Jingle Bell Rockstars: Holiday Music For Every Fan

Your favorite artists love Christmas too

‘Tis the season for holiday traditions, and listening to Christmas and holiday music is one of them! Sure there are classic standards we all know and live, but things get more interesting when our favorite artists put their own spin on them, and even better: write their own! Fandom and holidays go hand in hand, and we’ve put together a list of some of the greatest holiday music across fandoms and generations. Let us know in the comments what you love to listen to at the holidays!

Hanson

The bestselling holiday album of 1997 was Hanson’s Snowed In, released after their debut, Middle of Nowhere. The Hanson fandom was already on its meteoric rise, one that still exists in full force today, decades later. The album features a mix of traditional carols and originals written by the Hanson brothers. The fandom has come back to that album faithfully every year, so 20 years later, they released another holiday album called Finally It’s Christmas in 2017. Just like their first Christmas album, this is a mix of songs written by other artists plus a few of their own.

Taylor Swift

Back in 2007, Taylor Swift released a Target-exclusive EP for Christmas entitled The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection; it was later released widely. It consists of traditional Christmas songs with two additional Swift-written songs: “Christmases When You Were Mine” and “Christmas Must Be Something More.” In 2019, Swift released “Christmas Tree Farm,” a fun tune that is a nod to her upbringing living on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Swift’s birthday is December 13, making her birthday and Christmas feel synonymous for her fans. The music video for the song even features home videos from her childhood, where she shares Christmas morning memories and snowy farm activities like sledding.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter has been on a remarkable rise to mega-fame over the past few years, so it’s a true gift to her fans to get a new holiday Netflix special, A Nonsense Christmas With Sabrina Carpenter, from the artist, which showcases some of the holiday music from her EP, Fruitcake, which was released in 2023. Carpenter has released holiday singles in the past, like “Christmas the Whole Year Round” and “Silver Nights,” but Fruitcake is the only full EP of Christmas music she has released. We know her legions of fans are hoping for more–maybe after she’s done with her Short ‘n’ Sweet world tour?

Mariah Carey

Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday album, is a phenomenon. It is Carey’s 4th studio album, and it came out during the initial peak of her career when her status as a mega star was being solidified. At the time, some critics thought it was her best work, while the reception was mixed. But that didn’t seem to matter. Today, the album has gone platinum 9 times, and sold 18 million copies worldwide. It is one of the best selling holiday albums of all time. And of course, the standout song on the album: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is one of the most bestselling singles of all time, earning at least $100,000. The Library of Congress included it in the National Recording Registry in 2023, and it’s such a part of the fabric of American culture that memes about the song, and Mariah, start circulating social media as early as October every year. The song itself only took about 15 minutes to write, according to Carey, and it might be a bonafide hit because it feels influenced by music from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. It’s at once classic-sounding and modern, and never gets old. Unless you’re the rare grinch who doesn’t absolutely start tapping your toes to it when you inevitably hear it in the grocery store.

Kelly Clarkson

Powerhouse vocalist Kelly Clarkson has brought holiday cheer to fans with several festive albums. Her first holiday album, Wrapped in Red (2013), features a mix of classic Christmas covers like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and original songs like “Underneath the Tree” which has become a bonafide classic over the years. In 2021, Clarkson released her second holiday album, When Christmas Comes Around..., offering a more reflective yet joyous take on the season. This album blends cheeky tracks like “Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)” with emotional ballads like “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know).” In 2024, Clarkson reissued this album as When Christmas Comes Around…Again as a deluxe with 2 new tracks, including “You For Christmas.”

Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas shows up on many “best of” Christmas album lists, and for good reason. Not only is the work incredible, but it’s the presentation of it that makes it special. Songs for Christmas is actually a box set of 5 EPs, over 2 hours of music, each EP a set that Stevens gifted to family and friends between 2001 and 2006. (The only year without an EP was 2004, when he was recording the Illinois album which became a huge hit.) But the box set doesn’t end there! It includes an essay by author Rick Moody, a poster of Stevens, an animated short for “Put the Lights on the Tree” by Tom Eaton, 2 original short stories by Stevens, stickers, comics and sing-along-books. It truly is a gift.

She & Him

The 2011 release of A Very She & Him Christmas by music duo She & Him is critically acclaimed and considered one of the 25 greatest Christmas albums of all time by Rolling Stone. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are She and Him, respectively, and at the time of this album release, Deschanel was beloved for her film work and starring on the sitcom, New Girl. The album consists of classic holiday standards and Christmas songs, and is a calming, easy listen for a quiet, cozy holiday.

Ingrid Michaelson

Known for her indie-pop charm and heartfelt songwriting, Ingrid Michaelson has brought her unique style to holiday music, creating a cozy and whimsical atmosphere perfect for the season. Way back in 2008, she co-wrote and co-performed “Winter Song” with musician Sara Bareilles, which appeared on ​​the holiday compilation album The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs. Michaelson has admitted that she is obsessed with Christmas, and her 2018 holiday album, Songs for the Season, features beautifully orchestrated renditions of holiday classics like “White Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” alongside original tracks that blend nostalgia with her signature warmth and collaborations with other artists like Christina Perri, Leslie Odom Jr. and Will Chase. A deluxe version released in 2021 included collaborations with artists like Jason Mraz and Zooey Deschanel. But remember….she’s obsessed with Christmas. For almost 2 decades, she’s performed an annual “Holiday Hop” concert, a show her fans have come to cherish as a Christmas tradition. Every year, she performs holiday music alongside her most impactful hits, like “The Way I Am,” the “sweater song” that was used in a popular Old Navy commercial in 2007 and helped catapult her fame. And if that’s not enough, her 2019 album, Stranger Songs, inspired by the Netflix show Stranger Things and her fandom of it, includes a song called “Christmas Lights,” an ode to speaking to loved ones you no longer can see through light. What’s more in the spirit of the season than that?

A Very Special Christmas

To benefit the Special Olympics, Jimmy Iovine came up with the idea to release a compilation Christmas album featuring big names in music as a memorial to his father. From 1987 through 2013, 11 albums were released: Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, A Very Special Christmas Live From Washington D.C., A Very Special Acoustic Christmas, A Very Special Christmas: 25 Years of Bringing Joy to the World, A Very Special Christmas: Bringing Peace on Earth, ICON: A Very Special Christmas. The beloved holiday music collections include contributions from legends like Bruce Springsteen, U2, Madonna, and Whitney Houston. With a mix of classic covers and original tracks, these albums blend holiday cheer with diverse musical styles. Over the years, the series has raised millions of dollars for charity, becoming a holiday tradition and a symbol of music’s power to inspire and give back.

Bing Crosby

You can’t get more iconic at the holidays than Bing Crosby, who was prolific when it comes to Christmas! There are many to choose from: Merry Christmas (1945, Later reissued as White Christmas, and re-released in 1955 with some track changes) is Crosby’s most famous holiday album, featuring the legendary title track. Christmas Greetings (1949) is a collection of holiday songs released as a 78 RPM album. Then came I Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962), a fresh collection of Christmas songs recorded later in his career. A Time to Be Jolly (1971) is a modern take on Christmas standards with lush arrangements. Christmas with Bing Crosby (1972) is a compilation of previously recorded holiday material. And Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas (1974) is a television special soundtrack released as an album.

A Motown Christmas

A Motown Christmas classic holiday compilation album is chock full of performances by some of Motown’s greatest artists. Released in 1973, the album features timeless renditions of Christmas songs by legends such as The Temptations, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Jackson 5. Combining traditional carols with Motown’s signature sound, the album includes festive favorites like the Jackson 5’s classic version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” The Temptations’ “Silent Night,” and The Supremes’ “Joy to the World.” The album–and its later iterations-blend of heartfelt vocals, rich harmonies, and vibrant arrangements makes it a cherished holiday staple.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Released in 1965 alongside the television holiday special of the same name, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the 8th studio album of jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (later named the Vince Guaraldi Trio). It’s a mixture of classic tunes alongside original songs, and introduced a generation of young fans to jazz music. The album charted on Billboard for the first time in 1987, and since then has become one of the most popular Christmas releases of all time. As of May of 2022, the album has gone quintuple platinum, selling over 5 million copies and is considered one of the greatest Christmas albums in history.

Elvis Presley

The 1957 release of Elvis’ Christmas Album (also reissued a couple of years later as It’s Christmas Time) was the third studio album from Presley, and the first of two holiday albums he released. This is the album that Presley’s iconic hit, “Blue Christmas” came from. His second, Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas came out in 1971. For fans of Elvis, these albums are a staple in their collections and classics that are inescapable at the holidays.

Want more? Our Discord is where you’ll find tons of other fans chatting in our forums about the books, TV shows, movies, music, and games we all love! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, tumblr, and Spotify for more fandom content—and hit that subscribe button so you never miss a thing at rmrk*st!