The Bestest Christmas Songs of 2025

Making a list is SO Christmas, that's why I round up of all the bestest tracks every season (according to me). I left out the covers, I tried to pick only songs that were released this year. There is a Spotify playlist HERE with over 35 songs.
No trend really stood out this year, apart from the Sad Girl Xmas songs that just kept on coming. There were French tracks, punk anthems, alt rock gems, Dutchies getting involved, covers, electronics, reworks, KNP released an album, so dit THE TOOTH. In fact, A LOT to enjoy, really.

Here are some of the highlights of 2025:

* The bestest of the best is King Hüsky's December95. Already wrote a post about that song, that Jim/Christmas Underground posted first. And every time I played it, it just got better. It's the melody, it's the structure, it's the solo (very much the solo), the nostalgia in the lyrics, the voices, the sped up ending. It just stays interesting, ticks all the right boxes. It's good. Very good.


* Like last year, there was a lot of talk about how AI influences (some say: destroys) music in general and Christmas music especially. The way and the speed in which SoundCloud and Bandcamp clog with slop is astonishing, and fearsome. But you can put it to use in a good way. Now, we're not 100 procent sure that Guiville used an app for this track, but there are signs (no trace of the singer online). As we said earlier, it still is a catchy, driving song that binds all the good elements of indie Xmas:

Guiville · Snow Keeps Falling Anyway (Feat. Tracey Phillips)

* CAGG loves to push Dutch artists. We know that our mostly English speaking audience doesn't understand one iota of the lyrics of, say, Clean Pete, but is that really a problem? You DO recognise that this song, by Roos Rebergen & Lars Kroon, is one heck of a fierce stormer, no? Of all the good Xmas stuff from Holland this year (here, here, here) 'In Hemelsnaam' (For Heaven's Sake) stood out proudly. Wij doen niet moeilijk:


* We're proud members of the Snowflakes Singles Club, a Dutch initiative with a fantastic output. To pick one song is almost criminal, but this Silver Biplanes original is making us want to built a rocket:

* Marqui wrote on this blog: 'Cheerful jangle-pop, sleigh bells, a late eighties crystalline sound with great singing (think Miki Berenyi and more recent Lana del Rey) and that typical Christmassy feel', when he was talking 'bout 'A Wild Christmas, We Broke Santa' by Shapes Like People:

Shapes Like People · A Wild Christmas, We Broke Santa

* Bringing your loved one to the family, we've all been there, right? Fanny Bloom wrote a song about it, in French. And Natasha wrote about it: 'It's happy yet reserved, painting the picture of presenting your significant other to your family at Christmas, a litmus test for so many relationships.' The outcome is pleasant:

* ...but for some, it's rather unpleasant to bring a partner home for Christmas. Let Brayden tell you why (and read about him here):

* Spotted on Christmas Underground first, and fell in love with it instantly. Reminiscent of The Blue Nile, Elbow, this gorgeous song from a gorgeous album:


* Kristian Noel Pedersen, we're not worthy. You give us a Christmas album every year for over 15 years (!!), and we eat 'm up like turkey with gravy. And this is just one of the highlights on the recent lp:

* Drenched in seasonal melancholia, and in glorious sno-fi, this Martyrs track, from a wonderful EP;

And that's just ten highligts. There were more. Just scroll back on this blog.