🎸 Rocking Christmas: Top 30 Rock Christmas Songs for Your 2025 Holiday Playlist
- Crimson Sunday
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
Rock Christmas songs prove that holiday music doesn’t have to be overly sweet or predictable. Guitars, real drums and honest lyrics can make December sound bigger, louder and more emotional. This global 2025 guide highlights 30 essential rock and rock’n’roll Christmas songs plus a brand-new retro-rock EP, so you can build a playlist that works from the first snowflake to New Year’s Eve.
The Essential Rock Christmas Playlist: Top 30 Tracks
This list provides the essential rock and roll tracks for your holiday soundtrack, with a special spotlight on the ultimate 2025 retro-rock EP at the halfway mark.
The Essential Rock & Roll Foundations
1. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
The 1958 rock’n’roll essential built on a classic swing rhythm.
2. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto – James Brown
1968 funk/soul track combining heavy groove with social commentary.
3. Silent Night – Johnny Cash
Sparse, acoustic, and intimate version with Cash’s deep, reflective vocal tone.
4. Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry
Pure, guitar-driven rock’n’roll built on Chuck Berry’s signature riffing.
5. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen
An iconic live recording that turns the children's song into an E Street Band event.
6. Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys
Translates the band’s bright 1963 surf-pop sound into a festive setting.
7. Oi To the World – The Vandals
Fast, chaotic punk staple that tells a humorous story of seasonal conflict and peace.
8. Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty
Heartland rock with a smooth mid-tempo groove, capturing familiar holiday scenes.
9. A Willie Nice Christmas – Kacey Musgraves & Willie Nelson
Relaxed country-pop duet, ideal for the quieter, reflective holiday moments.
10. Sock It to Me Santa – Bob Seger & The Last Heard
A loud, high-energy garage-rock throwback from Seger’s early years.
11. Getting Ready for Christmas Day – Paul Simon
Rhythm-heavy track combining modern production with lyrics about family and war.
EP Spotlight: Crimson Sunday – The Ultimate Retro-Rock Soundtrack
Right around the time your holiday party needs a fresh injection of energy, look no further than the brand-new EP “Five Songs For Christmas” by Crimson Sunday. This EP delivers 17 minutes of pure, guitar-focused, melodic retro-rock—a seamless fit for any playlist that values the big sounds of the 70s and 80s.
Search for: Crimson Sunday – Five Songs For Christmas on all major streaming services.
12. O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Sufjan Stevens
Delicate indie-folk reimagining, part of his extensive Christmas catalogue.
13. I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Bob Dylan
Traditional arrangement with Dylan's characteristically rough, weathered vocal tone.
14. 2000 Miles – The Pretenders
An essential rock ballad focusing on distance, often included for its winter setting.
15. Pretty Paper – Dolly Parton & Willie Nelson
Gentle, melancholic country-meets-soft-rock arrangement.
16. Father Christmas – The Kinks Father Christmas, give us some money. Don't mess around with those silly toys!
17. Frosty the Snowman – The Ventures
Instrumental surf-rock take with driving rhythm and unmistakable guitar tones.
18. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
A cornerstone of holiday recordings, mixing heartbreak and seasonal warmth.
19. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Known for the "Wall of Sound" and Darlene Love’s powerful vocal intensity.
20. Yule Shoot Your Eye Out – Fall Out Boy
Alternative Christmas song leaning into seasonal frustration and melancholy.
21. The Night Santa Went Crazy – “Weird Al” Yankovic
A darkly comic rock track and cult favourite about Santa's hilarious breakdown.
22. hristmas in Hollis – Run DMC
A highly influential hip-hop classic that crosses into many rock collections.
23. I Won’t Be Home for Christmas – Blink-182
Pop-punk staple about seasonal irritation and disillusionment.
24. Don’t Shoot Me Santa – The Killers
Indie-rock track with dark humour and a unique narrative approach.
25. Christmas with the Devil – Spinal Tap
A parody of heavy metal Christmas themes that sounds convincingly metal.
26. Thank God It’s Christmas – Queen
A non-album single focusing on atmosphere and melody rather than stadium rock dynamics.
27. Mistress for Christmas – AC/DC
Classic hard-rock sound applied to holiday themes with a tongue-in-cheek tone.
28. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl
Folk-punk ballad mixing harsh realism and hope, a global favourite.
29. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon & Yoko Ono
A global seasonal standard that serves as both a carol and a protest song.
30. Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) – The Darkness
A glam-rock anthem known for its falsetto vocals and over-the-top arrangement.
EP Spotlight: Crimson Sunday – The Ultimate Retro-Rock Soundtrack
Right around the time your holiday party needs a fresh injection of energy, look no further than the brand-new EP “Five Songs For Christmas” by Crimson Sunday.
This EP delivers 17 minutes of pure, guitar-focused, melodic retro-rock—a seamless fit for any playlist that values the big sounds of the 70s and 80s.