Christmastime is here again, and it’s a time of joy and thankfulness, right? It should be – but when you’re surrounded by a world more inclined to celebrate jingle bells over Jesus, you can feel like everyone has forgotten the reason for the season! But, if you pause and look around, you’ll find that you’re not alone in wanting to find festive meaning. To help you find just that, we’ve pulled together 19 Christian Christmas songs that know what this time of year is truly about.
Our Favorite Christmas Music
These worshipful SpotifyⓇ tracks from some of our favorite Christian music artists represent the best kind of Christmas songs. They’re joyful and warm (and catchy!) but they also know what matters: family, love, and above all, the miracle of His birth.
From us to you, Merry Christmas. We hope it is a season full of love, peace, and light.
19 Christian Christmas Songs
1. Steven Curtis Chapman – Christmas Time Again (2012)
Best lyric: ‘’We’re gonna thank God for His gift of love this Christmas’’
Toe-tappingly festive, and with a beautiful message, this is a modern Christmas classic. Chapman has won 5 Grammys and 58 Dove awards, and here he puts all that talent into a Christmas song that wraps up family, friends, tradition, and God into one very festive gift.
2. Unspoken – Feliz Navidad (2013)
Best lyric: ‘’The greatest gift you’ll ever know/Is the Savior born in a manger/Pointing us home’’
In Feliz Navidad, Unspoken take one of the most famous Christmas songs, and use it to remind us that our souls won’t be soothed with a shopping list. Instead, true peace comes from remembering that baby whose birth brought the world so much joy.
3. Francesca Battistelli – Heaven Everywhere (2012)
Best lyric: ‘’It’s funny how it takes a holiday/To show us how the world could truly change’’
Another song that samples traditional Christmas music to tell a modern story, Heaven Everywhere is a truly inspirational track. It perfectly captures that warm festive feeling, where you’re surrounded by loving and giving and reminded of His Grace working here on Earth.
4. Ryan Stevenson – This Christmas Eve (2017)
Best lyric: ‘’Even though it’s been cold/Our love is gonna keep us warm’’
A very cute Christmas love song, this is a tune for anyone needing to remember that this season isn’t about material goods. Gifts are nice, but what really matters is love, and the best present you can give your loved ones is your presence. It’s a little corny, but oh-so-true.
5. Brandon Heath – The Day After Thanksgiving (2013)
Best lyric: ‘’Angel on top of a tall tree glisten/Wrap it all up in a pretty red ribbon/The day after Thanksgiving’’
Have someone in your life who complains that Christmas is creeping earlier every year? This fun song might be their ultimate festive track! Brandon Heath isn’t a Grinch – he loves the season’s meaningful cheer. But, to keep it special, he asks we wait until after Thanksgiving!
6. Matthew West – Join The Angels (2016)
Best lyric: ‘’Brother, let me tell you why I can’t stop singin’/The Lord is come’’
Looking for catchy Christmas music? This song will have you humming its melody long after it stops playing. Matthew West’s lyrics are as joyful as the tune, and a timely reminder that His birth doesn’t have to be all solemn worship. Instead, let’s celebrate and praise the Lord!
7. Sidewalk Prophets – Merry Christmas To You (2013)
Best lyric: ‘’Above it all the angels sing/Glory, glory to the King/Merry Christmas to you.’’
Continuing the happy festive theme is this song from Sidewalk Prophets’ 2013 Christmas album. This is such a praise-worthy, joyful song that it’s a challenge not to chime in on the chorus. We say, join in! All together now – ‘sing it! A Merry Christmas to you!’.
8. Shelley E, Johnson – Christmas is Beautiful (2017)
Best lyric: ‘’It seems the world may know, if only for a moment/The joy of Heaven’s hope, That flickers in the fire’s glow’’
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Christmas is Beautiful is a love song rather than a festive track. After all the chorus says that ‘it’s all because of you.’’ However, you soon realize that this love is directed towards Jesus, whose arrival was the catalyst so much seasonal beauty.
10. Matt Maher – Little Merry Christmas (2018)
Best lyric: It’s such a wonderful life we got right here/There’s no present like the moment‘’
At this time of the year, we’re surrounded by the message that excess is good. We need more food, more gifts, more more more. But, as Matt Maher points out, stuff doesn’t matter. Moments do. Spend the holidays with people who you love, and you won’t need much else.
10. Chris August – Jesus, Savior (2014)
Best lyric: ‘’Our salvation has a name/ Jesus, Saviour, Precious Lord of Everything’’
With Jesus, Savior, Chris August has managed to pull off a great feat: in one song he manages to tell the whole Christmas story. And not only that, he has made it ínto a bop. This is Christmas music as it should be – happy, thankful, and worshipful. Play it on repeat!
11. OBB – Christmas Card to You (2014)
Best lyric: ‘’I just wanted to say/ Merry Christmas, I hope you share love/His hope is with us’’
This Christmas song is a call to service for Christians everywhere. This season, it’s not enough to sit back and let the trimmings of December come to you. Instead, actively look for small moments of joy, create the peace you want to see, and always give more than you get.
12. Danny Gokey – What Christmas Means to Me (2015)
Best lyric: ‘’I see your smilin’ face/Like I never seen before’’
A rocking, rolling take on the carol, this track is perfect for anyone in love this December (especially those experiencing the joy of a first Christmas together). In a season full of things to celebrate, love is still very special – in this case, special enough to need its own song.
13. JJ Heller – Oh, To See Christmas (2016)
Best lyric: ‘’Oh, to see Christmas/With our eyes open wide/It’s my favorite time of the year’’
Feeling like you just can’t find the seasonal spirit? JJ Heller’s sweet, family-focused solution is to spend time with some kids. Their wide-eyed wonder will remind you how lovely this time of year is. Emulating their sense of joy makes even a simple drive around town feel festive.
14. Unspoken – Christmas Everyday (2016)
Best lyric: ‘’All year we should remember/Remember how blessed we are’’
In many Christmas songs, the concept of Christmas everyday means presents and snow and lights existing year-round. Here, it’s a much more meaningful idea; where love and generosity aren’t confined to December, and we remember our blessings all year long.
15. Folk Angel – Star of the East (2016)
Best lyric: ‘’Faithful and pure, thy raised me to see/Shining your light over the gray’’
In this unusual carol, traditional Christian lyrics meet contemporary folk music – and it really, really works. The star here is not just a signal of Christ’s birth, it is a metaphor for God’s eternal promise of hope. It will never stop shining, even if the going gets tough.
16. Phil Wickham – Christmas Time (2011)
Best lyric: ‘’All the faithful now have come/to join and sing these Christmas songs/Let them ring!’’’
No matter how you like to worship, there’s something uplifting about singing praises as a group. And, at Christmastime, that feeling is doubled. That same sense of elation runs all through this track – listening to it is a great way to feel like you’re part of something bigger.
17. Jason Gray – Baby King (2017)
Best lyric: ‘’He changes everything, come see the baby King/ Ring every bell, this is the birthday of Jesus ‘’
The routines of the festive season can sometimes lead to taking the miracle of His birth for granted. If you ever fear that you’re heading down that path, then this is the perfect song to get you back on track. From the first note, it reminds you to open your heart and love Him.
18. Hillsong Worship – Born is the King (It’s Christmas) (2015)
Best lyric: Born is the King,rejoice in the day/ It’s Christmas’’
Hillsong Worship are known for their uplifting tunes that can encourage even the shyest among us to sing out loud, and this track is no exception. Stomp your feet, whistle the tune, and above all, sing along – it’s Christmas and the Prince of Peace has come!
19. Lincoln Brewster – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! (2012)
Best lyric: ‘’Light and life to all He brings/Ris’n with healing in His wings’’
We close this playlist with a modern spin on one of the all-time best Christmas songs. It’s such a beloved part of the holidays that just about everyone knows the words – Christian or not! But you’ve never heard it quite like this. Rocky, poppy, and the epitome of glad tidings, this song builds and builds to a joyful chorus that will carry you through the festive season with gratefulness in your heart. Merry Christmas to all!
You may also be interested in: Our First Christmas Together: Celebrating the Holidays in a New Relationship