Snapmuse

The 10 Best Christmas Songs of All Time

Christmas is one of the best times of the year because of a myriad of reasons: Quality time with family, delicious food, cozy vibes, gifts, cheerful songs and a lot more! If you are looking for ways to make Christmas more special for you and your loved ones, check out 10 best Christmas songs below.

Browse Music

Best Christmas Songs of All Time

As November approaches, we all start to feel the excitement and joy in the air: Christmas, the best holiday of the year is around the corner!

There are many, many reasons to love and eagerly wait for Christmas: Getting to take a break from work and all work-related stress in order to spend quality time with our family and loved ones, curling up under a warm and fuzzy blanket to devour hot drinks and enjoy the enchanting beauty of snowfall, buying and receiving well thought out presents, eating absolutely delicious traditional dishes and cookies, decorating our homes and getting Christmas trees, and most importantly, relishing the joyful Christmas tunes.

Christmas music can be considered as an umbrella term that covers various musical customs and genres. A Christmas song can be a HipHop track, a pop song, a rock song or even a metal song! Tracks often called as Christmas music can be solely instrumental or have lyrics that often focus on the nativity of Jesus Christ, Christmas time, Christmas miracles, cultural figures often associated with Christmas, such as Santa Claus, winter season, and a lot more. If you are looking for merry Christmas songs that you can use in your videos, streams and commercial projects, you should take a closer look at our Christmas royalty free music library where you can find thousands of non copyrighted, popular Christmas songs. 

One of the most popular subgenres of Christmas music is, of course, Christmas carols. Also known as Christmas hymns, carols often have lyrics with religious themes. They can mention Christmas customs and traditions, beauty of the winter season, birth and miracles of Jesus and various similar topics. 

Having a very rich and long history, Christmas carols employ a wide range of different instruments including but not limited to piano, violin and other sting instruments, and wind instruments. What makes Christmas carols unique is their musical structure: A significant majority of carols are based on medieval chord patterns, that is why they have a very unique sound and tempo. 

The oldest known Christmas carol is believed to date back to 4th century Rome. Around that time, most popular carols were written in Latin and had significant religious themes. In addition, carols of that time had the aim of spreading certain Christological doctrines. Two of the prominent examples of such carols is Veni Redemptor Gentium and Corde Natus Ex Parentis (Of the Father’s Heart Begotten). In fact, the latter is still performed in some churches even today. 

In 9th and 10th centuries, Christmas carols became less “high brow” and more accessible to the majority of the population: Lyrics of the carols from this period were in sequences of rhymed stanzas. 
It was around 12th century when Christmas carols took a more secular turn. Popular songs were adapted into carols and the musical structure of today’s carols was formed in this period. In the 14th century, Christmas carolers who went from house to house made their first appearance and this tradition managed to survive for centuries. After the Reformation in Christian countries, Christmas carols became much more popular. 

In our day, most Christmas carols are sung in churches during religious services yet there are many more secular carols that can find themselves a place outside church –such as Silent Night and Joy to the World.

There are various other sub-types of Christmas songs as well. Most of these songs are distinguished from carols in regard to their lyrics: They don’t focus on the religious nature of the holiday. Instead they tell about the beauty of winter, excitement associated with this time of the year, presents, family gatherings, traditional Christmas stories and figures like Santa Claus or his elves. Some Christmas songs are aimed at children, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Some others cater to adults, such as the Christmas classic and Mariah Carey’s absolute hit All I Want for Christmas is You.

Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock, Michael Bublé’s It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Elvis Presley’s Here Comes Santa Claus, Nat King Cole’s Deck the Halls are some of the most popular and beloved Christmas songs in different genres. Although they abide by different musical customs, most Christmas songs share a set of defining characteristics like having cheerful lyrics, or employing piano, bells and wind instruments. 

If you want to welcome the spirit of Christmas into your home, workplace, or event, take a closer look at the top 10 Christmas songs we listed below for you. If you want to create a joyful and engaging holiday greetings video for your YouTube channel or Instagram profile, you can use the songs we shortlisted below or discover our royalty free Christmas music for videos archive.
The 10 Best Christmas Songs of All Time

What is the top 10 Christmas song?

There are lots of cheerful and fun Christmas songs, that is why it is a bit difficult to find the best royalty free music for Christmas. If you are looking for some popular Christmas songs, see our top 10 song list below.

10. Winter Wonderland by Tony Bennett
With its jazzy sound and cheerful lyrics, Winter Wonderland draws an attractive winter scenery that welcomes everyone. 

9. Baby It’s Cold Outside by Dean Martin 
One of the adult standards classics, Baby It’s Cold Outside has everything you want in a Christmas song: Beautiful winter scenery, romance and flintiness, a dash of humor, catchy and joyful tunes and of course, Christmas spirit. 

8. The Little Drummer Boy by Harry Simeone Chorale
Pa-rum-pa-pa-pum… Pa-rum-pa-pa-pum… Who can forget the mesmerizing rhythm and tranquil vocals of The Little Drummer Boy? One of the Christmas classics, this song is perfect for both religious and secular celebrations. 

7. Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt
With its memorable rhythm and Eartha Kitt’s enchanting vocals, Santa Baby is one of the most beloved Christmas songs.

6. Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano
An absolute earworm, Feliz Navidad is one of the best Christmas songs. Even the first few notes of this unforgettable song make you dance, sing along and surrender yourself to a cheerful mood.

5. Here Comes the Santa Claus by Elvis Presley
Velvety voice of Elvis Presley makes Here Comes the Santa Claus a mellow and happy Christmas hit. 

4. Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms
One of the very first Christmas songs that comes to mind, Jingle Bell Rock has many, many covers and renderings but Bobby Helms’ is a classic!

3. Deck the Halls by Nat King Cole
The embodiment of Christmas spirit, Deck the Halls is a must-play in every single Christmas related event. 

2. White Christmas by Bing Crosby
White Christmas has poetic lyrics, festive spirit and beautiful musical structure. That is why it is one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. 

1. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
Without a doubt, All I Want for Christmas is You is the most known, played and loved Christmas song of our day and age. Without it, a Christmas playlist is incomplete!


If you are looking for some royalty free alternatives to the popular Christmas songs above, discover our playlist below to find the perfect royalty free Xmas music for your content.

What is the most played Christmas song of all time?

Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey has blessed us with All I Want for Christmas is You in 1994. Ever since, this masterpiece has been topping the charts every Christmas season and became the most played Christmas song of all time. In fact, it is the first holiday song to win RIAA’s Diamond Award.

If you are looking for other popular songs to spice up your Christmas playlist, take a closer look at the songs below.

What are the five top Christmas songs?

Christmas is the most festive time of the year. If you want your content to reflect this festive spirit, feel free to incorporate high quality, non copyrighted Christmas songs into your videos. You can use fun and popular songs below in your YouTube videos, Twitch streams, commercial and personal projects to add some pizzazz to your content.

What is considered the most beautiful Christmas song?

Bing Crosby’s heart warming song White Christmas is considered as the most beautiful Christmas song ever! According to the Guinness World Records, White Christmas is the best selling Christmas single in the United States as well.

If you are looking for other beautiful Christmas songs, take a closer look at our playlist below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes and no! Some Christmas tracks are royalty free while others are not. If you are looking for Royalty free Xmas music download, you are in the right place. You can find the best royalty free Christmas music in our massive Christmas music library. You can browse by mood, genre and artist to find the best Christmas music background music.

Some Christmas songs are copyright free but some Christmas tracks are unfortunately copyrighted. If you are looking for Xmas background music free download, browse our library to discover the top, exclusive copyright free Xmas tracks.

There are some special Christmas songs that are royalty free, such as Deck the Halls, The Holly and the Ivy or Jingle Bells. You can find the best royalty free Christmas songs in our Christmas tracks library. Browse now to discover top royalty free Christmas songs from popular artists.

Yes! Jingle Bells was composed by James Lord Pierpoint in 1857 and has been in the public domain since 1926. In other words, you can freely copy and perform this Christmas classic but please keep in mind that specific performances of Jingle Bells by popular artists may be copyrighted.

Unfortunately, no. Welcome Christmas is not royalty free. If you are looking for non-copyrighted Christmas songs, try Jingle Bells, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, Toyland or Deck the Halls.

YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Facebook or Podcast
You’re ready for take off

Try for free

Insights Hub

Non-Copyrighted Music - Free Non Copyrighted Music

Non Copyrighted Music

Create vivid and captivating videos with unique non-copyrighted music! Browse our top lists to find the best music for your videos and streaming. You can find hundreds of different genres and high-quality music by top artists in our library.

Read More
How to Make Money on Twitch? Twitch Monetization Guide

How to Make Money on Twitch? Twitch Monetization Guide

You have your camera set up ready, Discord server on point, royalty-free intro music ready, streamlabs running, and most importantly you have a few ideas about the sort of streams you plan on making. Just as you are about to click “Go Live!” you find yourself wondering whether Twitch could be a sustainable source of income for you. Would you be able to go full time? How much do twitch streamers make anyways? Well worry not! We are giving you everything you need to know about how to earn money on Twitch. Alright! Let’s get to making your Twitch journey a successful one.

Read More
How to make YouTube Shorts, Complete Guide for Creators

How to make YouTube Shorts; Complete YouTube Shorts Guide for Creators

If you are a creator uploading any type of video to YouTube you must have received one of their emails prompting you to upload Shorts regularly to increase your audience. When YouTube is promising you more exposure in return for uploading Shorts you know they are not joking about short form content!

Read More
How to Find Trending Instagram Reel Songs and Audio?

Trending Reel Songs and Audio on Instagram; How to Find Them?

You’ve created the perfect reel! You know that it will go viral if you can just find the right song to match it! Now, you are asking yourself how to find trending Reels songs and trending audio on Instagram. Well don’t worry, we got you covered!

Read More
The Future of Music Production with AI: How AI Music Generators Are Changing the Game

The Future of Music Production with AI: How AI Music Generators Are Changing the Game

As the AI revolution unfolds at an unparalleled pace, the capabilities of artificial intelligence, once limited to mere analytics, are now testing the boundaries of the creative industries. AI has proven its prowess in visual design, and today it is beginning to demonstrate its ability to compose music.

Read More
How to Use AI Music Generators to Create Engaging Content for TikTok, YouTube, and Other Platforms

How to Use AI Music Generators to Create Engaging Content for TikTok, YouTube, and Other Platforms

It’s increasingly easy to find an AI music generator online yet not all generative AI music is equal. Some can generate better quality tracks, others are better at customizing tracks. This depends on the available data used to train the AI algorithm.

Read More