That time of the year has fast cropped up on us once again: the Christmas Markets are up in Sheffield and it’s dark at 4 p.m. as you leave your last lecture of the day. Deadline season is upon us, but to brighten up your dark walk home from university you could pop on some Christmas music.
If you’re struggling to get into the Christmas spirit as we go into December, put on some Christmas tunes, the ones that give you an instant sense of joy, cosiness and nostalgia. As a creature of habit, I have always started listening to Christmas music every year on the same day I open the first door of my advent calendar: December 1st. Every year without fail, the first song I listen to before going on a dopamine binge through the rest of my Christmas playlist is “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters and Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra. When the beginning trumpets sound, I know Christmas has officially started and December has arrived. The song is just a Christmas classic.
Another Christmas song that never fails to make me feel festive is “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry. It’s a Christmas classic from the father of rock and roll, and instantly makes me picture that scene in Home Alone 2 when Kevin’s family are running through the airport to make their plane to Florida. What could get more Christmassy than that?
An album which dominates my Christmas playlist is A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector. Its instant cozy Christmas nostalgia in one brilliant compilation album of songs. There are brilliant hits such as “A Marshmallow World” by Darlene Love, which makes you want to be merry and dance. Then there’s Darlene Love’s version of the classic “Winter Wonderland” which you can’t resist singing along to. It also includes the underrated “Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers” by The Crystals which is such a fun, magical song. It’s an album not to be omitted from your Christmas playlist: it includes some fantastic takes on Christmas classics, as well as unique songs you won’t find elsewhere.
An absolute banger which has to go into your Christmas playlist is “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” by Wizzard. Whenever I hear the beginning of ‘Are you ready children?… Yesss’, I know I’m about to be hit with a wave of festive nostalgia. It’s an all-round favourite everyone knows the lyrics to. This song also cannot be fully appreciated either without witnessing the iconic music video as an accompaniment. The make-up. The outfits. The hair. The children. Just something to behold at least once in your life.
There are many joyous Christmas bangers that I couldn’t fit into this selection so I’ve curated a playlist below of songs I think are a very necessary addition to any Christmas playlist:
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- “Stop The Cavalry” by Jona Lewie
- “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John
- “2000 Miles” by Pretenders
- “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” by Julian Casablancas
- “I Believe in Father Christmas” by Greg Lake
- “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys
- “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses
- “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea
- “Do They Know It’s Christmas (1984 Version)” by Band Aid
- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
- “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
- “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
- “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney
- “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon, The Harlem Community Choir, The Plastic Ono Band, Yoko Ono.
- “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl
- “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by The Jackson 5
- “Lonely This Christmas” by Mud
- “My Only Wish (This Year)” by Britney Spears
- “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)” by The Darkness
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