40 Sad Christmas Songs, From Classic Heartbreak to Missing Someone

What is the saddest Christmas song?

Many people name "The Christmas Shoes" by NewSong, about a little boy buying shoes for his dying mother, as the song that makes them cry every year. Other classics of holiday sadness are "Blue Christmas", "River" by Joni Mitchell and "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg, about running into an old love in a grocery store on Christmas Eve. And "I'll Be Home for Christmas", written for soldiers far from home during World War II, still lands hard.

Classic sad Christmas songs

1. "Blue Christmas", Elvis Presley: a holiday without the one you love.
2. "I'll Be Home for Christmas", Bing Crosby: written for soldiers who could not go home.
3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", Judy Garland: a brave smile in a hard year.
4. "River", Joni Mitchell: wanting to skate away from a breakup at Christmas.
5. "Merry Christmas, Darling", The Carpenters: missing someone on the holiday.
6. "Please Come Home for Christmas", Charles Brown: a blues plea, later covered by the Eagles.
7. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", Darlene Love: longing at full volume.
8. "Pretty Paper", Willie Nelson: about a street vendor everyone hurries past.
9. "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot", Nat King Cole: a child with no presents.
10. "Christmas Time Is Here", Vince Guaraldi Trio: gentle and wistful.

Sad pop and rock Christmas songs

11. "Last Christmas", Wham!: a heart given away and given back.
12. "Fairytale of New York", The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl: a couple's broken dreams (ask for the radio edit).
13. "Christmas Lights", Coldplay: lonely on Christmas Eve.
14. "Same Old Lang Syne", Dan Fogelberg: meeting an old love by chance.
15. "Snowman", Sia: a love that might melt.
16. "2000 Miles", The Pretenders: missing someone far away.
17. "Stay Another Day", East 17: a goodbye that became a Christmas number one in the UK.
18. "Lonely This Christmas", Mud: a 70s ballad about being alone.
19. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", John Lennon and Yoko Ono: hope with an ache in it.
20. "December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)", George Michael: wistful and warm.

Modern and indie sad Christmas songs

21. "Winter Song", Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson: love in a cold season.
22. "Wintertime", Norah Jones: quiet and melancholy.
23. "The Heartache Can Wait", Brandi Carlile: putting grief aside for one night.
24. "Merry Christmas, Please Don't Call", Bleachers: a holiday breakup song.
25. "Better Days", Goo Goo Dolls: a hopeful wish in a hard year.
26. "Where Are You Christmas?", Faith Hill: looking for the feeling you used to have.
27. "Christmases When You Were Mine", Taylor Swift: the first Christmas after a breakup.

Sad country Christmas songs

28. "If We Make It Through December", Merle Haggard: a laid-off father trying to make Christmas happen.
29. "Hard Candy Christmas", Dolly Parton: getting by when the year has been hard.
30. "Christmas in Heaven", Scotty McCreery: imagining loved ones celebrating above.
31. "The Christmas Shoes", NewSong: the song about a little boy and a pair of shoes.
32. "Christmas in Prison", John Prine: wry and lonely.
33. "Grown-Up Christmas List", Amy Grant: wishing for peace instead of presents.

Quiet faith songs for a hard Christmas

34. "Mary, Did You Know?", Mark Lowry, also recorded by Pentatonix: a moving question.
35. "Silent Night": the gentlest carol.
36. "O Holy Night": hope in a weary world.
37. "Christmas Song", Dave Matthews Band: a somber retelling of the Christmas story.

Songs about missing someone at Christmas

38. "I Want to Come Home for Christmas", Marvin Gaye: written from the view of a prisoner of war.
39. "Song for a Winter's Night", Gordon Lightfoot: longing for someone far away.
40. "Somewhere in My Memory", John Williams: the Home Alone theme, pure nostalgia.

Songs for the first Christmas without someone

The first Christmas after a loss is often the hardest day of the year. "Christmas in Heaven", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "The Heartache Can Wait" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" give people permission to feel sad and still be together. Some families play the person's favorite carol at dinner and leave a candle lit at their place. For gift ideas, see our guide to the first Christmas without a loved one and gifts for someone having a hard year.

Sad Christmas songs to cry to

If you need a good cry, these are the songs people say get them every time: "The Christmas Shoes", "Christmas in Heaven", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Same Old Lang Syne" and "Hard Candy Christmas". Put them on with the lights low and a box of tissues nearby, then follow with "Better Days" when you are ready to come back.

Sad Christmas songs about a little boy

Two songs answer this search: "The Christmas Shoes" by NewSong, about a boy buying shoes for his mother on Christmas Eve, and "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot", a 1937 song recorded by Nat King Cole and Vera Lynn about a child who wakes up with nothing under the tree.

Songs for a Christmas memorial slideshow

For a holiday memorial video, open with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" over old family photos, move to "Christmas in Heaven" and close with "Silent Night" or "O Holy Night". Three songs cover about 150 photos.

Why do we love sad Christmas songs?

The holidays put everything in sharper focus: who is at the table, who is not, how the year really went. A sad song does not deny that. It sits with you for three minutes and then lets you go back to the party. Many of the most-played Christmas songs, from "Blue Christmas" to "Last Christmas", are secretly sad, which is part of why they last.

Sad Christmas songs about breakups

For a first Christmas single, "Last Christmas", "River", "Merry Christmas, Please Don't Call", "Christmases When You Were Mine" and "Blue Christmas" are the soundtrack. Follow them with something brighter, like "Better Days", to end the night on a hopeful note.

How to get through a sad Christmas

• Let yourself feel it. A sad song and a good cry can help more than pretending.
• Keep one tradition that connects you to the person you miss.
• Reach out. Send a song to someone who might be struggling too.
• Ask for help if the sadness feels too heavy; you do not have to carry it alone.

A Christmas song for someone you miss

Every song above is about someone else's Christmas. A personalized song can be about yours: the person who is not at the table this year, the way they decorated the tree, the cookies they burned and the carol they always sang off-key. Families play it on Christmas Eve to keep them close. See our memorial service songs and our sentimental Christmas gift ideas.

How to create a Christmas song in memory of someone

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: acoustic, piano ballad, country, gospel-inspired and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three Christmas memories, each with one concrete detail.
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 the family can share and the lyrics as a PDF.

Keep them part of Christmas: create a song in their memory and hear four previews for free.