These Christmas Songs Make the Most Money — No. 1 Isn't What You Might Think!
Santa's Highest Rollers
You might think that the classic songs of Christmas are the money-makers, but there is a new age of Yuletide tunes that have swooped in to rake in millions. Gambling site CSGO analyzed Christmas songs released during the last 50 years to find which have been streamed the most on Spotify, estimating each song's earnings.
The research also considered "playlist reach" for each song to find out how many Spotify users created playlists that include the song, all to determine which Christmas songs are the highest earners. We've highlighted the top 10 below.
1. "Last Christmas" by Wham!
Year released: 1986
Streams: 1,919,591,160
Estimated royalties: $15,356,729
Is this not one of the catchiest songs of all time? Christmastime aside, once you hear the first, "Last Christmas" sung, good luck refraining from continuing the lyrics with the utmost enthusiasm. It's okay, we all do it. Don't be ashamed. If anyone could steal Mariah Carey's Yuletide sparkle, it's Wham!
2. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
Year released: 1994
Streams: 1,481,871,437
Estimated royalties: $11,854,972
We all know this one. You either love it or you pretend to hate it because I mean come on, it's a good tune, albeit overplayed during December. Just make sure you're alone in your car when you inevitably botch Mariah's high notes.
3. "Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande
Year released: 2013
Streams: 849,476,875
Estimated royalties: $6,795,815
A modern-day Christmastime banger. That's what this is. Ariana and her high-pony and high notes. Magic.
4. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Michael Bublé
Year released: 2011
Streams: 820,020,944
Estimated royalties: $6,560,168
Originally recorded by Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters, there have been several renditions of this Christmas classic, and although we remain partial to Bing Crosby's version, we have to admit, Michael's voice is like butter and he definitely does this tune justice.
Related: Classic Holiday Movies That Still Hold Up
5. "Snowman" by Sia
Year released: 2017
Streams: 724,986,083
Estimated royalties: 5,799,889
You mean Frosty? Where's Frosty? This pop song branches out and veers away from the classics of Christmas, but the music video is an adorable claymation situation that is reminiscent of old-school Christmas movies. Perplexity does not evade Sia.
Related: The Most Popular Song the Year You Were Born
6. "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber
Year released: 2011
Streams: 639,474,874
Estimated royalties: $5,115,799
When this song came out, it ignited some serious Bieber fever. Until 2011, we couldn't have imagined the word "shawty" in a Christmas song. Justin broke the mold.
7. "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano
Year released: 1970
Streams: 526,818,901
Estimated royalties: 4,214,551
We dare you to scowl when this song comes on. Ebeneizer himself would crack a smile during this jam. It's infectious and as the oldest song on this round-up, it's proven to have some serious staying power.
Related: Song Lyrics Everyone Gets Wrong
8. "Underneath the Tree" by Kelly Clarkson
Year released: 2013
Streams: 494,094,115
Estimated royalties: $3,952,753
Did you even win American Idol if you don't put out a Christmas album or two? It's basically a right of passage. This song is the epitome of cheer and peak Christmastime mall music.
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9. "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Michael Bublé
Year released: 2011
Streams: 483,865,973
Estimated royalties: $3,870,928
Look who cracked the list twice simply by re-crooning a Yuletide classic. Do your thing, Mikey. Originally written by Johnny Marks in 1962, the song served as the title track on the Quinto Sisters' first album. It is perhaps best recognized in Burl Ives' version, which was vicariously shown through Sam the Snowman in the classic movie "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Related: 22 Locations From Famous Songs That You Can Actually Visit
10. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Year released: 1971
Streams: 467,239,874
Estimated royalties: $3,737,919
We could always count on John Lennon to bring the peace and it's nice to see this song is still getting love more than 50 years later. Let's hope it's a good one, folks.