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‘Tis The Season Of Christmas Music
All I want for Christmas is streams // Illustration by Kate Walker
Christmas music is really popping off this season, scoring high streaming engagement far earlier than the usual holiday listening cycle.
Why It Hits: Christmas music brings a lot of people nostalgic joy and a sense of communal connection… and it seems many people are craving a dose of that earlier this year, after a chaotic stretch of living in “interesting times” (your mileage on how good or bad that is may vary). That tracks: music-analytics company Hit Momentum founder Matt Bailey told The WSJ that the last time Christmas music listening spiked this early was in 2020.
Between The Lines: When people are stressed, Christmas music is a balm.
On December 1st, 30 Christmas songs were in the top 50 on Spotify, compared to only 14 in 2019. By December 10th, 20 of the top 25 were holiday tunes. Holiday playlist creation was also up 60% this October compared to last year.
Top songs include Mariah Carey’s tentpole “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (which just broke the record for most weeks atop the Single chart), classics like Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” and new hits like Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me.”
It’s also a big season for the estates of deceased artists. Bing Crosby, whose “White Christmas” is the best-selling single of all time, generates 70% of his annual stream in December alone.
Encore: Christmas music puts people in such a good mood that it can actually lessen their critical judgment of songs… at least according to music manager Jonathan Daniel. That’s why some of his acts — including Sia, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy — have experimented with Christmas music in recent years (the Christmas With Weezer album is an all-season spin for this writer).
And for some reason, people also feel more comfortable listening to genres they wouldn’t normally seek out during the rest of the year — which is how a cappella supergroup Pentatonix has sold more than 9 million holiday albums in the US.
Next Tune: Daniel told The WSJ that a hit holiday song is a “little ATM.” If the vibes in 2026 are as bleak as they’ve been this year, don’t be surprised if every band you know and love drops a Christmas tune.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.