Christmas | 5ive Songs

1. Twenty One Pilots, “Christmas Saves the Year”

“Christmas Saves the Year” • Fueled by Ramen • 2020

Months after Twenty One Pilots exhibited a high “Level of Concern” regarding COVID-19, they returned in December 2020 with the band’s first ever Christmas song, “Christmas Saves the Year”. While not even the jolliest holiday of the year can atone for the hellishness coronavirus has unleashed, it is a time for us to spend with family (safely) and be thankful for the most important things we have.  That’s the sentiment that Tyler Joseph seeks to emphasize on this thoughtfully penned and tenderly performed number.  Joseph acknowledges the challenges of Christmas 2020 – “Plans are thrown to the wayside / Frozen days of the week” – but also gives a sense of hope.  This is best captured on the centerpiece, the chorus:

“But everybody wants to make it home this year
Even if the world is crumblin’ down
‘Cause everybody’s got somebody who’s got their name on a shelf
With cheap décor and flavored cheer
You rest assured that Christmas save the year.”

Twenty One Pilots come through once again and give people the glorious gift of uplifting music.  It won’t destroy the virus, but the messaging assuages by all means.

2. Pentatonix, “12 Days of Christmas”

We Need a Little Christmas • RCA • 2020

Pentatonix – what a beastly vocal group! One thing that Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee does extreme well (besides those vocals) are sing Christmas songs.  On their most recent holiday album, We Need a Little Christmas, they cover the beloved, cumulative (add-on) Christmas carol, “12 Days of Christmas.”

In the talented hands (and gifted voices) of PTX, you can rest assured the quintet doesn’t give us a tried-and-true rendition.  Instead, the spice up those glorious “12 Days” with a fresh take that includes stylistic shifts, vocal effects, a cool-@$$ music video, and a truly entertaining performance overall. This is the type of performance that definitely makes you wish that Christmas lasted 365 days of the year!

3. Ryland James, “Please Come Home for Christmas”

A Little Christmas [Single] • Universal Music Canada • 2020

Canadian pop singer Ryland James definitely has a lot going for him.  Number one, he’s handsome.  Number two, he’s young (and handsome).  Essentially, he has the look of a pop star.  That’s all fine and good, but what’s more important, at least in my eyes, is that Ryland is a talented musician.  There’s more than just a handsome face.

James showcases his gorgeous voice on the beloved 1960 Christmas classic, “Please Come Home for Christmas,” by Blues musician and pianist, Charles Brown. Sure, many singers have covered Brown’s classic over the years but listening to the young James tackle it, well, it sounds as if it were tailormade for him. He oozes with soul.  His pipes are commanding, expressive, and incredibly nuanced.  Listening to it, you’ll undoubtedly desire to “come home for Christmas.” He’s begging you! 

4. Ice Nine Kills, “Merry Axe-Mas”

The Silver Scream • Fearless • 2018

“T’was the night before Christmas / At just five years old / My parents were butchered / In the blistering cold.” Yeah, metalcore collective Ice Nine Kills don’t exactly establish the most exuberant, jolly holiday spirit on “Merry Axe-Mas,” the 11^th track from their totally dark fifth studio album, The Silver Scream.  Honestly, the opening lyrics are totally messed up.  Regardless, “Merry Axe-Mas” fits the over-the-top, dramatic nature of the horror-laden LP, transforming a highly anticipated, beloved annual holiday into total, murderous, and morbid hellishness.

The specific villain of “Merry Axe-Mas” is Santa Claus of all people (“In his suit stained with red”), while the inspirational source is likely 1984 horror film, Silent Night Deadly Night. Safe to say, Christmas is totally ruined, whether it’s the brutal, coarse nature of the music (those guitars man) or the totally unforgiving lyrics.

“You will believe in me
Slaughtered under the tree
And I won’t leave a witness
So much for a ‘Merry Christmas’
Now Santa’s claws are out
The sinners scream and shout
I made sure the noose was yuletide tight
So much for a ‘Silent Night’
A ‘Silent Night!’”

Also appears on :

11 Totally Merry, Mary, Marry Songs

5. Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas is You”

Merry Christmas • Sony Music Entertainment • 1994

Mariah Carey and Christmas go together perfectly, PERIOD.  How so? Well, Carey has long reigned supreme when it comes to festive music, thanks especially to her no. 1 hit, “All I Want for Christmas is You”.  It takes a special breed of original Christmas song to stick the way that “All I Want for Christmas is You” has.  A testament to its staying power is the fact that in 2019, it ascended to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time – 25 years after being originally released on the album, Merry Christmas.  You know what “All I Want for Christmas is You” did in 2020? It returned to no. 1!

Question: Why does “All I Want for Christmas is You” kick so much @$$? It’s the overall exuberant spirit, constructed via top-rate vocals by Carey, fun lyrics, and the refined, sweet, old-school vibes of the production by Carey and Walter Afanasieff.  The chorus, of course, is the centerpiece!

“I just want you for my own (Ooh)
More than you could ever know (Ooh)
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You, baby.”