The following playlist is over 120 songs and plays for over six hours. The idea is that you can pick the songs you want for your holiday music from a smorgasbord of sonic delights.

I decided not to limit the number of Christmas and Winter songs in order to make the list as inclusive as possible. The playlist includes songs from previous Christmas playlists made for different folks, such as for my mother (which explains all the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mario Lanza, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra songs), for children (which explains the Singing Dogs and Chipmunks), and for cold winter nights in the northern hemisphere (which explains Gordon Lightfoot, Sergio Mendes, Harry Belafonte, and the Roches, to name a few).

The opening song “Gaudete” is the oldest Christmas carol, one that survives to this day.

Sung in Latin, the song is part of a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. (My favorite version, which starts this playlist, is by Steeleye Span.)

For more info on this song, see Setting the Record Straight on “Gaudete”. 

Enjoy!

The Santa image is by susan-lu4esm. The opening page of the Gaudete score is by Henricus Theodoricus Nylandensis. Digitalized by the Finnish National Library (link to image).

A very merry Christmas / And a happy New Year / Let’s hope it’s a good one / Without any fear
— John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”

Apple Music Playlist

Spotify Music Playlists

The Spotify playlists are in two parts due to size limitations:

Part 1:

Part 2: