Your new winter playlist: The top 25 Underrated Holiday songs
Jessica Pfeifer | Conant Crier It’s winter; the air is sharp, your fingers are cold, and the holly is jolly, so what would be better than wrapping those feelings up into some catchy tunes and tying them off with a bow? Just to make sure your playlist isn’t frozen on Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, my gift to you this holiday season is here: the top 25 underrated winter holiday songs!
- “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis
A peppy pop song that will have you counting down the days until winter break, but in song form!
Jolly Lyrics:
“Now I don’t think I can remember
A colder, lonelier December
And I find myself staring out the window
Wondering when you’re gonna get back home”
- “Please Come Home for Christmas” by Eagles
Swaying along to this song, all of your holiday blues fade away like icicles in the heat of the sun.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Choirs will be singin’ Silent Night
Christmas carols by candlelight
Please come home for Christmas, please come home for Christmas
If not for Christmas, by New Year’s night”
- “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” by The Greg Mayo Band
This brass-filed song will have you singing along by the end with its catchy chorus and addictive melody.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Everyday will be like a holiday
When my baby
When my baby comes home”
- “Christmas Moon” by Grace Potter
If all you want for Christmas is a telescope, then this gentle tune may be what you’ll be humming as you fall asleep this Christmas Eve.
Jolly Lyrics:
“The moonlight won’t let you
Will watch over you all night
Christmas moon”
- “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” by The Head and The Heart
Craving the end of 2023? This song might help you pass by this final month with its slow, calculated cadence and relaxing vocals.
Jolly Lyrics:
“When it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year
New Year’s Eve”
- “I Want to Come Home For Christmas (Long Version)” by Marvin Gaye
This soulful song hovers in the icy cold air like the deep exhale of a passerby. His voice flows over the lyrics so gently, you’ll be replaying the song over and over.
Jolly Lyrics:
“I want to see snowflakes fall
I want to see Santa Claus
Ooo, I want to hear jingle bells ring”
- “Christmastime” by Aimee Mann
A bright song that feels like the first snow of the winter-season—peaceful and inexplicably beautiful.
Jolly Lyrics:
“And on the tree all the ornaments glow
Tinsel will cover where the branches don’t grow
There’s lights on all the houses”
- “25th of December” by Everything But The Girl
You’ll need a couple candy canes and some eggnog after enjoying this melancholic tune that is sure to hit you right in the feels.
Jolly Lyrics:
“And I see forests and it’s the 25th of December
And my old man plays the piano for Christmas
He plays the piano for Christmas”
- “Just Like Christmas” by Low
A slow holiday song for when you’re headed home after a long day of gift shopping decked out with the subtle jingle of jingle bells in the distance.
Jolly Lyrics:
“On our way from Stockholm,
It started to snow,
And you said it was like Christmas”
- “Snowman” by Sia
A vibrant song with fun lyrics that would make a great song to play for your new snow friend.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Let’s go below zero and hide from the sun
I love you forever where we’ll have some fun
Yes, let’s hit the North Pole and live happily
Please, don’t cry no tears now, it’s Christmas, baby”
- “Holiday” by The Stone Lonesome
Perfect for an impromptu dance party while stringing up some holiday lights, this perky song will make you jam out in your fuzziest socks.
Jolly Lyrics:
“I found out long ago
It’s a long way down the holiday road
Holiday road”
- “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay
This motivational holiday song reminds you that the darkness of winter doesn’t stand a chance in the face of the cheer and love we feel for one another in this season.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Those Christmas lights
Light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone”
- “All I Want for Christmas is New Year’s Day” by Hurts
This mellow song gives words to anyone who can’t stand the holiday season and wants nothing more than for the new year to begin.
Jolly Lyrics:
“All of the bells ringing out for Christmas
And I’m not supposed to feel this way
All that I want this year for Christmas
Is New Year’s Day”
- “Rock This Christmas” by John Lindberg Trio
This peppy song, reminiscent of 1950s rock n’ roll, gets you up and dancing with Santa’s reindeer.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Baby, it’s Christmas
When the candle starts to glow
And there’s snow upon the front door
I’m thinking about you”
- “Sister Winter” by Sufjan Stevens
A song that gives your ears the gift of seeing fresh powered snow glimmer in the morning sunlight. This gentle song is cold, yet comforting.
Jolly Lyrics:
“All my gifts, I gave everything to you
Your strange imagination
You threw it all away”
- “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Civil Wars
The blend of voices in this song is hauntingly ethereal, perfect for watching snow fall and wondering about the world!
Jolly Lyrics:
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
- “The Christmas Waltz” by Laufey
Laufey’s delicate voice and soft jazz accompaniment are nothing short of perfect for the holiday season.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Frosted window panes
Candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the tree”
- “Christmas in Killarney” by The Irish Rovers
No other song can compare to the holiday cheer packed into this Irish rendition of the Bing Crosby classic. It will add some pep to any chilly winter evening!
Jolly Lyrics:
“Our hearts are light
Our spirits bright
We’ll celebrate our joy tonight
It’s Christmas in Killarney
With all of the folks at home”
- “A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” by Glasvegas
Glasvegas is a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow that will make your icy heart melt with this heartfelt winter tune.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Now I don’t feel so all alone in the cold wonderin’ where I’m going today
For a snowflake fell and it felt like a kiss now I’m okay”
- “A Christmas Song” by Jethro Tull
An English folk rock band that captures the magical feeling of the spirit of Christmas with gentle notes and twanging strings.
Jolly Lyrics:
“And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.”
- “I Wish it Was Christmas Today” by Julian Casablancas
A song that makes you wish it were Christmas every day of December. It’s a punchy take on the funny song that originally aired on SNL during their 26th season in 2000.
Jolly Lyrics:
“I don’t care about anything else
Christmas is almost here
And I don’t care what the newsman said
Christmas is full of cheer”
- “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)” by The Darkness
A rock song that makes coal sound like an awesome Christmas present with its epic guitar riffs and bold percussion.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Don’t let the bells end
Christmas time
Just let them ring in peace”
- “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens
This jolly song is bound to get you up on your feet and dancing around the Christmas tree. Its classic rock and roll sound makes it impossible not to start swaying in your seat.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Snow is falling all around me
Children playing, having fun
It’s the season, love and understanding
Merry Christmas everyone”
- “Boots” by The Killers
With a heartbreaking cold open, this song draws you in from the very beginning making it the perfect song to listen to on repeat while you bake some gingerbread.
Jolly Lyrics:
“Cinnamon candles burning.
Snowball fights outside.
Smile below each nose and above each chin.”
- “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes
The original creators of the song, Fleet Foxes, give the song such a warm folksy sound that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of snuggling up with a steaming cup of cocoa. Plus the music video is a gorgeous stop-motion animation video!
Jolly Lyrics:
“I was following the pack
All swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats”
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