Is there any time of year so richly documented in contemporary American artistic culture as Christmas? Sure, there’s Thanksgiving turkey, Fourth of July fireworks and a whole host of spooky movies for Halloween-time—but it’s hard to surpass the sheer scale of the cultural behemoth that is the 25th of December.
With so much to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. What follows are some suggestions to take you beyond the Mariah Careys and the Michael Bubles, to delve a little deeper into the endless gift sack that is the Christmas musical canon.
The origins of Christmas as a religious holiday means a lot of the classic Christmas songs have an origin in ancient hymns or carols. While many have since been translated into English, listening to them in their original languages can add a touch of solemnity to the season.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” dates back in its original Latin to the 1700s, as “Veni, Veni Emmanuel,” though the music to which it is most commonly set didn’t get set alongside it until its English translation. “Adeste fidelis” often gets sung with verses alternating between its original Latin and the corresponding English translation.
For those who prefer non-Romance languages, “Stille nacht” (or “Silent Night”) can be listened to in its original German, as it existed dating back to the early 1800s. Meanwhile, while “Carol of the Bells” gained its current form in its English translation, it had its origins in a Ukrainian New Year’s song, “Shchedryk.”
Some of the greatest works of music in the western Classical tradition have been tied to the Christmas season, whether there’s a specific link or not—and where there are words to link them or not.
Handel’s "Messiah," an English-language oratorio written in the mid-1700s, stands as a timeless example of the power of music. Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” stands as a gorgeous, Romantic-era emblem of the Christmas season, with the shimmery tones of the harp and the celesta sounding of quiet snowfall.
With a body of work as iconic as Christmas music, there will be endless reworkings and interpretations thereof. That gives the discerning listener ample opportunity to find a version that best suits their listening pleasure.
Want a quieter take on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? Try Phoebe Bridgers’ version. Want one that’s more upbeat? Try Ella Fitzgerald’s. A fan of puppetry? There’s a John Denver and the Muppets version that’ll be right up your alley.
The same goes for plenty of Christmas tunes. While not explicitly a Christmas song, the snow-themed Simon and Garfunkel “Hazy Shade of Winter” has its rock reinventions from the Bangles and from “My Chemical Romance” members Gerard Way and Ray Toro. There have been plenty of iterations of “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” but of special note is a Josh Groban reimagining that incorporates voicemails from soldiers overseas, sending messages back home to their families.
Whatever your favorite Christmas song, whoever your favorite artist, it could be worth trying out someone else’s version, to see if it might become a new favorite.
Want to hear the songs mentioned in this article, and a few others thrown in? Visit bit.ly/RR-2025-Christmas-tunes.
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