The Top 15 Most-Streamed Christmas Songs Of All Time
Since time immemorial, popular artists have released Christmas tracks that capture the festive cheer of the season, providing us with soundtracks for our holiday celebrations. Not all Christmas songs are created equal, however, with some resonating with the public more than others, garnering millions of streams and eventually becoming perennial favorites. If you're curious to discover the most-streamed Christmas tunes of all time on Spotify, we're here to give the lowdown of the top 15, using insights gleaned from Billboard and Spotify data.
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First on the list are Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime," and The Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride," which come at 15, 14, and 13, respectively, and have over 430 million, 433 million, and 450 million streams. Earnings-wise, Crosby has so far collected $1.29 million for his song, while McCartney and The Ronettes earned $1.3 and $1.35 million.
Despite being 15th, "White Christmas" holds the distinction of being the best-selling physical single in history, with roughly 50 million units sold worldwide, according to Guinness World Records. The song was released during a painful time in history, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, making it an aural balm to the aching hearts of Americans and troops. Meanwhile, McCartney wrote his Christmas anthem to capture the magic of holiday celebrations, particularly those held in his hometown. "I'm thinking about Liverpool Christmas parties, that's really all I'm doing with that song," he explained on his website. As for The Ronettes, "Sleigh Ride" became the track that salvaged their career at a time when they were so close to disbanding.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Do They Know It's Christmas, and Underneath the Tree
Taking the 12th, 11th, and 10th spots are John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" with over 496 million streams and $1.4 million in earnings, Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" with 508 million streams and $1.5 million in earnings, and Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree" with 542 million streams and $1.6 million in earnings.
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" was recorded in collaboration with the Harlem Community Choir and was released in 1971 as part of Lennon and Ono's peace protests against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In contrast, "Do They Know It's Christmas" emerged from a collaborative effort by Band Aid, a group of luminaries including Bono, Phil Collins, George Michael, Sting, and more. Released in 1984, the track functioned as a benefit single to raise funds and combat the famine in Ethiopia. Initially expected to raise £70,000 (roughly $87,000), the song exceeded all expectations and raised a staggering £200 million ($250 million). Star is power, after all!
Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree" is a clear standout among her many Christmas tracks, and it has consistently returned to the charts since its release in 2013. While Clarkson is known for being a versatile artist, she says she has the most fun doing Christmas music. "I always get asked what genre I'm in: 'Is this country or pop or rock? What are you?'" she told Billboard. "And what's cool about making the Christmas album was, 'Oh, there are no limitations! We can do whatever we want!'"
Feliz Navidad, Mistletoe, and It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Securing the 9th, 8th, and 7th positions are José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad," Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe," and Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." These highly-streamed Christmas anthems garnered 567 million streams and $1.7 million in earnings, 680 million and $2 million in earnings, and 729 million streams and $2 million in earnings, respectively.
Feliciano described "Feliz Navidad" as the "simplest song ever written," totaling only 19 words. But perhaps its lack of sophistication is exactly why it had such a widespread appeal. "If you know where your song is going to go, you don't have to f**k around with it too much," he told The New Yorker. Meanwhile, Bieber's "Mistletoe" was criticized as superficial at first, even ranking 17th on Rolling Stone's Worst Christmas Songs of All Time list. The public begged to differ, as the track immediately shot to No. 1 at the time of its release in 2011. Even Bieber himself predicted that it would be a hit. "[The song is] really catchy. I know all my fans are going to love it," he told MTV. "It's something that I feel like they're going to be singing every Christmas."
On the other hand, Williams' 1963 hit "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" was sort of a sleeper hit, but the singer recognized how it gradually soared in popularity over the years. "I did that [song], you know, every Christmas, and then other people started doing it. And then suddenly it's become — not suddenly but over 30 years — it's become a big standard," he shared in a 2005 interview. "I think it's one of the top 10 Christmas songs of all time now."
Jingle Bell Rock, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, and Santa Tell Me
At the 6th, 5th, and 4th spots in the list are "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Michael Bublé, and "Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande, garnering 827 million streams and $2.4 million in earnings, 880 million streams and $2.6 million in earnings, and 913 million streams and $2.7 million in earnings, respectively.
Out of the three tracks, Helms' came from the most humble beginnings. John Kleiman, his former manager, shared with The Los Angeles Times that the singer didn't have high hopes for the song. "He never thought he had something special," he said. "He thought this was just another Christmas song." It was anything but, of course, as it went on to become a holiday staple. Conversely, Bublé was optimistic that his "Christmas" album, which included his rendition of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," would do well, but its overwhelming success far exceeded his expectations. "Well, can you imagine how lucky I feel to be invited into all of that?" he told the "Pop Shop Podcast" in 2022. "I mean, I knew what I was doing when I made the record. I was quite ambitious. I never had any idea that it would be like this ever, ever."
Meanwhile, Grande's "Santa Tell Me" emerged as a modern holiday classic, with its catchy beat, festive vibe, and lyrics seeking Santa's help for true love. It immediately became a crowd favorite since its 2013 release, earning the singer the title of "Princess of Christmas." Move over, Mariah!
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Last Christmas, and All I Want For Christmas Is You
Rounding out the list are Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Wham!'s "Last Christmas," and of course, Mariah Carey's iconic "All I Want For Christmas Is You," collecting impressive stream counts of 950 million, 1.2 billion, and 1.5 billion, and earnings of $2.8 million, $3.8 million, and $4.7 million.
Ironically, Lee's Christmas hit, which she recorded when she was just 13, had been a flop when it was first released in 1950. "It certainly wasn't what it became," the singer told "Q with Tom Power." Its breakthrough surprisingly came decades later when "Home Alone" hit the theaters. Lee recalled, "I got a phone call, and they said, 'Brenda, have you seen the movie 'Home Alone?' Your song is all over it.' And that's really where 'Rockin” got a big, big boost." Wham!'s "Last Christmas" had a different trajectory, achieving immediate success from the get-go, but was overshadowed by "Do They Know It's Christmas," which one half of the duo, George Michael, was coincidentally also a part of. Despite this, Michael considered it a number-one hit in its own right. In 2021, five years after his demise, the song finally claimed its rightful spot atop the charts.
And, of course, Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" remains supreme, dominating the charts when the holiday season rolls around. A longtime Christmas fanatic, Carey penned the tune with the ambition of creating a classic piece. "My goal was to do something timeless, so it didn't feel like the '90s, which is when I wrote it," she told "Good Morning America." And timeless it is!
Inside Nicki Swift's methodology for ranking the songs
Now, in an effort to make our list as accurate as possible, the Nicki Swift team took the initiative to analyze data culled from both Billboard and Spotify, tapping into the latest figures as of December 7, 2023. We cross-referenced Billboard's list of the top 100 best Christmas songs of all time with streaming data available on Spotify. This approach enabled us to put together an exhaustive list of the most streamed Christmas songs in Spotify history, aka tracks that jingled their way into everyone's playlists.
As for the earnings, we considered Spotify's average payment to artists, which reportedly ranges from $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. We then went to work and did some number crunching, choosing to go the conservative route and take the $0.003 per stream figure to determine the highest-earning Christmas songs. It became pretty clear early on that Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" stands as the undisputed champion, but here's a little secret from Santa: Christmas songs go beyond numbers. We will stream it all anyway, because what is Christmas without a playlist packed with bops?