For the past 30 years, Mariah Carey has dominated the with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Her reign, which appears to be never-ending, doesn’t allow a new song to take the coveted top spot. Except for Michael Bublé, most Christmas songs on the are from 20th-century artists like Wham!, Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms, Nat ‘King’ Cole, and more. This begs the question: is there still room for a new Christmas song, or are we doomed to listen to Mariah Carey year after year?
The answer to that question is tricky.
Even though Billboard changed its to prevent chart stagnation, the annual resurgence of on music streaming services leads to old Christmas songs continuously monopolizing the top of the Billboard Holiday 100 chart. In the past, popular songs could stay at the top of Billboard charts because of user on streaming services and constant radio airplay. Now, hit songs leave the chart after a set number of weeks. For example, if a song drops below No. 5 after 78 weeks, it’s removed from the Hot 100. The same goes for a song falling short of No. 10 after 52 weeks, it leaves the chart. If a song drops below No. 25 after 26 weeks, it departs the chart.
Artists, whether independent or signed to a record label, profit heavily from having their music on a prominent Christmas playlist, which gets from listeners in the holiday mood. , a playlist created by Spotify, has over 7 million saves on the streaming platform. Another playlist, , has over 3 million saves. Both playlists are curated by Spotify’s editorial team using algorithmic data based on user info. Unlike , when new songs come up, the winter season is marked by nostalgia. Many listeners prefer to celebrate the holidays by listening to songs they grew up with rather than new ones.
“When we first encounter a new piece of music, we generally don’t like it much,” Alexandra Lamont, a senior lecturer in music psychology at Keele University wrote in . “But repetition fosters liking—and repetition within a song and through repeated listening over days, weeks, and months usually boosts our liking in a fairly quick linear manner.”
This repetition is why, for many artists, taking part in the is worthwhile. According to Billboard, Christmas music brings in in annual revenue for music labels. The holiday-themed part of the music industry starts the day after Halloween and ends on Christmas.
Nov. 1 is when radio stations across the U.S. start playing Christmas music. The tradition of began in the 1930s when families gathered in living rooms to hear the New York Metropolitan Opera, and grew as Christmas radio programming became part of the war effort in the 1940s. This practice continued into the 21st century, with such as SiriusXM having channels dedicated to Christmas music.
Among those trying to craft a new Christmas classic—like —Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson are the only artists with staying power on the Holiday 100. takes a contemporary hip-hop approach, while has a feel like 1960s pop tunes by Phil Spector. Both songs are over 10 years old. Another modern addition to Christmas music is , who overtook Bublé, Carey, Cole, and Crosby as the top holiday artist in 2022. And who can forget Justin Bieber’s released when he was at the height of his teen idol popularity?
One thing these artists have in common is intense fandom. Arianators, Beliebers, Pentaholics, and Kellebrities have followed their favorite artists’ rise from their first appearance on shows like “Victorious”, “The Sing-Off”, “American Idol,” and the early days of YouTube. Their chart positions wouldn’t be possible without their fandoms’ efforts, because new holiday classics aren’t as impactful as those from the . New holiday music seems to be artists and labels leveraging a hyper-active fanbase to bring in significant year-end revenue.
This year, Sabrina Carpenter, , the Jonas Brothers, and some notable pop names have released holiday albums. Xavier “X” Jernigan, Spotify’s head of cultural partnerships, said best in a 2018 interview with : “If you create a Christmas classic and people love it, you’ll always be relevant,” he said. Another key to staying relevant is pop culture appeal.
To date, no other Christmas song has tapped into pop culture like Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It’s not for lack of effort. But streaming’s rise and the highly fragmented media landscape prevent new Christmas songs from captivating a new generation like they did decades ago.
If repetition is what our brains need to develop a longing for something over time, it’s up to us to introduce new Christmas songs into our repertoire until they’re commonplace. The reality is no one will match the fame of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” but new Christmas songs can rise alongside it.
Maybe when the first Arianators and Beliebers become parents and their holiday songs are nostalgic, there’ll be a shift. But for now, the holiday season belongs to Christmas classics.
