The 18 Best 21st Century Covers of Christmas Songs, Ranked: Critic’s Picks

Christmas comes but once a year, and the music does too. And as much as we love the classic carols and songs that play on our speakers during the yuletide season, those tracks regularly receive a musical facelift by new artists recording their versions to great effect.

As Mariah Carey continues her holiday reign on the Billboard Hot 100, with Wham! close behind her, Billboard looks at recent covers of seasonal favorites. Across all genres – from hip-hop, R&B, country, pop and heavy metal to Broadway-style revivals and a show-choir showcase – there’s plenty of merrymaking cheer to go round.

Destiny’s Child, Love Actually star Olivia Olson, Sufjan Stevens, Twisted Sister, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, the Glee cast, Michael Bublé, She & Him, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue, Kacey Musgraves, Pentatonix, John Legend, Lea Michele, Cynthia Erivo, Alicia Keys and even the Kelce brothers all make the cut here.

(And sadly, *NSYNC released Home for Christmas in 1998, making their tracks ineligible — but their a cappella take on “O Holy Night” is certainly a standout. Other favorite non-originals from the 20th century include Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and Carey’s delightful take on Darlene Love’s “Christmas Baby (Please Come Home).”)

Scroll through the 18 best covers of Christmas songs from the 21st century, ranked, below. And for more, check out the best new Christmas songs of the 21st century so far, the 100 greatest holiday songs of all time, the hot holiday songs chart and every holiday song that jingled its way to the top of the hot 100.