The Best Christmas Songs You May Not Have Heard

Take a break from the overplayed favorites and discover some unique songs this holiday season.

Miller Orris, Staff Writer

Stevens depicts a fraught relationship in the midst of the Christmas season and the resulting fallout on Christmas day. He plays into his partner’s narrative that he will always let her down, even on Christmas.

This dreamy rendition of a quintessential Christmas classic brings all of the joy of the original, but with much better instrumentation that makes this, in my opinion, the best version of the song.  

A fast, jazzy Christmas song that sees Miles Davis backing up vocalist Bob Dorough perfectly. The lyrics concern the over-consumption of the holiday season, and despite the backing instrumentation, it’s a pretty depressing song — but still a very good piece of music.

A slow song that feels reminiscent of the classic “Baby, it’s Cold Outside.” In a similar fashion, it also sees the protagonist of the song begging for his partner to join him for Christmas day, and leave behind their life for the day.

This song features one of the best beats in any rap song prior to 1990. It feels strangely ahead of its time for being released in 1987, and it is the perfect Christmas rap song. The storytelling is impeccably witty, and the influence of this song is not to be underestimated.

You know this song. If you don’t, go listen to it now. It’s one of the best, truly classic Christmas songs that most of your family probably has fond memories of. The Beach Boys don’t switch up their song structure, but trade out the sun for snow and the result is an infectiously catchy song.

Kanye gives a funny Christmas themed verse on this song, but it’s really Cyhi the Prynce that steals the spotlight on his small feature. Teyana Taylor’s chorus on the song gives it the feeling that many Christmas songs tend to have, making it feel timeless. 

“Fairytale of New York” is an Irish folk song that tells the story of a couple that has immigrated to New York from Ireland, presumably during Christmas. The two singers MacGowen and McCall trade funny and often heartfelt lines that flow like an Irish jig.

No list would be complete without this song. It encapsulates the joyous emotion that is attached to Christmas. The childhood wish that every day could be as happy and eventful as Christmas, the joy shared by the community. It’s a perfect song.

I wish that this song would replace one of the many overplayed Christmas songs on the radio that none of us like. It has all of the attributes of an amazing, agreeable Christmas song. Hathaway’s voice is energetic and loud, and the backing band matches this feeling without fault. This song has swagger.