Journeys With Jani

Christmas music is my love language.

The second the Thanksgiving dishes are washed, my brain flips a switch and suddenly everything in my life needs a soundtrack. Wrapping gifts? Music. Driving to see the grandbabies? Music. Sitting in my chair with a cup of coffee watching the tree glow in the dark? You already know.

Over the years I’ve built my own Christmas playlists on Spotify and Apple Music and they’ve become a mix of comfort, chaos, nostalgia and just the right amount of glitter. Since y’all keep asking what I’m listening to, I figured it was time to pull back the curtain and share my ultimate Christmas playlist, straight from my Chillin’ With My Gnomies list on Apple Music and my Cozy Christmas list on Spotify.

This isn’t some sterile, “Top 50 Christmas Songs” list. This is a real life, messy-family, dogs-barking, grandkids-squealing …maybe a little Snoop Dog Swaggin’ soundtrack.

1. The “Fireplace Is Fake But The Feelings Are Real” Classics

You cannot have a Christmas playlist without the big kids of Christmas music. These are the songs that sound like your grandparents’ living room even if your grandparents were more “TV dinner” than “Hallmark movie.”

🔂 On repeat every year:

“White Christmas” – Bing Crosby: The voice that sounds like it’s wrapped in velvet and dipped in eggnog. This one is mandatory. If Bing isn’t on your playlist, I’m not sure you’re legally allowed to plug in your tree.

“The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole: Chestnuts, open fire, you know the drill. This is the song I turn on when the tree lights finally stop fighting me and everything is fluffed just right. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” – Sam Smith: Yes, I know this is a newer version, but it feels like an instant classic. It’s smooth, a little moody, and absolutely perfect for those quiet late-night moments when the house is finally still.

“Blue Christmas” – Elvis Presley: I don’t care if it’s playing in Walmart, Graceland or my kitchen, Elvis belongs at Christmas. His whole Blue Christmas album lives on my playlist, but that title track has its own VIP pass.

These are the songs I turn up when I’m decorating the tree, digging through boxes that should have been labeled “lights that actually work,” and pretending I don’t care that glitter has taken over my entire existence.

2. The “Hot Chocolate And Hoodie” Indie Vibes

Sometimes you need something a little softer, a little quirkier, like your favorite old sweater. That’s where my indie-leaning Christmas songs come in.

She & Him – “A Very She & Him Christmas” (whole album): Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward sound like Christmas morning in a cute little bungalow with a vintage aluminum tree. Their version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is one of the only ones I willingly listen to, and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is just plain precious.

“Winter Song” – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson: Not technically a Christmas song, but it belongs in December. It feels like cold air and warm hands. This one plays when I’m journaling or just soaking in the quiet.

“River” – Joni Mitchell (or a good cover): For those moments when you’re reflective, grateful and maybe a tiny bit overwhelmed. Christmas has a way of stirring up the past, and this song makes space for that.

These are my “curl up in a chair, light a candle, ignore the to-do list for ten minutes” songs. They’re not all jingle bells and ho-ho-ho, but they’re honest, and I love that.

3. The “Kitchen Dance Party While The Rolls Are Rising” Hits

Look, sometimes you need depth and feelings. Sometimes you need Mariah.

These are the songs that make the grandkids dance, the dogs bark and the husbands roll their eyes while secretly humming along.

“All I Want For Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey: She has defrosted, and I am here for it. I don’t care how overplayed it is. The second that intro hits, my inner 90s girl comes flying out. “Last Christmas” – Wham!: This is Christmas pop perfection. It lives rent free in my head from Black Friday to New Year’s Day. “Underneath The Tree” – Kelly Clarkson: Modern, fun and big-voiced. This is a “cook, clean, sing into a spatula” kind of song. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” – Andy Williams: This one is classic, but it hits with the energy of a pep rally. I use it as my soundtrack for hauling presents out to the car and loading up for the next round of family gatherings.

This part of the playlist is pure serotonin. It’s for cookie baking, ugly sweater parties and trying not to burn the pecans while you’re dancing around the kitchen.

4. The “Southern Comfort & Christmas Lights” Country Corner

I’m a Southern girl. You knew there would be a country section.

“Hard Candy Christmas” – Dolly Parton: If you know, you know. It’s bittersweet and hopeful all at once, which is exactly how the holidays can feel some years.

“Mary, Did You Know?” – Kenny Rogers & Wynonna: Chills every time. This is one of my favorite versions and it lives in the “sit down, hush and actually listen” part of the playlist.

“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee: The queen herself. It’s impossible to stay still when this comes on, and if you say otherwise, I know you’re lying.

These are the songs I want playing when I’m driving down some backroad, Christmas lights on every mailbox, thermos of coffee nearby, thinking about all the Christmases behind me and the ones still to come.

5. The “Quiet Night, Full Heart” Sacred Songs

No matter how busy, loud or messy my holidays get, I always carve out space for the sacred side of Christmas. These songs ground me when the shopping lists and social calendars start to win.

“O Holy Night” – pick your favorite big-voiced version: I have several saved across my playlists because apparently I like to cry in December.

“Silent Night”: Simple, gentle and somehow bigger than all of it. “Do You Hear What I Hear”: I love the storytelling in this one. It feels like standing outside under a cold, clear sky and looking up a little longer than usual.

These play late at night when the house is dark except for the tree and I’m finally still. A little reminder of what the season is really about.

6. The “Road Trip & Airport Survival” Mix

Because I’m a travel advisor, a whole section of my playlist is dedicated to keeping me sane on the road, in TSA lines and at gates where the flight is “just a little delayed.”

This part is a mix of all of the above, shuffled together with just enough variety to keep me awake, happy and not plotting the downfall of whoever scheduled a 6 a.m. departure the week of Christmas.

Think:

🎄 Big bops like Mariah and Kelly

🎄 Classics like Bing and Elvis

🎄 A surprise indie track here and there

🎄 One or two songs the grandkids picked

Pro tip: download your playlist so when airport Wi-Fi decides to be festive and quit working, your music doesn’t.

How To Use This Playlist In Your Own Life

You don’t have to copy my lists song for song, but here’s how I build mine so they actually work in real life instead of just looking cute in a screenshot.

Make “mood sections” – I like to group songs by vibe: classics, cozy, party, sacred. That way if I’m in a certain mood, I can jump to that part without skipping a hundred tracks.

Add multiple versions of your favorites – “O Holy Night,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “White Christmas” and “Blue Christmas” all have several versions sprinkled across my playlists. Different voices, different moods, same song.

Balance nostalgia with newness – Keep the songs that feel like childhood, but don’t be afraid to adopt new ones. Sam Smith, She & Him and Kelly Clarkson sit right next to Bing Crosby on my lists and nobody’s fighting.

Make a “no skip” core – I have about 20 songs that are non-negotiable every year. Those are the spine of the playlist. Everything else rotates in and out, depending on what the year has looked like and how my heart’s doing.

Share it – Music is meant to be shared. I love turning the speakers up, letting the grandkids dance, sending the link to friends and saying “hit play while you’re wrapping gifts.”

Want To Listen Along?

If you want to hear what Christmas sounds like at my house, you can find my Holiday Playlist on Apple Music and my Christmas mix on Spotify. Pour something warm, plug in the tree, hit shuffle and join me.

From my playlists to your living room, I hope this year’s soundtrack brings you comfort, a little joy, a few good tears and at least one full-out kitchen dance party.

XOXO and Merry Christmas,

Jani 🎄