Christmas songs have always spread cheer over the radio to get people into the holiday spirits. Some are about love, others are about the time spent with friends and family. Here are three songs that bring people together for the holiday season.

     “All I Want For Christmas is You” a hit song written by Mariah Carey and her frequent collaborator Walter Afanasieff, has been around for 25 years. In the song, Carey had no interest in material things and only had love on her mind. “I’m just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe,” she sings, referencing an 18th century tradition of kissing someone under mistletoe which is believed to bring good luck. Based on the Billboard Christmas 100 charts, since 2010, “All I Want For Christmas is You” has been in the number one spot. Though in 2014, the song was bumped down to the number three spot by “Mary Did You Know?” by Pentatonix.

     At age 13, Brenda Lee recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” a song written by Johnny Marks in July of 1958. “Owen [Bradley] had the studio all freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood just a little bit. We had a lot of fun,” said Lee during a 2006 interview with the Chicago Tribune.

     “Jingle Bell Rock,” a single written by Bobby Helms in 1957, was considered the first mainstream rock ‘n’ roll Christmas song. “Although this was released only two days before Christmas in 1957, the single still hit No. 6 on the pop chart. The song was re-released around Christmas in 1958 and again in 1960, making it back to the charts each time,” said Songfacts. “‘Jingle Bell Rock’ originally didn’t have a bridge, so he wrote one (“What a bright time, it’s the right time, to rock the night away…”),” Helms said in a 1986 interview. 

     These songs stand out amongst many more that have brought families and friends together at Christmas through their influence. For many years before and many ahead, Christmas songs will be remembered as a way to make the holidays extra festive and bring loved ones close. 

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