This week, the Billboard charts are practically overflowing with holiday classics, with decades-old songs sweeping the top positions on the Hot 100.
A stunning 16 of the top 25 spots are filled with perennial Christmas tracks, with the top 16 all occupied by beloved holiday hits. Notably, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds firm at No. 1 for a fourth consecutive week, adding to its already impressive 18 weeks at the top, earned in various stints since 2019.
The song is now in a prime position to break the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in December 2025. This success is part of a wider trend that sees holiday music dominating the charts more than ever before.
Just a year ago, Holiday Tunes held the top eight spots on the Hot 100, marking a historic high. The dominance of Christmas songs has grown year by year, with only two non-holiday songs in the top 25 this week: Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” at No. 17 and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” at No. 24. As the season progresses, it seems all but certain that these holiday tracks will continue to reign.
Beyond the Hot 100, the albums chart has also been overtaken by holiday favorites. The current No. 1 album, SZA’s SOS Deluxe: LANA, might be considered an “oldie” at this point, given that the album was originally released in 2022.
However, the expanded version of the album, which now includes 38 tracks, has propelled it back to the top of the Billboard 200, extending its reign with a record-setting 11 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Without the boost from streaming and deluxe editions, Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, which has consistently charted during the holiday season, would likely be sitting at No. 1 again.
Instead, it has moved from No. 5 to No. 2, with Bing Crosby’s Ultimate Christmas following closely behind at No. 3. Other familiar holiday albums, like Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song and Frank Sinatra’s Ultimate Christmas, are also holding steady in the top 10. This dominance by nostalgic holiday albums showcases a clear shift in how the season’s music is consumed in the streaming era, with these classic songs continuing to find an audience year after year.
The holiday charts have evolved drastically with streaming’s influence, allowing us to see which songs have become permanent fixtures in the holiday music canon. Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” which debuted in 2014, reached its highest-ever position this week at No. 5, surpassing songs like Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” which dropped to No. 6. Similarly, Kelly Clarkson’s 2013 hit “Underneath the Tree” also made its first appearance in the top 10, showing its growth over the years. These songs, once considered newer holiday tracks, have now found their place alongside Christmas staples like Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Meanwhile, some older hits have faded slightly, such as José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” and Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which are losing ground in the rankings. As these songs evolve and compete with each other, the Holiday 100 chart reveals which ones are fading from relevance and which have solidified their place in Christmas playlists for years to come.
Peoplesmind
