a great melody, she puts a little love story into it, and Arianna sleighs. Once again, an artist puts a twist of romance into their song to make another awesome song.

4. “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” by Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton

This song… this song is incredible. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are the best power couple to take on the holiday season. They are adorable and this song, especially the music video, is absolutely delightful because of their charming dynamic and vocal skills.

5. “The Chanukah Song” by Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler serves up some Hanukkah humor with this hilarious song. It never fails to make listeners laugh, making it a great song for the holiday season.

6. “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt’s smooth vocals make this song sound so peaceful. This effortlessly classy song is perfect for sitting by the fire, snuggled in a blanket; it’s perfect for the holiday season.

7. “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber

I know. It’s overplayed. But it’s overplayed for a reason. It is really good stuff! Bieber fever spreads every holiday season for good reason. While it’s not one of the best out there, Mistletoe is a classic track of Justin’s “Under the Mistletoe” album.

8. “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson

This song is toward the end of my ranking, not because it’s not good – because really, it is – but because it’s just like every other pop song out there. It’s catchy, it’s big, it’s loud, but the only standout part of it is the bridge. Kelly Clarkson’s falsetto is the high point of this song, but otherwise, it’s pretty mid.

9. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee

Another Christmas classic, given to us by Brenda Lee, that does pretty well every year. It’s not the best song I’ve heard, but it cracks the top 10. It’s an oldie, but a goodie.

10. “All I Want for Christmas For You” by Mariah Carey

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the single most overplayed, overrated, overwhelmingly impressive song of the holiday season. Every single person you meet will have heard this song. Every person you meet will be able to sing this song word for word. And every person you meet will tell you they hate this song. But in reality, it’s everyone’s guilty pleasure. So of course, it has to make the Top 10; how could it not?