Here at Urban List, we believe that 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.
Cher Christmas
Christmas Pop
Okay, so this one has most of the classics. But we need to start somewhere. As well as the Mariahs and Wham!s of this world, though, Spotify’s Christmas Pop playlist also includes a bunch of newer releases with Laufey and Olivia Rodrigo belting out some festive favourites.
Christmas Jazz
From Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, to Lauren Daigle and Jamie Cullum, this playlist brings the best of Christmas jazz and swing through the ages. It’s the perfect soundtrack for drifting off after one too many wines.
Electronic Christmas
Some of the best dance and electronic artists feature on this playlist that swaps out family favourites for dancefloor fillers. The likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday have been mixed into lofi electro swing beats, while classics like Jingle Bells, Last Christmas and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer have been given the full EDM treatment.
Folksy Christmas
Spotify’s Folksy Christmas playlist has got the ukuleles out with Vance Joy, Sufjan Stevens and Phoebe Bridgers strumming the tunes. Let the harmonicas ring out all Christmas long with these laid-back numbers.
Disney Christmas
Isn’t it about time someone rounded up all the Christmas tunes from all the Disney movies and chucked them into a near-five hour playlist? Yeah… that already exists. You can now listen to the festive sounds of Frozen, The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Nightmare Before Christmas all in one place.
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Hip Hop Holiday
With songs like Merry Muthafuckin’ Xmas, A Pimp’s Christmas Song, A Christmas Fucking Miracle, Hustlaz Holiday, and Sex For Christmas —it might be best to save Spotify’s Hip Hop Holiday playlist for when Gran and the little ones are fast asleep.
A Merry Lofi Christmas
By now it should come as no surprise there’s a soft-beating, fuzzy-crackling lofi Christmas playlist. Whether you want a festive backing track while you work through the Christmas period, or you simply prefer the lofi renditions to the originals, Spotify’s editors have done another bang-up job of finding the best of the genre.
Heavy Metal Christmas Collection
Featuring 16 hours of moshable anthems, the Heavy Metal Christmas Collection is loaded with metal legends like Korn, Helix and Twisted Sister. Promising perfectly non-family friendly content, this playlist has AC/DC’s Mistress For Christmas, Spinal Tap’s Christmas With The Devil and Knock Gallery West’s Gunslingin’ Santa.
Mariachi Christmas
Mariachi, is a style of traditional Mexican folk music, performed by a small group of strolling musicians. It’s closely linked with Christmas, as well as other religious and family occasions. This playlist features Mariachi-style covers of familiar holiday anthems, full of plucky guitarrón mexicano and the tap-tap-tapping of maracas.
R&B Christmas
Spotify’s collection of the best R&B, soul and gospel flavoured Christmas songs is filled with the smoothest tunes to lull you into the festive mood. Think Giveon, Jhené Aiko and Ty Dolla $ign mixed with a selection of old school hits from legends like Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Boyz II Men and Stevie Wonder.
Need more to listen to? Read on for the:
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