Since the holiday season is partially about hearkening back to ages long ago, we are putting a new spin on an old format—the top 40. Think of it as a sampler platter at a party. They might not all be your favorites, but with so many options you’re likely to find something new to enjoy. This list includes instrumental, choral, gospel, pop, and rap music. There are pop stars, gospel stars (I see your Mariah Carey and raise you a Kirk Franklin), and other recognizable names. But you’ll also see obscure artists with interesting arrangements that provide either sonic variety, interesting commentary, or both. Some songs could be used in corporate worship, or you might overhear them at the mall or listen to them on earbuds when you want to carve out a few minutes of peace and quiet.
While these are not ranked in order of quality—as musical and lyrical quality are both up to interpretation—they do appear in order of this author’s preference, with an emphasis on diversity, variety, and novelty. There are various streaming links for the tunes—including some fun music videos—and brief descriptions of all 40 songs, with extended commentary for the top ten. Each one is paired with a recommendation of where or when to play it. Enjoy!
1. Planetshakers
“O Come All Ye Faithful”
From the album It’s Christmas (Live)
(CCM funk rock)
YouTube | Apple Music I Spotify
Planetshakers is a megachurch out of Melbourne, Australia, and like their more famous sister church Hillsong, it is heavily rooted in and influenced by the apostolic and charismatic movements. This track and the video that accompanies it epitomizes everything people love and hate about megachurches. It is big, loud, and flashy. Play this on a road trip, but be easy with the accelerator. This song grooves so hard, if you’re not careful you might end up with a speeding ticket.
2. Brian Culbertson
“Joy to the World”
From the album A Soulful Christmas
(funky gospel jazz)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Brian Culbertson is an established name in the world of smooth jazz, and this is one of my favorite arrangements, mixing gospel choral elements with a funk groove, with large helpings of tenor sax and keyboard-and-piano perfection. The video was recorded during the pandemic, so you only see Brian himself and his saxophonist, but when you listen, you can hear a whole band and choir. Play this song any time you want to bring a dose of musical joy and artistic dexterity into your world.
3. Elevation Worship
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”
From the album Echo the Angels
(choral)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Another tune, another megachurch. But this choral tune was not what I expected from the North Carolina megachurch. The singers sing with the discipline and clarity of a professional high-church choir, but with the soul and warmth of a gospel choir. While there are a few trace elements of orchestral accompaniment toward the end, the song is carried by the strength and finesse of these singers. From the video they appear to be about 50 or 60 in number, but their sound conjures all the power and authority of angelic hosts. (Elevation, indeed!) Play this to establish a reverent mood, or to calm the party down if it’s gotten out of hand.
4. Sonos
“Janette Isabella”
From the album December Songs
(a capella instrumental)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Originally Sonos, they changed their name to Arora in 2013, after competing in the NBC music competition The Sing Off. This is an acapella arrangement of the traditional French Christmas carol “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella,” which tells the tale of two farmhand girls who discover the baby Jesus and run to tell the rest of the village. It’s sung as a vocal-instrumental (that is, sans lyrics), but the music is evocative of the joy of wonder and discovery, and there’s a fleeting motif from the German hymn “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” which bounces along nicely to the 3/8 beatbox rhythm. Play this on your smart speaker if you have a baby in your arms who needs soothing or entertaining.
5. Kirk Franklin, Khalid, Mariah Carey
“Fall in Love at Christmastime”
(single)
(R&B gospel)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Ignore the title, and the treacly vibe of the video with the three stars in loud Christmas-themed pajamas (apparently shot in Carey’s living room). What makes this song worth playing is its sound and message. It’s a song that aims to help people in committed relationships rekindle their love during times of despair to fall in love—again—on Christmas. Written and released after the pandemic, the music belies a sense of urgency that transcends the usual layer of sentimentalist dreck in most Christmas pop music. While it starts as a duet between Khalid and Mariah Carey, its third act brings in Franklin’s gospel chorale to elevate the mood of the song, past romance toward love for all people. It’s like a spiritual successor to Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today.” Play this if you’re overcome by ennui and melancholy and need hope for reconnection.
6. Sara Groves
“Toy Packaging”
From the album O Holy Night
(quirky pop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
“Nothing makes me lose my cool like toy packaging,” intones CCM singer/songwriter Sara Groves, with a cheerful, lilting alto that belies irritated resentment. This is one of my favorite original Christmas songs, because it mirrors the predicament so many parents have after presenting their doe-eyed children with the objects of their recreational affection—how do I get this dang thing open?! In a compact two minutes and fifteen seconds, Groves takes us on an epic journey that recounts her efforts, which include the sounds of hammering, some sort of a buzzsaw, and a plaintive cry for her husband. By the end she’s considering explosive ordnance, but somehow the whole song remains positively delightful. Play this to remind yourself of the things you do for the children in your life which, like the kids themselves, drive you crazy.
7. Kike Pavón (featuring DeLuz)
“Es Navidad”
From the album Navidad, Es Jesus
(Latin pop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
This track is a cover of the celebratory Christmas tune by Marcos Witt, a superstar in the pantheon of Spanish praise singers. While the original version released by Witt himself was recorded live and is more in line with the sound of typical evangelical Latin praise music, this cover has a different rhythmic feel. It’s decidedly more pop-friendly, trading acoustic guitar and percussion instruments for programmed drums, synth chords, and reverb-drenched rhythm guitars. I’m not familiar enough with the rest of his catalog to see if he does this in all his music, but here Pavón sings in Castilian Spanish, which many English speakers incorrectly refer to as a lisp (you can hear it when he sings the word “corazon”). It’s a good reminder that Spanish speakers, given that they come from various continents, nations, and contexts, are not monolithic. Play this song to get into a Christmas mood or to work on singing in a Spanish dialect from Spain.
8. Prinx Emmanuel
“Afrobeat Christmas”
(single)
(afrobeat)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
With a surname that already evokes Christmas, this Nigerian singer seemed ready made for a holiday crossover jam, which is why the title of the song, “Afrobeat Christmas” sounds less like inspired artistry and more like a generic genre CD that Starbucks used to sell in the 90s. Still, the title is apt. It is music in an afrobeat style, also resembling the subgenre amapiano, and its lyrics borrow heavily from the Christmas standards “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “O Holy Night,” and “Little Drummer Boy.” More important, as the kids say, it slaps. Play this song while serving some fried plantains and jollof rice.
9. Aaron Lindsey (featuring Megan Tibbits, Chandler, and Greg Cox)
“Merry Christmas, En Mi Corazon”
From the album Christmas Time Is Here Again
(gospel hip-hop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Astute listeners of contemporary gospel should recognize the name Aaron Lindsey from his award-winning production work, making hits alongside luminaries like Marvin Sapp, Israel Houghton, India.Arie, and Darlene Zschech. This is off the first holiday release from Lindsey’s independent label Multiethnic Records. Like so much music from 2021, it owes its theme to recovering from the pandemic. “It’s gonna be a merry Christmas,” sing Tibbits and Lindsey on the hook. “I only wish I could be with ya.” The groove is an R&B banger, and there are vivid raps from Chandler and Greg Cox (plus one from Lindsey himself). Play this when you miss being with the ones you love, but you’re ready to party regardless.
10. M-Pact
“Do You Hear What I Hear?”
From the album The Carol Commission
(a capella)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Unless you’re an a capella superfan who sang in groups in college, you may not be familiar with M-Pact, but they’ve been around, racking up awards and achievements for almost three decades. Vocally they’re similar to world-famous acts like Take 6 and Pentatonix, and most of the current and former members of the LA-based sextet have careers in the music industry, including one who worked as a music director for Disney. This cover is absolutely gorgeous. The harmonies are pristine and when they get to the final phrase of the final stanza, “He will bring us goodness and light,” it gives me chills. Every. Single. Time. Play it for anyone who appreciates good music, and for goodness sakes, don’t talk while it plays. This song needs to be savored.
11. KJ-52 & Spechouse
“Go to Bed”
From album Mostest Wonderfullest Time of the Year
(hip-hop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Jonah Sorrentino, a.k.a. KJ-52, has been a fixture of the Christian rap scene since the late ’90s. Like many icons from that era, he’s settling gracefully into middle age, which is the impetus for this tune—a cranky hip-hop ode from an irritated dad who can’t get his kids to sleep on Christmas Eve. With a beat from producer Spechouse and a hook that interpolates the melody from the verses in “Jingle Bells,” “Go to Bed” is a light, silly tune. It includes references to Seinfeld and Home Alone, and by the end, KJ-52 has abandoned the pretense of rap in favor of straight-up pleading. Play this year-round, anytime you wanna get your kids to get in their dang PJs and go to bed.
12. The Cast of Journey to Bethlehem
“Journey to Bethlehem”
From the album Journey to Bethlehem (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(anthemic pop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
From the new Christmas-themed feature film of the same name starring Antonio Banderas, Joel Smallbone from For KING + COUNTRY, and Lecrae as the angel Gabriel. Play it—and see it—if you want to support family-friendly faith-based entertainment.
13. Matt Maher and The Choir Room
“Go Tell It (Gloria)”
(CCM rock)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Great CCM anthem, accessible enough for evangelical church praise teams. Play it for your worship leader as a gentle hint/request for next year’s Christmas program.
14. Blessing Offor
“Wonderful Christmastime”
From the EP Like a Child
(R&B)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Nigerian-American praise singer who recently made a splash on a single with TobyMac. Sounds like classic R&B, and pairs well with “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. Play it at family gatherings when you want something with a beat that won’t scare the grandparents.
15. JJ Heller
“Wake Up the World”
(acoustic CCM)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Another great one for a church service. Accessible with simple chords, melody, and a beautifully simple message. “Wake up the world, the King has come.” As my uncle used to say, it’s easier than falling down a flight of stairs. Play it in church, a coffee shop, or any place that could use some twee, folk energy.
16. Pentatonix featuring Jazmine Sullivan
“Joyful, Joyful”
(a capella gospel pop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Pentatonix is a platinum-selling a capella pop quintet, and Sullivan was a rising star in R&B when this one dropped in 2018. If this arrangement of the J.S. Bach hymn “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” feels at all familiar, it was first used in the 1993 feature film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. It’s a throwback, but it still bangs.
17. Forrest Frank
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
From the album A Very Lofi Christmas
(lo-fi chill)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
The term “lo-fi” literally stands for “low fidelity,” but it usually refers to cozy instrumental music meant for studying, which is why tons of YouTube channels are dedicated to the form. This one is a vocal cover, but it keeps the chill vibes front and center. Play it right before bed if the kids didn’t respond to KJ-52’s “Go to Bed.”
18. Cory Henry
From the album Christmastime with You
(instrumental jazz funk)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Cory Henry is the multitalented vocalist, arranger, and pianist who broke through to stardom playing for the Grammy-winning jazz collective Snarky Puppy. Here he puts his talents to work celebrating the arrival of Jesus in a sparkling rendition of “Joy to the World.” Play this if you want to impress your jazz snob friends or get them to loosen up a little.
19. Futures
From the EP This Christmas / Joy
(anthemic CCM pop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Futures is another Australian worship band making waves in the U.S., and this track is a prime example of why. A humble vocal in the beginning expands into a soaring melody with arena rock accompaniment. Play this during your church Christmas pageant if you want the baby Jesus to make an entrance.
20. 116 (featuring CASS, nobigdyl, & Tedashii)
“O’ Come”
From the album The Gift: A Christmas Compilation
(R&B/hip-hop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Since Lecrae’s Reach Records 116 Clique has become the standard-bearer for Christian hip-hop, their first Christmas album occupies a unique sonic space, using sampling and other hip-hop sonic motifs to put a new spin on classic songs. Play this while you’re putting on your freshest pair of Jordans to head to Christmas Eve service.
21. Israel & New Breed
“Hark”
From the album A Timeless Christmas
(orchestral funk gospel)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Israel Houghton’s 2006 album A Timeless Christmas has, true to its name, held up quite well since its release. One highlight is the arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” which pairs Houghton with legendary tenor Matthew Ward from the ’70s era group 2nd Chapter of Acts. There’s this version, and also Houghton’s new live version, paired in a medley with his hit “Again I Say Rejoice.” Either way, play it while you watch the Christmas day NBA basketball games, because the opening bars sound a lot like John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock,” the ’90s era theme for the NBA on NBC.
22. Selah
(single)
(orchestral ballad)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
It’s probably more accurate to call this song holiday-themed because it’s not strictly about Christmas. “At This Table” is about holiday gatherings and their power to unite, heal, and redeem, almost as a metaphor for the gospel itself. “So come as you are, remember the door is always open.” Text a link to this song to your wayward loved one if they’re on the fence about coming home for the holidays. Or if you’re the one nervous about returning, send this song to your potential host and ask them, “Is it gonna be like this?”
23. Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra
From the album A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats from Santa’s Bag
(instrumental funk)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
There’s something cheerfully zany about this funkified breakbeat version of “Jingle Bells” with just enough holiday cheer to keep things festive without going over the edge into cheesiness. Play this at your company holiday party when the boss doesn’t want to scare people with overt Jesus music, but doesn’t want them getting drunk and disorderly either.
24. Mac Powell
From the album Christmas
(bluesy rock)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Mac Powell is the former lead singer of the now-disbanded Christian worship band Third Day, who’s found new life as a solo country artist. A folksy, bluesy jaunt, this original tune blends the old with the new, and it’s easy to sing along too. Play it at your local honky-tonk watering hole when it needs a little extra Christmas spirit.
25. Maverick City Music (featuring Melvin Crispell III & Chandler Moore)
From the album A Very Maverick Christmas
(choral gospel)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
This gospel tune is a classic. Over a percolating backbeat, Crispell sings the verses, and the choir sings the choruses, basically as written. There’s a bridge with a tasty instrumental riff, and that’s when things really take off. As the choir sings “go tell somebody,” the momentum builds, and you can tell they’re having fun. It concludes with a triumphant finale—just kidding, it’s a fake ending! And the groove goes on. Play this during Christmas dinner, but only after people have finished eating. They’ll need those hands for clappin’.
26. W.G. Snuffy Walden
(orchestral instrumental with guitar)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Prior to this album, my only exposure to Walden’s music was in the majestic score he wrote for the critically acclaimed NBC series The West Wing. Here, he blends orchestral elements with supple guitar work for a pristine Christmas standard. You might just get a little misty while listening. Play this while signing a Christmas card, or if you wanna reenact a tearful reunion from a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.
27. Kirk Whalum (featuring Kortland Whalum)
From the album How Does Christmas Sound?
(jazzy R&B)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Kirk Whalum is a fixture in the jazz and R&B world, having played along luminaries like Whitney Houston and Anita Baker. But he also keeps a foot planted in the gospel market. This original tune is an attempt to bridge the gap, bringing spiritual hope to a lovelorn soul. Play this one in your earbuds if you’re stuck at the airport, longing for home. You’ll be there before you know it.
28. Meghan Trainor (featuring Earth, Wind & Fire)
“Holidays”
From the album A Very Trainor Christmas
(uptempo funk)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
If you’re wondering how a legendary ’70s funk band like Earth Wind & Fire can stay relevant in the music scene four decades later, one way is by collaborating with younger artists whose audiences weren’t around during their heyday. Such is the case with Meghan Trainor, who burst onto the scene in 2014 with her hit “All About That Bass,” and on whose holiday track EWF graces with their signature soul. Play this song and then immediately report to the nearest dance floor. (Disco ball optional.)
29. Black Violin
From the album Give Thanks
(instrumental orchestral hip-hop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Some band names are enigmatic and obscure, but this one ain’t. Black Violin is named after two black guys who play violin, marrying classical dexterity with hip-hop production techniques. This tune, from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” exemplifies their approach. It is at once contemporary and timeless. Play this tune if you’ve got subwoofers and a jar of Grey Poupon in your car.
30. Sarah Reeves
(big-band-style jazz)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Like a great sauce, this song simmers a bit before it gets going. But, man, does it get going. After singing the boilerplate verses and chorus, Reeves’s background singers join in on a staccato chant, and the whole song turns into a romp. Each phrase is punctuated by horn riffs and drum hits. Play it if you happen to get into a zany car chase or while engaging in general holiday madcap shenanigans.
31. Fifth Harmony
From the album The Star (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(R&B pop)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
Fifth Harmony, the R&B girl group that burst on the scene with a hit tune called “Worth It,” sang about our Savior’s worth in the 2017 Christmas film The Star. Mariah Carey’s song was the one that garnered the Grammy nomination, but I think this one was better. Play this song if you’re a high school student who wants to share their faith during astronomy club.
32. Liz Story
From the album The Carols of Christmas II: A Windham Hill Sampler
(instrumental piano)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
This one takes me back to my North Park days when we sang this song in choir. Liz Story’s understated playing is beautiful in its relative simplicity. Look up the lyrics, and play it as you sing along. Or if you grew up with the tune, sing along from memory.
33. Groove For Thought
(single)
(a capella)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Because of the popularity of films like Pitch Perfect, modern a capella music has a reputation for being excessively cheerful, bordering on gauche—especially with vocal percussion, a.k.a. beatboxing. This song is anything but. Groove For Thought definitely brings a groove. The arrangement starts airy and bright, then turns muted and earthy. By the end, the song does brighten up again, and that brightness is earned. Play it during the dog days of winter, or as it’s known in Chicagoland, non-construction-season.
34. Alfarero
(single)
(anthemic Latin pop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
This understated rendition of “O Come, O Come Emmanual” is interpreted into Spanish, but the haunting melody of the original, with its urgent longing for restoration and redemption, remains, bolstered by rich strings, reverb-echoed pads, and a sparse percussion track. Play it and sing along. If you don’t know the language, the lyric video will help you out—just don’t get tripped up by the diphthongs.
35. Tyler, The Creator
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
From the album Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(children’s pop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Because Tyler, The Creator is a rapper, one would be tempted to call this track rap music, but it’s really not. It’s a fairly faithful recreation of the original children’s film standard, with a little bit more bass and a few extra rhyming bars. And unlike a lot of children’s music made by adults for kids, the children participate. They offer background vocals, recoiling in horror to the Grinch’s behavior. At less than two minutes, it may not be a long time, but it’s a good time. Play it as an alternative if your kids ruined the original by overplaying it. They might not notice the difference, but gratefully you will.
36. Caramel Skillington
From the album An Illect Recordings Christmas Recording
(hip-hop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
There’s a storytelling tradition in hip-hop, but—not gonna lie, this song is weird. The verses are punctuated by mournful, incoherent singing mixed with heavy reverb way under the beat, meant more for atmosphere than clarity. Obscure rapper Caramel Skillington’s flow meanders between poetic imagery and straightforward narrative, telling a story that is ominous, occasionally violent, and yet redemptive? I think. Hopefully not based on a literal true story, though undoubtedly there is truth represented in its artistic execution. Play it while you donate to a worthy cause.
37. PJ Morton (featuring Yolanda Adams)
From the album Christmas with PJ Morton
(R&B gospel)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Having come up in church under the tutelage of his father, pastor and gospel artist Bishop Paul Morton, PJ straddles the worlds of pop music and R&B as both music director for the band Maroon 5, as well as an accomplished solo act. Here, his slinky midtempo groove offers the listener a simple query: Do you believe in all this Son of God stuff? Every listener must answer for themselves, but as Jesus taught us in Mark 9:23-25, sometimes belief and unbelief go hand in hand. Play this song as you deal with your own cognitive or spiritual dissonance.
38. Seth & Nirva
“Joyful, Joyful (O Come) [Acoustic Live Version]”
(single)
(acoustic praise)
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify
There’s a simple formula in adapting hymns for contemporary use, and it usually involves creating a separate chorus, singing the verses as, well, verses. Here, Nashville-based husband-and-wife duo Seth & Nirva work that formula to perfection, singing in beautiful unison—and eventually, harmony—to a sparse accompaniment of piano and guitar. It’s perfect for cold nights of cozy introspection, and it’s also a rare example of interracial marriage represented in CCM. Play it during your morning or evening devotionals.
39. Mint Condition
From the album Healing Season
(R&B go-go funk)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Mint Condition’s first hit was about heartbreak, but this one is about breaking beats. On their 2015 holiday release, the Minneapolis funk band meandered through the DC/Maryland/Virginia region for their rendition of “Little Drummer Boy,” employing a region-specific style of funk known as go-go. If you’ve never heard go-go, it’s got a slinky sort of shuffled rhythmic feel, with extensive use of percussion instruments like congas and cowbells paired with a traditional drum set. This song grooves, and grooves HARD. Play it right before you watch Spike Lee’s School Daze (if you know, you know).
40. Courtnie Ramirez
(single)
(trap pop)
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
For the record, I didn’t classify this as “Latin pop” because the standard “Feliz Navidad,” written and recorded by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano in 1970, has become ubiquitous in American culture. By this point, it’s just as American as croissant sandwiches and karaoke bars. That said, Courtnie Ramirez, who burst onto the scene by appearing on Season 11 of The Voice and whose crossover hit “Life Is Good” charted in the summer of 2021, does the standard justice. Play it as you bob your head and sing along. Próspero año y felicidad.
