With 2016 basically being a giant dumpster fire, it has been pretty hard to get into the holiday spirit. With both Hanukkah and Christmas 10 days away and almost daily holiday parties, you’d think that we’d be ready for all the cheer that this season has to offer. Unfortunately some of us aren’t quite feeling festive. So what better way than to get ourselves into that ho-ho-ho mood than with 20 of our favorite holiday jams to lift our spirits?
1. “Christmas Wish” by She & Him: This sweet little carol by She & Him (AKA Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) appears on their Christmas album, which is filled with covers as well as original songs. This one is romantic and vintage-country sounding. Perfect for cozying up while drinking your eggnog.
2. “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay: This is another one of those songs for curling up by the fire and relaxing. Although it’s a little bit sad (aren’t all Coldplay songs just a little bit sad?), this is definitely one that we could listen to over and over again.
3. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey: This would not be a worthwhile list without this absolutely perfect classic song. It was recently even redone with Justin Bieber, but there’s truly noting better than the original.
4. “8 Days of Hanukkah” by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: There aren’t many Hanukkah songs, but RnB legend Sharon Jones sings this groovy song celebrating 8 days of love, which is exactly what all of us need right now.
5. “Last Christmas” by Wham!: Way back in the ’80s, English pop icon George Michael was in a band called Wham! and “Last Christmas” has been a holiday staple ever since. This song has been covered by everyone, even Tay-Tay herself, but we need to shout out the classic here.
6. “All I Need is Love” by CeeLo feat. The Muppets: How can you not love anything The Muppets are in? This is definitely one for your dance party playlist.
7. “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC: If you watched The Get Down on Netflix this year, you’re definitely rocking this Run DMC jam from back in the day while baking your cookies, right?
8. “Somewhere Only We Know” by Lily Allen: While this isn’t exactly a Christmas song, it’s moodiness and uplifting piano melody make it perfect to listen to on Christmas morning. The Brits seem to agree, since they used this song in a famous holiday commercial way back in 2013.
9. “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber: Way back before the public meltdowns, punching fans and the Selina Gomez split, Bieber was adorable, as this little holiday ditty can attest. Can we bring back cute 2011 Biebs, please?
10. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande: What can we say about Ariana Grande that hasn’t already been said? She’s constantly surprising everyone with her comedy stylings and she absolutely sleighs this song (see what we did there?).
11. “I Wish it Was Christmas Today” by Julian Casablancas and Jimmy Fallon: Way back in the early 2000s, Jimmy Fallon did a Christmas Sketch on SNL, and the song was mega catchy. Flash forward to 2009, and The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas releases the song as a single. This is definitely a classic.
12. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by *NSYNC: Before JT was JT, he was “the young one” from *NSYNC. This one gives us so many memories!
13. “Little Drummer Boy” by Pentatonix: Leave it to acapella geniuses Pentatonix to put such a catchy spin on this holiday classic. Everything they touch is pure gold, and this song is no different.
14. “Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney: We just love this Christmas song. It’s catchy, fun and perfect for any playlist
15. “Christmas Wrapping” By The Waitresses: Talk about throwback! This is one of our favorite ’80s Christmas songs. We can’t believe no one has tried to do a cover yet.
16. “Do They Know it’s Christmas (2014)” by Band Aid 30: Back in the ’80s, the original version of this song had all of the day’s top pop stars come together for the first charity single ever. In 2014, a bunch of new musicians decided to get together and release the song for a modern audience. While the new version may have more faces that you’d know, we recommend checking out the OG version.
17. “HAPPY XMAS (War is Over)” By John Lennon and Yoko Ono: If there were ever a year where this song needed a replay, 2016 would be it.
18. “The Hanukkah Song” By Adam Sandler: While this is a “comedy” song, it’s definitely one of our favorite Hanukkah songs!
19. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by U2: This is one of those songs that gets in your head, but you don’t ever complain about it. We love this old school U2 song from before the band became super mega stars.
20. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Sam Smith: This is such a haunting and romantic version of the classic song that we can’t get enough.
(Photo by James Devaney/Getty)