We’re deep into holiday song season, which seems to start earlier and earlier these days (and that’s not the worst thing, is it?).
But really: There are some holiday songs that are so good, they don’t need to be limited to November and December.
That’s what this list is all about. The For The Win staff was talking about that very concept — holiday tunes that you can listen to the entire year — so we decided to put together the start of a very good playlist.
Here are some of the best holiday songs that don’t have to be limited to holiday time:
I know I’m going to open a whole can of worms with this take but: Last Christmas is the Die Hard of Christmas songs. Why? Because it’s a song that takes place around Christmas but isn’t really about Christmas itself. Last Christmas is a song about a failed relationship and the heartbreak surrounding it with Christmas as a backdrop for the story. And that’s why it makes a perfect year-round Christmas tune! Not only is the song an absolute banger — the original and the multitude of covers out there — it’s also appropriate to put on your breakup playlists no matter the time of year. – Mary Clarke
‘Tis The Season is my favorite holiday song partly because it can be played at any point in the year. I have it on several R&B playlists that don’t even include other holiday songs. It’s warm, Anthony Hamilton’s voice is as smooth as ever and the lyrics just make you feel good. Hanging out with family and enjoying the company of people you love doesn’t have to be solely restricted to Christmas time — that can be a year round feeling. To make it simple, I like songs that make me feel good. ‘Tis The Season definitely qualifies. — Charles McDonald
As soon as those magical jingle bells hit your ears, you know you’re ready for three minutes of pure bliss. My biggest argument for Mistletoe being a year-round banger is that Christmas is never mentioned — just holidays — but at the very minimum there’s no shame in listening to this jam well into February. It IS the most beautiful time of the year, and your options are really “hanging out” under the mistletoe or playing in the winter snow. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. If you see me jamming out to this song in June, just let me be. — Caroline Darney
Donny was an all-time great vocalist, and a heck of a musician. And here, he co-wrote a love song that just HAPPENS to be about Christmas, a funky, danceable bop that I’ve played in June on a list of similarly awesome tunes. So what if there’s talk of trees and mistletoe and caroling? That just happens to be the theme and doesn’t have to be only played in December. – Charles Curtis
Bruce Springsteen is one of the best storytellers of all-time and I’m not just saying that because I have one of his songs tattooed in a heart on my right arm. He does a better job setting the scene than almost any other musician I’ve ever heard and that’s exactly what he does when plays Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town with the E Street Band. In a recording from a live show in the late 1970s, he told his fans that he and guitarist Steve Van Zandt were walking along the boardwalk on Christmas Eve when they saw something coming towards them. In the video, the lights go out and then Clarence Clemons, the band’s 6-foot-5 saxophonist better known as The Big Man, is lit wearing a Santa hat. He is singing “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and Bruce then does a couple of minutes rocking out to the Christmas song before Clemons hits you with a fantastic sax solo. When I’ve seen it live, fans used to lose their mind when Clemons came in to sing “You better be good for goodness sake” in the deepest bass you could imagine. There is also an excellent video of Bruce performing this song in a cowboy-style Christmas hat. It doesn’t need to be snowing to enjoy this. Put this one at a BBQ in July and tell me anyone would tell you to turn it off. — Bryan Kalbrosky
So this song is admittedly a bit of a tear-jerker, but it’s also perfect. Well, most Stevie Wonder songs are perfect. But this one? Man, it just perfectly captures the essence of the holidays. It’s not about the biggest or most expensive gift you can give to a person. It’s about love. Sharing in joy. That’s the true gift. And this song shows us that through the story it tells. — Mike Sykes
We’re deep into holiday song season, which seems to start earlier and earlier these days (and that’s not the worst thing, is it?). But really: There are some holiday songs that are so good, they don’t need to be limited to November and December. That’s what this list is all about. The For The Win staff was talking about that very concept — holiday tunes that you can listen to the entire year — so we decided to put together the start of a very good playlist. Here are some of the best holiday songs that don’t have to be limited to holiday time: I know I’m going to open a whole can of worms with this take but: Last Christmas is the Die Hard of Christmas songs. Why? Because it’s a song that takes place around Christmas but isn’t really about Christmas itself. Last Christmas is a song about a failed relationship and the heartbreak surrounding it with Christmas as a backdrop for the story. And that’s why it makes a perfect year-round Christmas tune! Not only is the song an absolute banger — the original and the multitude of covers out there — it’s also appropriate to put on your breakup playlists no matter the time of year. – Mary Clarke ‘Tis The Season is my favorite holiday song partly because it can be played at any point in the year. I have it on several R&B playlists that don’t even include other holiday songs. It’s warm, Anthony Hamilton’s voice is as smooth as ever and the lyrics just make you feel good. Hanging out with family and enjoying the company of people you love doesn’t have to be solely restricted to Christmas time — that can be a year round feeling. To make it simple, I like songs that make me feel good. ‘Tis The Season definitely qualifies. — Charles McDonald As soon as those magical jingle bells hit your ears, you know you’re ready for three minutes of pure bliss. My biggest argument for Mistletoe being a year-round banger is that Christmas is never mentioned — just holidays — but at the very minimum there’s no shame in listening to this jam well into February. It IS the most beautiful time of the year, and your options are really “hanging out” under the mistletoe or playing in the winter snow. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. If you see me jamming out to this song in June, just let me be. — Caroline Darney Donny was an all-time great vocalist, and a heck of a musician. And here, he co-wrote a love song that just HAPPENS to be about Christmas, a funky, danceable bop that I’ve played in June on a list of similarly awesome tunes. So what if there’s talk of trees and mistletoe and caroling? That just happens to be the theme and doesn’t have to be only played in December. – Charles Curtis Bruce Springsteen is one of the best storytellers of all-time and I’m not just saying that because I have one of his songs tattooed in a heart on my right arm. He does a better job setting the scene than almost any other musician I’ve ever heard and that’s exactly what he does when plays Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town with the E Street Band. In a recording from a live show in the late 1970s, he told his fans that he and guitarist Steve Van Zandt were walking along the boardwalk on Christmas Eve when they saw something coming towards them. In the video, the lights go out and then Clarence Clemons, the band’s 6-foot-5 saxophonist better known as The Big Man, is lit wearing a Santa hat. He is singing “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and Bruce then does a couple of minutes rocking out to the Christmas song before Clemons hits you with a fantastic sax solo. When I’ve seen it live, fans used to lose their mind when Clemons came in to sing “You better be good for goodness sake” in the deepest bass you could imagine. There is also an excellent video of Bruce performing this song in a cowboy-style Christmas hat. It doesn’t need to be snowing to enjoy this. Put this one at a BBQ in July and tell me anyone would tell you to turn it off. — Bryan Kalbrosky So this song is admittedly a bit of a tear-jerker, but it’s also perfect. Well, most Stevie Wonder songs are perfect. But this one? Man, it just perfectly captures the essence of the holidays. It’s not about the biggest or most expensive gift you can give to a person. It’s about love. Sharing in joy. That’s the true gift. And this song shows us that through the story it tells. — Mike Sykes