Christmas Songs 2021-2026 to Make Your Mood Happy

 

From coffee shops to convenience stores, your car radio to your dentist’s waiting room, it’s everywhere. You can’t escape the constant barrage of silver bells and dancing sugar plums hammering your eardrums. We’re just days away from Christmas, and the holiday-music-overdrive train shows no signs of slowing down. (It never does.)

Plenty of people are groaning right now, but not all holiday music sucks. Some of the newer albums are actually pretty solid. If you’re not after a full album though, and you just want a handful of decent tracks for a playlist—stuff with a bit more personality—we’ve got you covered. So go ahead, mull some wine, get the fire going, and turn your speakers up loud enough to drown out your neighbor’s painful attempt at “Christmas Shoes.”

You’ve got the old, classic favorites—the ones you actually look forward to hearing every year. Country fans get their fix of holiday twang. Modern tracks that still feel fresh bring something new to the table. And obviously we couldn’t leave off Mariah, because some things are non-negotiable.

These tracks stretch from 1942 all the way up to today. Throw them together and your playlist will make most commercial Christmas radio stations sound lazy.

But that inescapable holiday soundtrack doesn’t stop at your local coffee shop or waiting room. It follows you. If you’re traveling this season, you’re already hearing it—and you’ll keep hearing it—whether you’re stuck in traffic, riding a train, or sitting on a plane.

Your destination matters, too. Head to a beach and you’ll probably find inflatable Santas looking ridiculous next to palm trees while steel drums massacre “Jingle Bells.” Drive up to a small mountain town and you might catch some twangy bluegrass version of a carol playing in a cafe. The annoying hum of airport PA systems and the smell of jet fuel somehow make it all worse.

These are the best Christmas songs of all time.

If you consider yourself someone with decent taste, you really can’t go without your own playlist when you travel. You’ve already done the hard part at home—mulled the wine, lit the fire, cranked the speakers. Now make sure this music comes with you.

Don’t leave it up to whatever garbage they’re pumping through the gate speakers or the train station loudspeakers. Pack these tracks instead. They mix enough of the nostalgia-heavy stuff you love with a few newer songs that don’t make you roll your eyes.

As you board that plane, train, or car, don’t let the random carols control your mood. These songs will actually make the trip better. And if you hear “Christmas Shoes” one more time in the departure lounge, at least you’ll have something worth listening to instead.