17 festive (and often forgotten) songs for the ultimate holiday playlist

‘Tis the season for holiday cheer, so we’ve created an expansive playlist to get you through the coming months. This list includes a little of everything—from the classics to the modern to the modern covers of classics to the just plain cheesy-in-a-good way. And while our ideal holiday playlist would be about 300 songs long (and would play on loop from late July through January), we edited our picks down to just 17 in an attempt to distill the whole holiday season into a manageable list (while including some of the most underrated songs of the genre).

*Note: This playlist is best enjoyed with a steaming mug of hot cocoa and a crackling fireplace.

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA?feature=oembed

“This Is Halloween” by Danny Elfman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGiYxCUAhks?feature=oembed

“All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey (Okay, we know this one is obvious, but we had to include it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY?feature=oembed

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by the Glee cast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ja9JLuGryU?feature=oembed

“Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlR0MkrRklg?feature=oembed

“My Only Wish (This Year)” by Britney Spears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzumcY3lpk?feature=oembed

“Bring Me Love” by John Legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp7Y0XumBN8?feature=oembed

“Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by *NSYNC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKj92352UAE?feature=oembed

“Winter Wonderland” by Tony Bennett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD1fa8KJHdY?feature=oembed

“Christmas at Hogwarts” by John Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvfOUer3Vo?feature=oembed

“Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfF10ow4YEo?feature=oembed

“Jingle Bells” by Michael Bublé (ft. The Puppini Sisters)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx-DvH41Tjo?feature=oembed

“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” by Dean Martin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yooH-ihiZlc?feature=oembed

“The Hanukkah Song” by Adam Sandler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5Z-HpHH9g?feature=oembed

“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itcMLwMEeMQ?feature=oembed

“Last Christmas” by Cascada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HszUS98pc1c?feature=oembed

“Christmas Time Is Here” by Vince Guaraldi Trio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvI_FNrczzQ?feature=oembed

Want even more holiday music? Check out our past playlists here. Happy listening!