Our Festive Yuletide Playlist

The NorfolkPlaces Playlist of Christmas Tunes – A Great Way To Get The Party Started!

Ok, so this a complete departure from the norm. It’s not about going out for family day trips or any of the other stuff we cover. It’s not about Norfolk at all. But it is the season to be jolly, so we decided to put together a playlist on YouTube of some of our favourite festive tunes we play in the office and we wanted to should share it with you.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Krismas, Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, Mithra, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Newtonmas, Hannukah, Holiday or something else, we hope we’ve got some tunes you’ll enjoy.

This isn’t definitive and there are is other seasonal tunes we listen to that is not on the playlist, like many of the tunes you’ll find on Now That’s For example, not all of Ladbaby‘s seasonal winners have made the playlist because they don’t really mention Christmas (we added one of them, We Built This City on Sausage Rolls, to mix things up a little). Also, there are some versions of songs that are cover songs. They just happen to be the versions of songs we prefer, though the original versions do get played too.

Our playlist is a mixture of traditional, pop, rock and small slices of cheese. And movies; Yes, as we compiled this it became quite clear that a quite a few of our favourite Christmas tunes were also used in movies. We hope you enjoyed our selection. It has grown over the years and now is a behemoth of festive bangers!

We would like to point out that the videos were uploaded by 3rd parties, so we have no control over the content or any advertising that appears on the videos etc (and we don’t get a penny from any of the adverts either). We try to go with official videos, but sometimes that’s not possible. We update the list every year, mainly to make sure the videos are still there, but also to add some new songs and mix the order up a little.

You can watch our playlist below, or on YouTube. Whilst you are on YouTube, why not subscribe to our YouTube channel. We haven’t done a new video for a while, but we hope to get back to doing them soon, so by subscribing you can be informed when new videos land.

OKAY – Are you ready to play?

NEW FOR 2024 🎄

It has become a bit of a tradition to grow the playlist every year. So, what’s new for 2024? Well, we started adding to the playlist a bit early this year – February 21st to be precise. Why? Well, on a whim I decided to dig out Baby Bird‘s lo-fi album, The Happiest Man Alive, which I hadn’t listened to for a few years, and this reminded me it included a festively named track, Planecrash Xmas, which you’ll find towards the end of the playlist. But, right at the start, we thought we’d get things off to a rocking start by adding a track best described as Santa Sabbath (Christmas Medley) by Barenaked Ladies. If it sounds familiar it is, because it starts off as Santa Claus is Coming to Town, then follows a medley of of festive classics but sang in the style of Black Sabbath! If you’re familiar with BNL, this is not their normal fare, but certainly worthy of a place on our list. Somehow we failed to include Ramones‘ Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) before now. We’ve corrected that. In 2022 we added a couple of tunes celebrating the Pagan origins of the season, and we decided to see if there was any good Saturnalia related fetive-sounding tunes and discovered quite a few, so we added a couple, both handily titled Saturnalia, one by Cauda Pavonis and the other by Brian Gervaise. which both seemed like a good addition.

Okay, that’ll do for our 2024 update. The search starts now for 2025 – we’re contemplating splitting the list in two or more smaller lists because there’s 64 songs already. Perhaps a split between pop/rock and traditional/slower/easier listening? We’ll see!

Below the playlist video you’ll find a bit of waffle about the other songs are on the list. It’s not necessarily in the order of the videos on the play list, but we’ve covered them all.

Before you read on, at one point this was in order, but now it isn’t due to the additions over the years. Yes, we could’ve just added them at the end, but what fun would that be?

2022 saw Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds return to the charts with another novel twist on the England ’96 football anthem – Three Lions (It’s Coming Home for Christmas). I didn’t think it would work but it does!

From the moment I first heard Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) building up on Rockin’ Ricky Rialto’s radio show (on the Gremlins movie) I knew I was listening to something special. Darlene Love‘s festive track is one of my absolute favourite songs of all time and I hit the repeat button every time it comes on. It’s a good job the rest of the office agrees! All Alone for Christmas is from Home Alone 2, and again shows what a great singer Darlene is.

If I say “Johnny Mathis” to you chances are you’ll think of When a Child is Born as this article is about Christmas tunes. You would be right and wrong all at the same time. You see, whilst that’s an awesome song my favourite Johnny Mathis tune is Do you Hear What I Hear? Okay, so, that’s two songs that featured on Gremlins already; It’s been a while since I watched it so it is possible some of the other tracks selected were on it too!

Elf’s Lament (featuring Michael Bublé) is a wonderfully original slant on the seasonal tune by the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies (BNL), and I just love their version of Jingle Bells (and it was an excuse to fun show a decorative light show video!). Jim Carrey movie fans may notice BNL had a track called Green Christmas in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Ok, we’ve included a version of that track too!

Ah, The Beach Boys‘ Little Saint Nick. What a great track; despite the surfin’ vibe it still comes across so Christmasey. That links nicely in to Christmasey by Mr Beach Boy himself, Brian Wilson.

If you’ve ever been to Disneyland Paris at Christmas (yeah we know, it’s not actually in Norfolk) you’ll probably here Chanté, C’est Nóel played ad infinitum. And you’ll be singing it forever. It’s catchy. Very catchy.

Greg Lake‘s I Believe in Father Christmas carries a degree of poignancy; A tale of lost childhood innocence, one all parents dread. What happens when they stop believing in the big man in the red suit after (maybe) 10 years of white lies to protect the illusion? Do I have to go on a diet now?!

Whilst there are many versions of The Christmas Song, there are two on this play list. We absolutely had to have Nat King Cole‘s version. Oh, here comes a bad Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman impersonation here. Walk, don’t run pop pickers, because surfing up next is The Ventures with their version of seasonal sensation, The Christmas Song.

Val Doonican in a festive jumper and crooning on a rocking chair? Morecambe and Wise Christmas special on the telly too? Yep, nostalgia play a big part at Christmas. It comforts us, brings back good memories and makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I reckon that’s why I dig out the Andy Williams Christmas Album early every year. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr Andy Williams and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Mariah Carey‘s All I Want for Christmas. There’s a dog with antlers in the video. ‘Nuff said!

We were pleased to find the video for Spike Jones’ All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth as we had never seen it before. It’s a great comedy record, as are many Christmas tunes. That’s why Bo Selecta‘s Proper Chrimbo made the list. Leigh Francis’ has rightly apologised for some of his offensive caricatures, the tune is very catchy and seasonally kitsch and should be appreciated without the video (I normally have the playlist on in the background whilst working.)

Sadly, I couldn’t find the video to Spitting Image‘s Santa Claus Is On The Dole, but it had to be in our festive playlist because, well, just because really. Ok, it was one of the first records I bought as a kid and it still makes me chuckle (2020 note – sadly, many seasonal Father Christmas/Santas will be out of work, so there this adds a sobering relevance to this tune – without any political manifestations this time round).

Shakin’ Stevens: Merry Christmas Everyone. What’s not to love about the videos to this Shaky Christmas tune? Snow is falling, there’s a sleigh ride, he goes to see Father Christmas, there are some Elves, Reindeer…..

Lowestoft’s own The Darkness and their Don’t Let the Bells End. Double-Entendré anyone?

I have a relative born on Christmas day. The track, I Was Born On Christmas Day always reminds me of her, and it highlights what a great pop act Saint Etienne were. Let’s not forget The Charlatan himself, Tim Burgess. A modern classic (an oxymoron, I know!)

Okay, you’re probably thinking who are Shonen Knife? Well, as you may gather from the video they’re a quirky Japanese band, and their song Sweet Christmas is just that. Sweet! We’ve also included another track of theirs, Space Christmas, too! I would say we’re helping you discover new music but they’ve been around for a while! While we’re in the mood for some alternative takes, the playlist now includes The Fountains of Wayne‘s bonker but brilliant I Want An Alien for Christmas, and The Smashing Pumpkins‘ Christmastime. Brooklyn’s finest, They Might Be Giants, also make out compilation list too, with their track, Santa’s Beard. FYI, it’s not a cover of The Beach Boys track of the same name – and you can compare these track back to back because they’re both on our list! 🎅

The Pixies have been a staple of my vinyl collection dating back to 1988, but they never recorded a Christmas song (though Pixies frontman, Black Francis recorded an album called Christmass under his later-ego Frank Black). However, we have added The Pixies tune, Winterlong in the list because it has winter season overtones, and it fits nicely with our cosy log-fire sing-along.

Most Christmas CDs will include Mel Smith and Kim Wilde‘s version of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, but we have to go with the original by Brenda Lee. Oh, okay. It’s Christmas. They both make the list!

Bringing a different meaning to Christmas rapping (sorry), Run-DMC and Derek B drop some festive rhythmic beats, with Christmas In Hollis and Chillin With Santa respectively.

Kelly Clarkson‘s 2013 tune, Underneath the Tree, is an absolute belter of a tune. Some say it’s comparable with Mariah’s All I Want For Christmas; We agree.

Blue Christmas was Elvis‘ favourite song, and it’s one of ours too. We just had to go with a Vegas period video!

You gotta love Chris Rea‘s gravelly voice. The Middlesbrough-born singers Driving Home for Christmas is low tempo, but jolly nonetheless. There have been several video versions and we always try to chose one from the official channel. We figured you will enjoy one with the lyrics to sing along doing your best Chris Rea impression.

Glam-rock Christmas? Slade, Mud, Wizard. Done. Actually, when I originally put this list together only one track Mud’s Lonely This Christmas made the list. Not because I didn’t love the glam-rock festive classics. I do. They are my childhood, and every festive party I’ve attended all rolled up in 3 minutes of jangling guitars. From October to the end of the year, they are ubiquitous. They are Christmas. But we needed a break from them for a couple of years, and now they’re back on the list.

🎄 New for 2021! We’ve added a couple more tracks. Some tracks take a few listens to “stick”, and for me that was the case with Leona Lewis’ 2016 release, One More Sleep. Ed Sheeran & Elton John‘s new festive offering, Merry Christmas joins the list straight away. We’re supporting LadBaby in the annual Xmas No.1 battle (and it’s great news that Ed & Elton are involved too), but we think this will soon become a seasonal favourite.

🎄 New for 2022! We like to keep this list fresh, and we think The Linda Lindas Groovy Christmas could make a fine addition. Certainly got a few plays in the NorfolkPlaces office already. Here’s something a bit different, a bit old, and a bit new, all rolled in to one. Camilla Cabello singing I’ll be home for Christmas (performed at the White House). Our final four additions this year widen the celebration. Firstly, we decided to search around to see if there were any “Yule” specific songs because the festive period we all celebrate originate from Pagan festivities. We unearthed Santa Claus Is Pagan, Too by American Celtic folk band, Emerald Rose from 2010, and On Midwinter’s Day by Damh the Bard. And we’ve added a couple of tracks celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah too. This required less research as we already had a couple of Barenaked Ladies tracks lined up; Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, and Hanukkah Blessings.

One song that almost made the list is a mash up between Radiohead’s Creep and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas. Search for it, it’s good! Edit – we hummed and hawed about it and eventually decided to add this during our 2024 update.

🎄 New for 2023! Every year we try to add some more festive anthems, and you can find out about the rest of the latest additions further down this article, but here’s a couple we’ve brought to the top of the list. Personally, I wasn’t aware The Kinks had done a festive tune. Okay, I’m not a dedicated follower of The Kinks (see what I did there!), but I know the “classics”. I’ve not heard this offering Father Christmas on any compilations. It should be. and there’s more. Despite having several Manic Street Preachers albums, I was not aware of The Ghost Of Christmas, so, discovering it recently was a happy accident.

This one I added because my Grandad was a huge David Whitfield fan – Santo Natale. It’s not everyone’s cuppa, but I like it. We’ve added another Kelly Clarkson festive number, Wrapped in Red. Unwrap You At Christmas – Okay, this last one isn’t vintage, but it’s The Monkees, so, we had to include it. However, a festive classic is Last Christmas. Mrs NP requested the Wham! version, the girlfriend of our youngest NP team-member insisted on the Taylor Swift version. There are a ton of other versions too. So, I plugged for Whigfield. You’re most welcome. Also joining the playlist, and added next to their father, Brian, is Carnie and Wendy Wilson, and their early 90’s song, Hey Santa. Here’s one I am surprised we haven’t added before: Where Are You Christmas? We all know it from the 2000 film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, sang by little Cindy Lou Who, played by Taylor Momsen, but we’ve gone with Faith Hill‘s chart version. If you’re a film buff you may be already know this, but it was news to me – the late, great Christopher Lee also had recorded some heavy metal music, and one of the tracks he recorded was Jingle Hell – I bet you can guess how this one goes! Finally for 2023, we’ve added an instant classic. Released in 2020, It’s going to be a cold winter by Blossoms, is so catchy, I think you’ll love it.*

As we reach the end, there is only one possible song to sign off with, and only only version of White Christmas that can must included. It has to be Bing Crosby.

But we’ll step back briefly and poignantly to a couple of other tracks unmentioned so far. As anti-war songs go, Jona Lewie‘s Stop the Cavalry is up there with the best. It was a close call between this and Paul McCartney‘s Pipes of Peace for our festive list. Yeah, we couldn’t really decide so we included both. With their depiction of war it’s amazing how such songs have become firm favourites over the years, but it’s their message of hope and love that wins through. And that’s it really – in these turbulent times, two simple single syllable words. Hope. Love.

Enjoy the holidays and stay safe.

The NorfolkPlaces Team

Explore more Christmas “stuff” with NorfolkPlaces

*** Okay, so here’s a bonus. Whilst hunting for a video for Blossoms’ …Cold Winter we discovered they made a bonkers video for the flip-side. The track was released as a double-single (or double A-side for us oldies) with another song called Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose) and they made a short film to accompany it. At nearly 17minutes long it’s too big for the playlist(though the song could’ve easily gone on there). But we wanted to mention it, so, kind of like when you listen to 8 minutes of static before the hidden extra track kicks in, here it is. As we mentioned, it’s a bit bonkers and despite appearances not for kids.