How to help your favourite song to be Christmas Number 1

It's the chart-topper every popstar wants for their own – the Official Christmas Number 1. The race is now underway, with all sales and streams from now until midnight on December 24 counting toward the Official Christmas Number 1 tally.

The race is wide open this year, so who nabs the big one is all up to you. Yep, you get to put the star on top of the tree. But how do you get your favourite song to be Christmas Number 1? We have a few suggestions:

1. Download it

Sounds obvious, but have you actually bought the single? Just make sure you get it from one of the 6,500 genuine retailers that report their sales toward the Official Chart. Whether you shop on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, 7Digital, and many more, we count all the major digital stores. Multiple purchases don’t count though, remember.

2. Stream it

Audio streaming counts toward the Official Singles Chart now too, don't forget. 100 streams is equal to one sale so even if you don’t buy music you can still get involved by giving it a spin on your favourite streaming service – it all helps the journey to the top. Just some of the streaming services that contribute streaming data towards the Official Chart include Spotify, Deezer, Google Play, O2 Tracks, Tidal, Napster and plenty more.

3. Get physical

Are you a bit of a collector? Or still have a lot of love for old-school formats? Why not see if your fave is out on CD or vinyl? Sales of physical copies count too, so why not head down to your local independent record shop this Christmas, or high street chains such as HMV or Fopp. It may even be available in major supermarkets too, all of which count towards the Official Chart.

4. Don't illegally download

Again, this sounds obvious, but downloading rips of the song online will not help your top tune's chart position. If anything, it gives its rivals more chance of nicking the top spot. Imagine how devo-ed you'll be if it doesn't make it, all because you did a dodgy download. Only genuine purchases from legitimate retailers are counted by the Official Charts Company.

5. Share the care

Impossible as this may sound, there could be people out there who have never heard your favourite tune. Imagine how awful these poor people's lives must be. Why not get busy with the clicking and share it on all your social media accounts to spread the word? If they stream it or buy it, it can only help you on your mission.

6. Remixes count!

Remixes (not cover versions) of your tune also count towards the same chart position – so even if the radio edit isn’t doing it for you, there may be a corker of a remix that floats your boat, so get the rework snapped up instead. Beautiful.

Who are you backing for Christmas Number 1? Get involved in all the festive chart chat on Facebook, or on Twitter using our #XmasNo1 hashtag.

While we're waiting to see who makes Official Christmas Number 1 this year, why not check out every single one ever in our gallery below?