Esquire India’s Top Christmas Playlist Picks
Aren't we all tired of Dean Martin at this point?
Are we really back to Christmas again?
Already? Again? Didn’t we just pack away the fairy lights and swear we’d plan better next year? And yet—here we are. End-of-year fatigue in full swing, WhatsApp groups lighting up, bars getting louder and more crowded, and everyone suddenly pretending they love the weather.
Christmas, for better or worse, has entered the chat.
Now here’s the thing: Christmas music has a reputation problem. It’s either aggressively wholesome or emotionally devastating. I didn’t want to make a Christmas playlist. I really didn’t. Spotify has already made about 600 of them, all screaming the same thing at varying volumes. Top 100 this. Ultimate that. Sleigh bells, sleigh bells, emotional whiplash. You open one, you know exactly what’s coming.
The mall escalators. The building elevators. The radio. My office’s reception. It all sounds the same.
So this isn’t that. (I mean, little bit it is. We do need some classics in there, right?)
Yes, it’s for Christmas. But mostly, it’s also for just a party.
Here is our wholesome mix: There’s hip-hop in here. Soul. Pop that knows it’s pop. A few Christmas songs you expect, a few you don’t, and some that technically aren’t Christmas songs at all but feel right when it’s cold outside and December is doing that thing where time stops making sense.
Go crazy, y’all.
Christmas Playlist
"Christmas in Harlem" – Kanye West
"Litmas" – DRAM
"Santa Tell Me" – Ariana Grande
"A Nonsense Christmas" – Sabrina Carpenter
"8 Days of Christmas" – Destiny’s Child
"After Hours" – The Weeknd
"Tadow" – FKJ
"Wonderful Christmastime" – Paul McCartney
"Run Rudolph Run" – Chuck Berry
"White Christmas" – The Drifters
"Is It New Years Yet?" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Lights On"– Tyler, The Creator
"Someday at Christmas" – Stevie Wonder
"Christmas Rappin’" – Kurtis Blow
"December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)" – George Michael
"All Alone on Christmas" – Darlene Love
"Mistletoe" – Justin Bieber
"Shut Up and Dance" – WALK THE MOON
"This Christmas" – Donny Hathaway
"Back Door Santa" – Clarence Carter
"Xmas Time of the Year" – Green Day
"Frosty The Snowman" – Ella Fitzgerald
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" – Mariah Carey
"Last Christmas" – Wham!
How to use this playlist (some tips)
Start cool. End feral.
Don’t explain your music choices.
If someone says, “Why is this actually so good?”—you’ve won.
If someone grabs the aux and queues Mariah too early, reclaim control.
p.s. if someone complains, ask them to host next year.