O.T.: Definitive Christmas music library

Never mind, I found it
https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/

At least it's not behind a paywall.

eriejwg wrote: Hi Todd, Great to read through this immense list! Is there a link to the Hot 100 Christmas songs only? I'm not a subscriber to Billboard and the regular Hot 100 only lists a fraction of Christmas songs. Meaghan Trainor - Jingle Bells is getting play in 2024. Here are some listed on the Mediabase A/C chart, which I presume means current airplay. for KING & COUNTRY - Silent Night [Rewrapped] Harper Grace - Santa Baby Joey McIntyre feat. Shoshana Bean - A Brand New Christmas Josh Groban & The War & Treaty - Do You Hear What I Hear Laufey - Santa Baby Michael Buble & Carly Pearce - Maybe This Christmas Wyn Starks - The Christmas Song Dean Martin - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Dan + Shay - Pick Out A Christmas Tree Jimmy Fallon & Jonas Brothers - Holiday Kelly Clarkson - You For Christmas Pentatonix - Meet Me Next Christmas

Hey, John!

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the Mediabase AC chart. For the record, I typically add Christmas songs to the definitive list that have reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary chart. Unfortunately, Billboard makes that chart available only through a paywall and, up to this point, I have only been able to find scans online of the publication's AC charts up through 2021. Now, Billboard's website currently shows that Jimmy Fallon & The Jonas Brothers "Holiday" is #1 on the AC chart for the week ending December 21, 2024 (same as on the Mediabase AC chart), so I will at least add that entry to the definitive Christmas/holiday songs list for now.

Also, I am adding V (of BTS) & Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" to the list since the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the chart week of December 14, 2024.

Edited by Todd Ireland

Yogi Yorgesson – "Yingle Bells" (1949)

I wish I could find this on CD without all the added
reverb that is on all Capitol/EMI issues, but it doesn't
appear to exist. The reverb seems to have been added in
1961 for the Capitol album "The Great Comedy Hits of Yogi
Yorgesson," and that's the only master that's ever been
used on CD.

The puzzling thing is, on that original album they also
added reverb to its B-side, "I Yust Go Nuts at
Christmas," but most or all CD appearances of that are
bone dry.

"Yingle Bells" is available dry on a few gray-area CDs
and downloads, but the sound quality isn't very good.

Edited by Brian W.

Ok, I have gained access to the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary charts from 2022 to the present and now incorporated Christmas/holiday songs reaching the Top 10 portion from that period onto the master definitive song list in this thread's opening post. These newly added songs include:

Kelly Clarkson - "You for Christmas" (2024)
Jimmy Fallon & Meghan Trainor - "Wrap Me Up" (2023)
for KING & COUNTRY - "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (2022)
David Foster & Katharine McPhee - "Carol of the Bells" (2023)
David Foster & Katharine McPhee - "Jingle Bell Rock" (2022)
Pentatonix - "Please Santa Please" (2023)
Lindsey Sterling featuring Sabrina Carpenter - "You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (2017/2024)

I have also added a couple more songs to the list that have debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 since starting this message board thread:

Mark Ambor - "Run Rudolph Run"
Laufey - "Santa Baby"

Meanwhile, for the week ending January 4, 2025, Kesha debuted on the Hot 100 with "Holiday Road", a remake of the Lindsey Buckingham classic from 1983, which was written and recorded for National Lampoon's Vacation film franchise. Over the years, this song has arguably become most closely associated the Christmas Vacation installment and therefore seems to have gained traction in some circles as a holiday song. The question is, does it belong on a definitive list of such music? I personally vote no, especially considering how Buckingham's version was released during the summer of 1983 and not even originally part of a holiday-themed movie. I put this in the same category as "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", but I am curious to know what others think.