It’s the most wonderful time of the year as holiday music continues to fill the air. This year, some artists even released new original songs for the 2023 holiday season.
Fresh off her run of dates on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour, Sabrina Carpenter released the holiday EP Fruitcake, where she devotes a song to the How the Grinch Stole Christmas character Cindy Lou Who, wonders “Is It New Year’s Yet?” and plays off her 2022 single “Nonsense” with “The Nonsense Christmas.”
The 2024 Grammy-nominated R&B artist Coco Jones shared her original holiday song “A Timeless Christmas,” singing Cherish the moment with the people that surround you/ Live in the moment today/ Let’s have a timeless Christmas/ Let’s just come together in harmony as one forever, while Ingrid Michaelson, who released the deluxe release of Songs for the Season in 2021, shared a new holiday song for 2023, “This Christmas.”
Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi is the country singer and songwriter’s fifth album, featuring more holiday cheer with original songs “Merry Christmas From The Keys,” “Beer For Santa,” and “400 Horsepower Sleigh,” along with a new spin on some classics and Mariah Carey‘s megahit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Other artists revived older holiday hits with Alanis Morissette taking on Wham!’s 1986 hit “Last Christmas,” and Kane Brown singing a duet with Elvis Presley on “Blue Christmas.” A year after releasing Face the River, Gavin DeGraw has returned with his six-song EP A Classic Christmas, featuring his soulful take on holiday standards like “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “The Most Wonderful Time of Year,” among others. Don McLean also revisited previously recorded holiday songs with new arrangements for the 2023 season on Christmas Memories: Remixed & Remastered.
Year after year, new songs continue to enter the greater holiday songbook. Here’s a look at just five original songs released for the 2023 holiday season—including one that was refreshed from 2022—that are worth a listen throughout the holidays, or as long as needed to keep the season bright.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” Cher
Written by Sarah Hudson, Jessie Saint John, Brett McLaughlin, James Abrahart, Mark Schick, Lionel Crasta
Within a career spanning 6o years, Cher has never released a holiday album—until 2023. Christmas is Cher’s first entrance into the category. The 13-track album features nine covers and four original songs, along with guest duets with Stevie Wonder (“What Christmas Means to Me”), Cyndi Lauper (“Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart”), Darlene Love (“Christmas, Baby Please Come Home”), Michael Bublé (“Home”), and Tyga (“Drop Top Sleigh Ride”).
Among the newer songs on Christmas is Cher’s festive dance track “DJ Play a Christmas Song.”
2. “Dear Santa,” OneRepublic
Written by Ryan Tedder, Jeff Owen, Brent Kutzle, Josh Varnadore, John Nathaniel, Anna Graceman
OneRepublic is sending a special message to the big man of Christmas in their new holiday song “Dear Santa.”
Keeping in the spirit of classic animated Christmas movies past, the video for “Dear Santa” pays homage to films like the 1970 classic Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. The band’s claymation video, directed and sculpted by animator Dr. Oz, features the members of OneRepublic working in Santa’s workshop to make sure Christmas goes off as planned while helping to bring a couple back together.
3. “Christmas Gift,” Brandy
Written by Brandy, Theron Feemster, Sebastian Kole, David Williams II, Kyle Mann
In 2023, Brandy released her eighth album, also her first holiday release, Christmas with Brandy. The 11-track album features covers of holiday classics like “The Christmas Song,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Deck the Halls,” along with several new original tracks.
Brandy offers something for everyone with the romantic “Christmas Party For Two,” “Christmas Gift,” featuring her daughter Sy’Rai, and the more hopeful and celebratory “Someday at Christmas.”
4. “Wrap Me Up,” Meghan Trainor and Jimmy Fallon
Written by Meghan Trainor, Jimmy Fallon, Gian Stone, Sean Douglas
Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor teamed up for a new Yuletide song “Wrap Me Up” for the 2023 holiday season. The two premiered the song on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon with the set festively decorated, backup singers dressed as snowmen, and Trainor dressed in a Mrs. Claus-themed dress.
This is the third holiday collaboration for Fallon. In 2021, Fallon, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion teamed up for “It Was a… (Masked Christmas).” A year later, Dolly Parton collaborated with Fallon for their duet “Almost Too Early for Christmas”
5. “Night Before Christmas,” Sam Smith
Written by Sam Smith and Simon Aldred
Leave it to Sam Smith to deliver something more nostalgic for the holiday season. I hope you can feel the warmth we felt when making it and I hope it gets you excited for the holiday season.”The treetops are leaning, they’re covered in snow / The fire’s burning and you’re nearly home / The bars are all empty, I can’t hear a soul / With everything closed now, there’s nowhere to go sings Smith through the delicate bluesy “Night Before Christmas.”
Though Smith originally released “Night Before Christmas” as a standalone single in 2022, he refreshed the track in 2023 with a new visualizer video. In 2020, Smith also released the Christmas EP The Holly & The Ivy. Co-written by Smith and Simon Aldred of the British band Cherry Ghost, “Night Before Christmas” is about cherishing time with the ones you love.
“We wanted to make a Christmas song that felt like love on Christmas Eve,” said Smith of the song on social media. “I hope you can feel the warmth we felt when making it and I hope it gets you excited for the holiday season.”
Photo: OneRepublic (as claymation), Courtesy of Universal
