Christmas is just around the corner, and what’s better than festive music to get into the holiday spirit? Here at Her Campus ICU, we’re big fans of Christmas—and we’re bringing you a week of holiday themed articles to prove it! For today, we’ll be introducing some of our favorite Christmas songs for you to dance or cook or wrap presents to!
- Sarah’s Pick: Jingle Bells by Esquivel
-
My Christmas music pick is this bossa nova style cover of “Jingle Bells” by Esquivel. It’s the first track on the Starbucks Hi-Fidelity Christmas album which has been a part of my family’s holiday tradition since childhood! Every year, when we decorate our house for the holidays and bring out our big tree, we play this album on full blast. When this song plays in our house, it definitely feels like the christmas season has begun!
- Maasa’s Pick: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
-
My recommendation is one of the most famous Christmas songs by The Jackson 5. It is included in their 4th album, Jackson 5 Christmas Album, which was released in 1970. As you can imagine from its title, the lyrics are very charming, and match young Michael Jackson’s super clear, angel-like voice super well. It is said that these cheerful lyrics are based on the mystical and beautiful myth about mistletoe, and that’s one of the reasons why I love this song. It will make you remember the exciting feeling you had in your childhood!
- Yukiko’s pick: Last Christmas by Wham! and Taylor Swift
-
My favorite Christmas song is “Last Christmas” by Wham!. This song is kind of a Christmas cliche, but I listen to this song all four seasons so I guess I can say that it’s my favorite! Of course the original version by Wham! is the best, but I also recommend Taylor’s cover of it. Her’s has much more of a pop sound and the rhythm is slightly different from the original one. But her voice matches the song very well, so I hope you like it too!
- Katie’s pick: The Christmas Waltz by Frank Sinatra
-
My favorite Christmas song is “The Christmas Waltz” by Frank Sinatra. Right when Halloween is over, this would be the first song I would listen to, to start the holiday season. This song reminds me of Christmas in the US, not only because this song was played on the radio, but because the lyrics in the song describe the Christmas atmosphere there. My favorite thing about this song in particular is how gorgeous the melody is. It’s so beautiful to me that I always get the chills listening to it. It’s an oldie, but I bet there would be many people who would love it!
- Hana’s pick: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber
-
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. I think everyone is familiar with the original version of this Christmas song by Mariah Carey, released in 1994, but I want to recommend this collaboration with Justin Bieber. There’s a comfort to the harmony of their beautiful voices. Listening to this song makes me excited for Christmas!
- Jun’s pick: Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano
-
My number one christmas song is “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano. It is a very simple song with a Spanish chorus singing “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad” meaning “Merry christmas, a prosperous year and happiness” along with an English verse “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart”. As the lyrics show, it is a very simple song that almost anyone can sing along to, and I still remember singing this song everyday with my friends back in elementary school. “Feliz Navidad” is not so popular in Japan, but it’s a nice and cheerful holiday song so I hope everyone will listen to this and get ready for christmas!
No matter where or how or with who you might be celebrating this holiday season, we hope you have a great time staying safe and jamming out to our favorite Christmas songs!