Black Christmas Songs: Darkest & Most Relatable Picks 2023

EBONY first published its list of the 19 Blackest Christmas songs ever in 2015. Ten years have passed, and the list hasn’t changed much, just grown over the last decade. Some fit the tradition, while others detour just a little bit, but they’ve all been major players in sleighing (yup, pun intended!) the Christmas spirit. In honor of the holiday season, here is our most definitive list of Black holiday tunes with a few new ones destined to live rent-free in your head all season long.

1. “Sleigh Ride” — TLC

A favorite from A LaFace Family Christmasand probably one of the first contemporary Christmas songs many a millennial ever heard.

2. “This Christmas” — Donny Hathaway

It’s literally not Christmas if we don’t hear this song at least once (or 17 times) during the holidays. Many have tried to sing this song, but none are better than Hathaway’s version. Literally, your fave could never.

3. “8 Days of Christmas” — Destiny’s Child

Between croons about getting Chloé shades, dirty denim jeans, a belly ring and hawking their newly released Mattel dolls, this is a delightfully birdy way of singing about Christmas. That’s not shade; that’s fact. It’s also great admiration for Destiny’s Child sticking to their format even for a holiday album.

4. “What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?” — The Emotions

This song will make you DM folks you have no business contacting, but it’s so good.

5. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mariah Carey

She may be fifth here, but Mariah is always at the top of pretty much everyone’s holiday playlist. Let it be a lesson for all: do not mess with the Queen of Christmas. Not now, not ever.

6. “Let It Snow” — Boyz II Men

Even if you aren’t the biggest Boyz II Men fan (which may put you on the naughty list), there are very few things that are better than “Let It Snow.” Play it and feel the love.

7. “Every Year, Every Christmas” — Luther Vandross

In 1995, Luther Vandross released This Is Christmas‘ lead single “Every Year, Every Christmas.” The album sold over a million copies and made many an auntie cry whenever select works like this one are played.

8. “Someday at Christmas” — Stevie Wonder featuring Andra Day

If we didn’t include Stevie Wonder, we’d be jumped by a group of Black folks, pinned to the ground, and forced to listen to this song on repeat. This rendition featuring Andra Day just reinforces how important this song is to Black folks.

9. “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” — James Brown

Not sure you can get any Blacker than a funk-singing Black man with a big-ass perm singing about Kris Kringle hitting the ghetto.

10. “Santa Claus Goes to the Ghetto” — Snoop Dogg

Yes, there is a hip-hop reimagining of the song.

11. “Santa Baby” — Eartha Kitt

For the people who like Christmas best when the trick gives you treats. By the way, Alicia Keys did a great cover of this on her 2022 album Santa Babyalong with covers by Tamar Braxton, Khia and Muni Long.

12. “Silent Night” — The Temptations

The original version of this song is cute, but it’s nothing like The Temptations’ harmonious version. Now that I think about it, this is the original example of what happens when you take a song like Adele’s “Hello” and find some Black man to flip and reverse it. (Hello, Joe.)

13. “What You Want for Christmas” — Quad City DJs

This song speaks to our spirit for no other reason than the line, “I’m going to go to the club on Christmas Eve.” Going to the club on Christmas? Yup, turning up for Jesus. It’s his birthday party.

14. “Knocking the Boots for Christmas” — H-Town

This is from Christmas at Luke’s Housethus this plays to a certain type of way of celebrating the joyous occasion. Shout out to the holiday freaks. Everyone needs some loving.

15. “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Without the One You Love” — The O’Jays

Struggling between this and “I Can Hardly Wait ’Til Christmas?” Forgive me if you feel I’ve made the wrong choice.

16. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” — Jackson 5

Michael Joseph Jackson, you are missed.

17. “No Happy Holidays” — Mary J. Blige

What’s Christmas without your auntie bursting into a brown liquor-infused rant about how trifling men are?

18. “Soul Holidays” — Sounds of Blackness

Their name is Sounds of Blackness. The song is called “Soul Holidays.” Obviously, this song couldn’t be ignored.

19. “Player’s Ball” — OutKast

I am referring specifically to the Christmas version that was on A LaFace Family Christmas Album. It’s still barely about Christmas, but since it was on a Christmas album, it will also remind me of X-Mas—specifically when cousins go outside to smoke.

20. Call On Christmas —Coco Jones

The EBONY Power 100 alum joined the Holiday fray with this ditty off her holiday visual album, Coco by the Fireplace. Yes, she’s got tunes to keep us toasty.

21. Warm In December — Samara Joy

A voice that conjures up golden years past, Joy was the perfect person to take on this rarely recorded ditty from 1956.

22. Winter Wonderland — Bryson Tiller

Tiller inviting us to a winter wonderland? We’re all about it.

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