The Official Top 40 most-streamed Christmas songs
Are these the definitive Christmas classics?
Christmas songs are like Brussels sprouts: they only appear in December and you either love or loathe them - but either way they are an essential component of the festive season.
Like distant relatives bounding into your family home on Christmas morning, every December sees a flurry of festive favourites flood back into the Official Chart - ever since the age of downloading (2005) and streaming (2014) made the classics (as well as the newer Christmas songs) more accessible.
As ever, the 2024 festive season is seeing plenty of Christmas classics back in this Official Singles Chart - but a smattering of newer tracks are emerging, too.
MORE: WHAM's Last Christmas wins the Official Christmas Number 1 2024 race
Magic Radio revealed the list yesterday (22 December) in a special programme celebrating all things Christmas.
Looking at the UK’s most-streamed Christmas songs, based on Official Charts Company data, the Top 3 is the holy trinity of classics: Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You lands at the top of the tree with 475 million streams to date, followed by Wham’s Last Christmas, on 457m, and Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl with 316m plays. All three are usually the first to return to the Official Chart each December, often competing for spots in the Christmas Chart Top 10.
Completing the Top 5 are two more old favourites, Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone in fourth 267m), and Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (258m).
The highest-placed modern Christmas song - that is, festive songs released since 2010 - goes to Michael Bublé's It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. The 2011 take on the classic track comes in close behind Brenda at Number 6 with 257m plays.
Ariana Grande also has a big modern festive hit, with sparkly 2014 single Santa Tell Me landing as the UK’s eighth most-streamed Christmas track with 232m streams.
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Other modern festive songs holding their own against the classics include Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath The Tree in 11th place (197m), Leona Lewis’ One More Sleep in 15th place (170m), and Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe in 19th (153m).
You can listen back to Magic Radio's countdown of the Official Top 40 now on the Rayo app.
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Blueberry Muffin
Fairytale Of New York #3.
I make a early New Year's resolution to learn to appreciate this song. I never have before
But I must be wrong.
keightley1980
not even a Cliff song in the 40
Blank
Aka the all-times chart in 20 years time!
JA
John Ashton
What no David Bowie? very disappointing!!!
Bengy
Wot? no Cliff Richard record?
🧡 oliviasnoodles 🍜
the fact that 2000 miles and the christmas song (two 10/10 classics) are at numbers 30 and 38 respectively already make them underrated... lol.