Christmas music has certainly changed over the years. Historians trace the earliest songs written specifically for the occasion back to Latin hymns in fourth-century Rome. The first Christmas carols appeared in the early 15th century, and by the 16th century, examples still heard today had appeared, like “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
Religious classics like “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night” (the latter originally an Austrian carol, “Stille Nacht”), appeared in the 1800s. These are still heard over radio and in-store sound systems, and still sung in churches and even by strolling carolers in some places.
Heard even more often these days (though not in church and seldom from carolers) are standards from the ’30s and ’40s, like “The Christmas Song,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Sleigh Ride.” Probably every major vocalist of the latter 20th century recorded these or other Yuletide offerings of similar vintage — including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and later The Supremes, The Beach Boys, The Jackson 5, and more.
Then there are those novelty entries into the Christmas song canon — “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and of course the immortal “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
These days, one might be forgiven for thinking the only Christmas song ever written is Mariah Carey’s unavoidable “All I Want For Christmas Is You” — unless of course it’s “Last Christmas” by Wham! (If all this talk about Christmas is making you cold, take a look at this list of the song that defined every summer since the 1950s.)
If Christmas music has changed, of course, so has the way we listen to it. The streaming service Spotify, which offers more than 100 million songs on demand and boasts close to 600 million regular users, is a major provider of sounds. Over 50% of Americans listen to music primarily on streaming platforms, Spotify and otherwise, according to the headphone test site Headphones Addict.
To compile a list of the 25 Christmas songs most often streamed on Spotify through mid-December 2023, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study by the celebrity news and gossip site Nicki Swift, which analyzed Spotify data for the top 100 Christmas songs as identified by Billboard, then ranked them according to streams. In addition, considering that Spotify’s average payment to artists ranges from $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, the site estimated what each song has earned on the platform, using the lower, more conservative, figure.
No one will be surprised at the identity of the No. 1 song, but the list shows considerable diversity, ranging from Andy Williams and Nat “King” Cole to Ariana Grande and Britney Spears, with the likes of Elvis Presley, the Jackson 5, and Chuck Berry along the way. (To go along with your Christmas listening, consider trying one of the most popular Christmas drinks in every state.)
Here are the most streamed Christmas songs of all time
25. Santa Baby
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
- Artist: Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra
- Year first released: 1953
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 237,978,129
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $713,934.39
24. Step Into Christmas
Elton John
Elton John
- Artist: Elton John
- Year first released: 1973
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 251,138,688
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $753,416.06
23. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
- Artist: The Jackson 5
- Year first released: 1970
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 262,828,832
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $788,486.50
22. Run Rudolph Run
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
- Artist: Chuck Berry
- Year first released: 1958
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 267,082,427
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $801,247.28
21. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Darlene Love
Darlene Love
- Artist: Darlene Love
- Year first released: 1963
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 270,416,462
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $811,249.39
20. My Only Wish (This Year)
Britney Spears
Britney Spears
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Year first released: 2000
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 282,881,648
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $848,644.94
19. Blue Christmas
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
- Artist: Elvis Presley
- Year first released: 1957
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 319,899,046
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $959,697.14
18. Fairytale of New York
- Artist: The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl
- Year first released: 1987
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 346,762,591
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,040,287.77
17. A Holly Jolly Christmas
UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970: Photo of Burl Ives Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
- Artist: Burl Ives
- Year first released: 1964
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 387,661,258
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,162,983.77
16. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)
Nat “King” Cole
- Artist: Nat “King” Cole
- Year first released: 1961
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 424,730,951
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,274,192.85
15. White Christmas
Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
- Artist: Bing Crosby
- Year first released: 1947
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 430,587,925
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,291,763.78
14. Wonderful Christmastime
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
- Artist: Paul McCartney
- Year first released: 1979
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 433,951,818
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,301,855.45
13. Sleigh Ride
The Ronettes
The Ronettes
- Artist: The Ronettes
- Year first released: 1963
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 450,339,450
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,351,018.35
12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
- Artist: John Lennon & Yoko Ono With the Harlem Community Choir
- Year first released: 1971
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 496,766,266
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,490.298.80
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 496,766,266
- Year first released: 1971
11. Do They Know It’s Christmas
BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 13: (L to R) German Singer Max Herre, German Singer Campino and Irish Singer Bob Geldof attend a press conference about the German version of a 30th anniversary edition of the 80s poverty benefit project Band Aid, known for the song 'Do They Know It's Christmas,' at Soho House on November 13, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Three decades after profits from the song's sales were raised to be donated towards famine aid for Ethiopia, the newest version is intended to help battle the Ebola crisis on the same continent, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with local versions recorded in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and France. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
- Artist: Band Aid
- Year first released: 1984
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 508,558,126
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,525,674.38
10. Underneath the Tree
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
- Artist: Kelly Clarkson
- Year first released: 2013
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 542,119,028
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,626,357.08
9. Feliz Navidad
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 16: Jose Feliciano performs during the Smithsonian Latino Museum Reception on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Smithsonian Latino Museum)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: Jose Feliciano performs during the Smithsonian Latino Museum Reception on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Smithsonian Latino Museum)
- Artist: José Feliciano
- Year first released: 1970
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 567,831,976
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $1,703,495.93
8. Mistletoe
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
- Artist: Justin Bieber
- Year first released: 2011
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 680,333,425
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,041,000.285
7. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Andy Williams
Andy Williams
- Artist: Andy Williams
- Year first released: 1963
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 729,830,900
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,189,492.70
6. Jingle Bell Rock
Bobby Helms
Bobby Helms
- Artist: Bobby Helms
- Year first released: 1957
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 827,496,666
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,482,490.00
5. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
- Artist: Michael Bublé
- Year first released: 2011
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 880,854,322
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,642,562.97
4. Santa Tell Me
Ariana Grande
- Artist: Ariana Grande
- Year first released: 2014
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 913,557,267
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,740,671.80
3. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
- Artist: Brenda Lee
- Year first released: 1958
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 950,579,701
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $2,851,739.10
2. Last Christmas
Wham!
Wham!
- Artist: Wham!
- Year first released: 1984
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 1,294,745,985
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $3,884,237.96
1. All I Want For Christmas Is You
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
- Artist: Mariah Carey
- Year first released: 1994
- Spotify streams through mid-December 2023: 1,596,762,795
- Estimated Spotify earnings through mid-December 2023: $4,790,288.39