🌿The Stories Behind the Songs: A Cultural Christmas Playlist🌿
- Old Dogs Rock
- Dec 16, 2025
- 9 min read
Every year, as December draws closer, something tender and familiar happens across the world. Billions of people celebrate the Christmas season — some through family traditions, some through community festivals, some through food or lights or storytelling, and many through religious rituals. But millions of others enjoy the season in a completely different way: culturally, quietly, or simply because the music feels good.
Because that’s the thing about Christmas — it isn’t celebrated by everyone, and it doesn’t need to be. Yet its music still finds a way into homes, cafés, car radios, airports, grocery stores, and holiday playlists everywhere. Across continents and generations, Christmas songs have become one of the most universal December traditions on the planet. You can skip the tree, the gifts, or the holiday parties, and still find yourself humming along to something that makes you feel warm, nostalgic, or unexpectedly emotional.
Christmas music has its own history — a long, winding blend of old folk melodies, European carols, American pop reinventions, crooners, Motown, rock, jazz, and the unmistakable wave of modern holiday songs that return to the charts every year. Whether you celebrate Christmas as a sacred holiday, a cultural season, or not at all, the music carries stories we’ve all touched at some point in our lives: longing, joy, memory, hope, home. It’s one of the few musical traditions that truly crosses borders, beliefs, and backgrounds.
And so — in the spirit of that shared soundtrack — we’ve curated a Christmas playlist filled with some of our favorites. Our playlist includes 29 songs totaling 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 19 seconds of pure Christmas-song enjoyment — just click the link and press play. It’s designed for humans, old dogs, young hearts, aging souls, and anyone who just needs something soothing, something brand new, something modern and something nostalgic to drift into.
Here’s our Christmas playlist:
If you’re not on Amazon Music, no worries — here’s everything on this year’s favorite Christmas playlist so you can enjoy the magic wherever you listen.
🎄 Christmas Playlist – Full Song List (in order)
Silent Night – Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Please Come Home for Christmas – Eagles
Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) – Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal) – Vince Guaraldi Trio
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Shake Up Christmas – Train
Shake the Snow Globe (from “Oh. What. Fun.”) – Gwen Stefani
Run Rudolph Run – Sheryl Crow
A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Zooey Deschanel (from Elf)
Linus and Lucy – Vince Guaraldi Trio
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Annie Lennox
The Little Drummer Boy – The Harry Simeone Chorale
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Remastered 1999) – Frank Sinatra
Bring a Torch – Heart
The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) – Nat King Cole
O Holy Night – Martina McBride
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys
Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano
Carol of the Bells – August Burns Red
Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty
Christmas Is the Time to Say “I Love You” – Billy Squier
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
Frosty the Snowman (Remastered 2006) – Bing Crosby
Merry Christmas, Baby – Charles Brown
Better Than Snow – Norah Jones & Laufey
🎶 The Stories Behind the Songs
(A cultural journey through the holiday music we love)
Below are a handful of songs on this playlist that carry especially meaningful, quirky, or downright fascinating histories. These are the moments, the artists, and the stories that make Christmas music such a rich, cultural tapestry.
⭐ Elvis Presley — “Blue Christmas” (1957)
Recorded on September 5, 1957, with The Jordanaires and soprano Millie Kirkham, “Blue Christmas” almost didn’t happen the way we know it. Elvis wasn’t thrilled about including a cover of the song — partly because he deeply admired Ernest Tubb’s earlier country version.
So Elvis gave his vocal group permission to “be silly with it.” Millie Kirkham delivered playful, exaggerated high harmonies, and The Jordanaires leaned into intentionally quirky phrasing.
The result? A version the producers loved — unique, off-kilter, warm, and musically fascinating.
And yes, Elvis’s version truly includes “blue notes,” the signature bent tones between major and minor intervals that give blues music its emotional ache.
The song itself was written back in 1948 by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, and more than 75 years later, we’re still listening.
⭐ August Burns Red — “Carol of the Bells” (2012)
August Burns Red — a metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania — released their lightning-fast, adrenaline-packed version of “Carol of the Bells” on October 9, 2012 as part of their full holiday album.
If you love the intensity of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas in Sarajevo,” this track sits beautifully in that lane. Explosive, tight, emotional, and incredibly musical, it gives the classic Ukrainian carol a brand-new winter coat made of pure metal energy.
This is one we at Old Dogs Rock absolutely love.
⭐ Tom Petty — “Christmas All Over Again” (1992)
Released on October 20, 1992, Tom Petty wrote and recorded this song for the charity compilation A Very Special Christmas 2 — and he donated every penny of his royalties to the Special Olympics.
Because of artists like Petty, the “A Very Special Christmas” series generated over $100 million for Special Olympics programs worldwide.
Petty’s contribution isn’t just a fun holiday vibe — it’s an act of love that continues to help people to this day.
⭐ Billy Squier — “Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You” (1981)
Released on April 13, 1981, this song originally appeared on the B-side to Squier’s album Don’t Say No (with “My Kinda Lover” on the A-side). Billy wrote it himself and tucked it into the album as a heartfelt Christmas original.
This became a cultural moment. MTV launched the same year, and for its first-ever Christmas season, MTV invited Squier to perform the song live in the studio — surrounded by VJs, camera operators, producers, and executives singing along.
That video became iconic, symbolizing the early family-feel of MTV in its golden era. And now that MTV is effectively gone, the moment feels even more nostalgic and historically significant.
We think this song should be played more. It’s joyful, simple, and true. Christmas IS a time to say I love you.
⭐ Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
Brenda Lee — “Little Miss Dynamite” — was one of the most dominant artists of the 1960s, earning 47 U.S. chart hits that placed her just behind Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Ray Charles, and ultimately becoming Billboard’s Top Female Artist of the Decade. She wasn’t just sharing space with giants — she regularly outperformed them, even headlining tours where The Beatles opened for her in their early years. In 1964, she released the single “Is It True”, recorded in London with a young Jimmy Page (long before Led Zeppelin) playing lead guitar and experimenting with early wah-style effects. The song became a Top-20 hit in both the U.S. and the UK, a testament to her global pull.
And then there is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Recorded in 1958 when she was just 13 years old, Brenda delivered a vocal so confident and seasoned that most listeners assumed she was an adult. The song grew into a phenomenon: over 15 million copies sold, Grammy Hall of Fame recognition, multi-platinum certifications, and more than 1 billion streams today. In 2023 — 65 years after its release — it finally hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Brenda the oldest artist in history to top the chart. Her Christmas classic isn’t just festive fun; it’s a landmark in American music, powered by a teen who could stand toe-to-toe with legends and often beat them.
⭐ Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone — “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (from the soundtrack of the movie Elf)
Leon Redbone’s voice sounds like it was broadcast straight from a 1920s radio — rich, warm, old-world. And in the film Elf, he wasn’t just singing… he was the voice of the Snowman, too.
Zooey Deschanel? She can sing, act, write songs, play piano, play ukulele — there’s not much she can’t do. And she does it all with charm and ease.
Redbone’s career took off in the 1970s after Bob Dylan raved about him in Rolling Stone. That exposure led to record deals, TV appearances, and theme songs for Mr. Belvedere and Harry and the Hendersons.
The song itself was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser — and remains one of the most recognizable winter duets in history.
⭐ Charles Brown — “Merry Christmas, Baby” (1947)
Released in 1947, this blues classic is a pillar of Christmas music.
Charles Brown was a classically trained pianist with a chemistry degree, known for his smooth, soulful delivery. More than 80 artists have covered this song — including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, and Christina Aguilera.
Brown is honored in both the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he often performed “Merry Christmas, Baby” year-round because he believed it was timeless.
We agree. It absolutely is.
⭐ Vince Guaraldi — “Christmas Time Is Here” & “Linus and Lucy” (1965)
Few Christmas songs have shaped the emotional feel of the season the way Vince Guaraldi’s have.
Guaraldi — a jazz pianist and composer — recorded these now-iconic pieces for the 1965 album A Charlie Brown Christmas. He played piano, with Fred Marshall on double bass, Jerry Granelli on drums, and the children’s choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael lending their soft voices to “Christmas Time Is Here.”
This album is now:
5x Platinum
in the Grammy Hall of Fame
preserved in the National Recording Registry
It is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential Christmas albums ever recorded — timeless, tender, and instantly recognizable.
⭐ José Feliciano — “Feliz Navidad” (1970)
Released on November 9, 1970, this joyful song was written and recorded by José Montserrate Feliciano García, born in Puerto Rico and blind from birth due to congenital glaucoma.
José learned instruments entirely by ear. His family moved to Harlem when he was five, and by age nine he was performing in theaters to help support them.
A true multi-skilled musician. Playing guitar, drums, piano, singing, mastering multiple latin instruments and so much more.
He gained global fame with his soulful, acoustic cover of The Doors’ “Light My Fire”, and performed a groundbreaking Latin jazz version of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 1968 World Series.
He has always said the staying power of “Feliz Navidad” — more than 50 years strong — comes from its simplicity and its joy. It was written to bring people together. And it truly still does.
⭐ Gwen Stefani — “Shake the Snow Globe” (2025)
Lastly, we wanted to add something a little new. Gwen Stefani released “Shake the Snow Globe” on November 5, 2025, and it immediately gave us that warm, nostalgic sparkle we love in a Christmas song. It’s simple and happy — exactly what a modern holiday track should be. The song appears in the film Oh. What. Fun. and was also included on Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas album.
🎄 A Closer Look at Our Image: A Christmas Scene Filled With Musical Meaning
Our image is more than a cozy vintage Christmas scene—it’s a visual love letter to the musicians and songs woven throughout this playlist. The vintage Christmas tree honors the great crooners who helped define the sound of the season: Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters, Dean Martin, Burl Ives, Vince Guaraldi, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Gene Autry. The tree’s blue tinsel pays tribute to Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” while the Eagle ornament represents The Eagles’ classic “Please Come Home for Christmas.” The MTV-style ornament celebrates Billy Squier’s iconic performance on MTV’s very first Christmas. A playful surfer ornament nods to The Beach Boys’ “Little Saint Nick,” and topping the tree is a glowing torch—placed instead of a traditional star—to honor Heart’s beautiful song “Bring a Torch.”
Under the tree, we gathered as many of Tom Petty’s Christmas wishes as we could—from his checklist at the end of “Christmas All Over Again”: a Chuck Berry songbook, a xylophone, a Rickenbacker-style guitar, and two Fender Bassmans (not exactly the ones he listed, but we tried!). The mini drum set honors the timeless “Little Drummer Boy,” while the rocking horse is a wink to Brenda Lee, who is still “rockin’ around the Christmas tree” 65 years later. On the mantel, our favorite red-nosed reindeer and snowman figures celebrate the childhood Christmas songs we grew up with. And finally, the glowing fireplace symbolizes the warm, cozy energy of songs like Norah Jones & Laufey’s “Better Than Snow” and the bluesy, intimate classics from Nat King Cole and Charles Brown.
Every piece in this scene carries meaning—just like every song on our playlist.
❤️ A Closing Note From Old Dogs Rock
Christmas can be a season of sparkling joy — and it can also be a season of quiet ache. Maybe even both for some. Here at Old Dogs Rock, we understand that deeply. That’s why we believe so fiercely in the healing power of music. Music lifts, it settles, it comforts, it steadies… it reminds us of who we are and who we’ve loved. Whether your holidays are loud and bright or gentle and bittersweet, we hope this playlist brings you warmth in exactly the way you need it. We have giant hearts here at Old Dogs Rock, and our wish for you this year is simple: fill your days with love. Love for others, love for yourself, love for your pets — just love.
From our hearts to yours… Merry Everything.
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