Not all Christmas playlists are born equal. Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness (especially if they include Boogie Woogie Christmas) thrust upon them.
While it’s easy enough to pick the bangers which will instantly put you into a holiday mood, there are some OG Christmas playlists made to soundtrack your Christmas road trip, your tree decorating, your (counterproductive) holiday workouts and of course, the entire Christmas day BBQ.
Get those speakers ready, here are the best Christmas playlists.
Christmas Favourites
Good for: decorating the Christmas tree
It’s the no-brainer Christmas playlist packed with all your absolute favourite Christmas tunes. From The Ronettes to Tony Bennet, Michael Bublé to Maria Carey and David Campbell to Destiny’s Child. You’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree for almost three hours with this mega playlist which gives some buffer time for when you unpack those Christmas lights and the bulbs have seemingly fried themselves... yet again.
Christmas Pop
Good for: your holiday workout
Nothing really puts a spring in your step the way Christmas tunes from the likes of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Meghan Trainer, Sia, Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus do. Basic? Yes. But all the best things are.
Christmas Hits
Good for: unskippable tracks for six hours
Let this playlist unwrap itself like all your presents on Christmas Day. If you’re in it for the bonafide holiday long haul, this six-hour playlist has your back. Because the last thing you need to do when the relatives come storming in is fumble over your Xmas tracklist to a song everyone is vibing.
Christmas Crooners
Good for: new and old crooners, all in one place
Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, John Legend and hey, even George Ezra. This timeless collection of crooners is a sentimental soup of all the cosiest holiday vibes. Even if you’re not wrapped up in a snuggie, sipping creamy eggnog next to a fireplace, you’ll definitely feel like you are with this epic Spotify Christmas playlist.
Christmas Cocktail Jazz
Good for: your next Christmas party
Whether you’re making Christmas cocktails or drinking Christmas cocktails, this peppy Christmas playlist has more punch in it than a pumpkin spice latte. It’s an absolute mood booster should you be hosting your very own Christmas feast and is a great way to show your mates your Christmas music repertoire is more diverse than a little Mariah Carey.
All I Want For Christmas Is You Experience
Good for: every Mariah Carey Christmas tune ever
However, if Christmas is a time that signifies a “go hard or go home” attitude when it comes to blaring the Mariah Carey holiday classics, you really can’t go past the entire MC catalogue. We mean, she’s the glorified Queen of Christmas for a goddamn reason.
Retro Holiday
Good for: your holiday road trip
If you find yourself strapped into the car, packed to the rafters with boogie boards spilling out windows, soggy beach towels, a leaking sunscreen bottle, terribly wrapped presents for every person related to you ever and searching for the nearest highway McDonald's for a sneaky roadie hashbrown, the Retro Holiday Christmas playlist will keep your spirits high, no matter how long your drive is. Because one can never be in a bad mood when Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Donna Summer and Diana Ross are cranking.
Electronic Christmas
Good for: festival twists on festive classics
If you thought Dimitri Vegas, Armin van Buuren and Diplo were anything but a sonic choir of Christmas angels—coal for you. You’ll find some of the world’s best EDM artists in this somehow insanely beautiful 128 BPM collective take on a suite of Christmas classics and before you ask, yes, it really works (it’ll give you some festive meets festival feels as well).
A Swingin’ Christmas
Good for: when you want to bust a move
Fact: not all Christmas songs are created equal. While some are definitely created for some Christmas wrapping in solitude, others deserve to be pushed into the limelight at your office Christmas Party or post Christmas Day BBQ. If Dad isn't wearing a flimsy Christmas cracker crown and yelling at you to help him clean the Weber while you’re grooving it out with your cousin’s new boyfriend to a little Boogie Woogie Santa Claus, you’re doing it wrong.
Christmas Movie Soundtracks
Good for: the Christmas movie buffs
Christmas playlists come and go but there is no playlist that holds as much prestige than the Christmas Movie Soundtracks playlist does. It gives as much joy as biting into your very first fruit mince pie of the holiday season and bears time-enduring scores from Elf (the man title song is everything), Home Alone, The Grinch and The Polar Express. You’ll find Holiday Road from National Lampoon’s Vacation on here and there’s currently a bid to get the actual National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation theme song by Mavis Staples added to this playlist too.
Cozy Christmas Acoustic Covers
Good for: chill christmas vibes
Are your sides stretched from downing too much potato bake? Does your mouth ache from chewing too much shaved turkey? Do you regret that third slice of pavlova? We hear you. This Christmas playlist is for our Christmas soldiers out there in need of some celebratory respite and something to ease the pain of what can only be called a feasting comedown. Slap this playlist on as background music while you throw yourself onto the couch and slide into a sweet, day-long food coma. You did good, kid. You did good.
Need help picking Christmas presents this year? Check out this eco-friendly Christmas guide.
Image credit: Tony Cuenca