35 Best 80s Christmas Songs, from Wham! and Band Aid to Run-DMC

What is the most popular 80s Christmas song?

"Last Christmas" by Wham! is the most popular 80s Christmas song: released in 1984, it returns to the charts every December and is one of the most-streamed holiday songs of all time. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid, released the same year, is the other defining song of the decade. For a party, "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses and "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues are the favorites of people who know their 80s music.

The biggest 80s Christmas hits

1. "Last Christmas", Wham! (1984): the decade's definitive Christmas song.
2. "Do They Know It's Christmas?", Band Aid (1984): the charity single that started a movement.
3. "Christmas Wrapping", The Waitresses (1981): a new wave story of a holiday romance that almost did not happen.
4. "Fairytale of New York", The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl (1987): a bittersweet duet, best known in its radio edit.
5. "Thank God It's Christmas", Queen (1984): a big, warm rock ballad.
6. "Driving Home for Christmas", Chris Rea: the song for everyone stuck in holiday traffic.
7. "Merry Christmas Everyone", Shakin' Stevens (1985): bright, bouncy and very British.
8. "Mistletoe and Wine", Cliff Richard (1988): a gentle carol-style hit.
9. "Christmas Time", Bryan Adams (1985): heartland rock for the holidays.
10. "2000 Miles", The Pretenders (1983): a song about missing someone far away.

80s rock and new wave Christmas songs

11. "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy", Bing Crosby and David Bowie: recorded for a 1977 TV special and released as a single in 1982.
12. "Another Lonely Christmas", Prince (1984): a B-side ballad fans still seek out every year.
13. "Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You", Billy Squier (1981): famous for its MTV staff singalong video.
14. "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)", Ramones (1989): punk with a soft heart.
15. "Christmas at Ground Zero", "Weird Al" Yankovic (1986): a cheerful-sounding Cold War joke.
16. "Christmas Vacation", Mavis Staples (1989): the theme from the National Lampoon movie.

Songs from A Very Special Christmas (1987)

This all-star album, made to benefit the Special Olympics, produced more lasting 80s Christmas songs than any single artist:

17. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", U2: a rock version of the Darlene Love classic.
18. "Do You Hear What I Hear?", Whitney Houston: a soaring vocal performance.
19. "Santa Baby", Madonna: a playful update of the Eartha Kitt song.
20. "Gabriel's Message", Sting: a quiet, ancient-sounding carol.
21. "Winter Wonderland", Eurythmics: Annie Lennox with a synth twist.
22. "Merry Christmas Baby", Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: a bluesy live romp.
23. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", John Cougar Mellencamp: fun and loose.
24. "Little Drummer Boy", Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band: a heartland rock take.
25. "Christmas in Hollis", Run-DMC: the hip-hop Christmas classic.
26. "Silent Night", Stevie Nicks: hushed and haunting.

80s country Christmas songs

27. "Christmas in Dixie", Alabama (1982): a Southern Christmas, town by town.
28. "Hard Candy Christmas", Dolly Parton (1982): about getting by on a lean holiday.
29. "With Bells On", Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (1984): a cheerful duet.

80s Christmas songs from the UK charts and the movies

30. "Stop the Cavalry", Jona Lewie (1980): a brass-band anti-war song that became a UK Christmas favorite.
31. "A Winter's Tale", David Essex (1982): a wistful winter ballad.
32. "Walking in the Air", Aled Jones (1985): the song from The Snowman.
33. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", Annie Lennox and Al Green (1988): from the movie Scrooged.
34. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", Bruce Springsteen: a 1975 live recording released in 1985 that became a radio staple.
35. "Jingle Bell Rock", Daryl Hall and John Oates (1983): known for its tongue-in-cheek video.

Why the 80s made so many Christmas classics

Three things came together. MTV turned Christmas songs into videos people waited for each December. Charity projects like Band Aid and A Very Special Christmas brought the biggest stars into one studio. And radio stations began switching to all-Christmas formats, which kept these songs in rotation for the next forty years.

How to build an 80s Christmas party playlist

• Open with the big ones: "Last Christmas", "Christmas Wrapping" and "Jingle Bell Rock".
• Raise the energy: "Merry Christmas Everyone", "Christmas in Hollis" and "Santa Baby".
• Sing together: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and "Thank God It's Christmas" work best when everyone joins in.
• Slow it down at the end: "2000 Miles", "Another Lonely Christmas" and "Walking in the Air".

Thirty songs fill about two hours. For more party ideas, see our Christmas dance songs and Christmas karaoke songs.

80s Christmas songs for karaoke

The easiest 80s Christmas songs to sing are "Last Christmas", "Merry Christmas Everyone" and "Jingle Bell Rock". For a duet, "Fairytale of New York" and "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy" split nicely between two voices. Save "Do You Hear What I Hear?" for the strongest singer in the room.

Funny and sad 80s Christmas songs

For laughs, "Christmas at Ground Zero" and "Christmas Vacation" are the decade's best. For a quieter mood, "2000 Miles", "Hard Candy Christmas" and "Another Lonely Christmas" hit the bittersweet side of the season. More in our lists of funny Christmas songs and sad Christmas songs.

Christmas songs from the 70s and 90s

The 80s sit between two other great decades for holiday music. The 70s gave us "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", "Feliz Navidad" and "Wonderful Christmastime"; the 90s gave us "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. See our lists of 70s Christmas songs and 90s Christmas songs.

A Christmas song with an 80s sound, about your family

If your family loves the 80s, a personalized Christmas song in a pop or rock style can sound like it came straight from that decade, with your names, your traditions and the year's best moments in the lyrics. It makes a fun gift to play on Christmas morning. See our guide to a Christmas song for the family.

For the top 100 across every style and decade, see our list of the greatest Christmas songs of all time.

How to create a Christmas song for your family

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: pop, rock, country, acoustic and more.
2. Add the names of everyone in the song.
3. Share three moments from this year and your favorite family traditions.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $24.99, or $29.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give your family their own Christmas hit: create a song and hear four previews for free.