The Christmas oldies listed below cover all the major pop genres (i.e., traditional, R&B, country, doo wop, novelty/comedy, and rock & roll) and vary widely in mood. Debut years as obtained from Billboard chart and other data are shown below. For each song, the debut year usually corresponds to when it was first heard on the radio, typically around late November to early December of that year. Many Christmas oldies charted more than once, the most notable example being the perennial "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.
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1945
- Christmas Carols By The Old Corral - Tex Ritter
(Country chart hit.) - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Vaughn Monroe
(Topped the pop charts in 1945.)
1947
- Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Mabel Scott
(R&B chart hit.) - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bing Crosby
(Flip side of of "White Christmas" (Decca 23778).) - Merry Christmas, Baby - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (With Charles Brown)
(R&B chart hit.) - White Christmas - Bing Crosby
(Bing Crosby first recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" for the Holiday Inn soundtrack in 1942, and it topped the charts that same year. This earlier version can be found on the The Very Best of Bing Crosby Christmas CD. "White Christmas" was re-recorded in 1947 (Decca 23778) and it charted thereafter for 20 Christmas seasons. This later version is the one that was heard on the radio throughout most of the late 1940s through mid 1980s. Both versions were recorded with the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter's Orchestra.) - (It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas - Orioles
(R&B chart hit.)
1948
- All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth - Spike Jones & His City Slickers
(Topped the pop charts.)
1949
- Blue Christmas - Ernest Tubb
(Country chart topper.) - Here Comes Santa Claus - Gene Autry
(Flip side of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.") - Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby - Amos Milburn
(R&B chart hit.) - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
(Topped the pop and country charts in 1949. Recharted several times in the 1950s.) - Will Santy Come To Shanty Town - Eddy Arnold
(Country chart hit.)
1953
- Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
(Pop chart hit. Performed with Henri Rene & His Orchestra.)
1954
- Silent Night - Bing Crosby
(Flip side of "Adeste Fideles" (Decca 23777).) - There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays - Perry Como
- White Christmas - Drifters Featuring Clyde McPhatter And Bill Pinckney
(R&B chart hit.)
1955
- Nuttin' For Christmas - Art Mooney & His Orchestra With Barry Gordon
- Nuttin' For Christmas - Stan Freberg
1956
1957
- Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
- Little Sandy Sleighfoot - Jimmy Dean
- Silver Bells - Bing Crosby & Carol Richards
1958
- Donde Esta Santa Claus? (Where Is Santa Claus?) - Augie Rios
- Green Chri$tma$ - Stan Freberg
- Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
- The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - David Seville & The Chipmunks
- The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
1959
1960
- Adeste Fideles (Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful) - Bing Crosby
(Decca 23777) - Christmas Auld Lang Syne - Bobby Darin
- Faith Of Our Fathers - Bing Crosby
(Previously recorded in 1947. Flip side of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (Decca 23779) which was a minor hit in 1960.) - Please Come Home For Christmas - Charles Brown
- Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
- Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - Melodeers
- The Christmas Song - Nat "King" Cole
(The original version of this beloved chestnut as performed by the King Cole Trio charted in 1946 on Capitol 311. A newer version was released in 1954, and in 1960, another version was released on Capitol 3561 which charted throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and most of the 1980s.) - Twistin' Bells - Santo & Johnny
1961
1962
- Baby It's Cold Outside - Ray Charles & Betty Carter
- Monster's Holiday - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - 4 Seasons
- Santa Claus Is Watching You - Ray Stevens
(Backing vocals provided by the Merry Melody Singers.)
1963
- Christmas Song - Andy Williams
(B-side of "White Christmas.") - Do You Hear What I Hear? - Bing Crosby
(Recorded with the Ralph Carmichael Chorus and Orchestra (Capitol 5088).) - Gee Whiz, It's Christmas - Carla Thomas
- Little Saint Nick - Beach Boys
- Pretty Paper - Roy Orbison
- The Twelve Gifts of Christmas - Allan Sherman
(Spoof on "The Twelve Days Of Christmas.") - White Christmas - Andy Williams
- You're All I Want for Christmas - Brook Benton
1964
- A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
- Amen - Impressions
- Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
- Christmas Celebration - B.B. King
- Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day - Brenda Lee
- Jingle Bell Rock - Brenda Lee
- The Man With All the Toys - Beach Boys
- This Time Of The Year - Brenda Lee
1965
- Do You Hear What I Hear? - Andy Williams
- May You Always - Harry Harrison
(Harry Harrison was an institution in New York radio. In 1959, Harrison joined the then-famous WMCA as one of the "Good Guys." While at WMCA he recorded "May You Always" which became a Christmas chart hit in December of 1965. From 1968-1979 he was the morning drive air personality at WABC. He then became the "Morning Mayor" for WCBS-FM in 1980 where he remained until 2003.) - Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy - Buck Owens
- The Children's Christmas Song - Supremes
- The Real Meaning Of Christmas - Ray Conniff
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Me - Supremes
1966
- Silver Bells - Earl Grant
- The Christmas Song - James Brown
1967
- Snoopy's Christmas - Royal Guardsmen
- The Little Drummer Boy - Lou Rawls
1968
- Christmas Blues - Canned Heat
- Christmas Is For Children - Glen Campbell
- Christmas Shopping - Buck Owens
- Merry Christmas, Baby - Otis Redding
- Stay Away - Elvis Presley
(A breezy remake of "Greensleeves" with different words.)
1969
1970
- Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano
- Merry Christmas Darling - Carpenters
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Jackson 5
1971
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band With The Harlem Community Choir
- Jingle Bells - Singing Dogs
- Santa Claus And His Old Lady - Cheech & Chong
1972
1973
- If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard
- Step Into Christmas - Elton John
1975
1983
1984
- Christmas Is the Time to Say "I Love You" - Billy Squier
(Originally released as the B-side of "My Kinda Lover" (1982).) - Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
(All-star benefit recording to assist famine relief in Ethiopia.) - Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
1985
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen
1992
- Sleigh Ride - TLC
1993
1997
- All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
