With December just around the corner, stores all across the country will begin blasting recognizable tunes centered around arguably the most anticipated holiday of the year: Christmas.

Despite many of these songs being ridiculously overplayed, it’s hard to deny the infectious nostalgia wrapped up within their lyrics and instrumental hooks. But the question remains: what is the best Christmas song? This answer may differ from person to person, but perhaps there’s a more concrete answer. 

According to the Billboard 100, the most popular Christmas-themed song is “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” by singer Mariah Carey, with 40 weeks spent in the number 1 spot. Other popular songs include “Santa Baby,” “Last Christmas,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Many of these songs have cemented themselves as classics, with many Americans growing up listening to various versions of these timeless songs. Modern pop artists, such as Ariana Grande, or Justin Bieber often make covers of holiday songs that frequent the top charts around the holidays. 

In BHS, many students have their own personal favorite holiday songs. Some of the favorites include “Jingle Bells,” “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Some students also provided artists that have performed Christmas songs, such as Michael Buble and Ariana Grande as their favorites to listen to during the holidays. One BHS student explained that she liked Buble’s cover of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” because “he has a good voice.”

A teacher in BHS explained that his favorite holiday song is “Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen.” So, clearly, there’s a lot of options for the top holiday tune. 

But which one is the best? Well, like most things in pop culture, it’s all pretty subjective. Something interesting about the songs BHS students chose is that no one claimed the Billboard’s claimed top Christmas song, “All I want For Christmas Is You” was their favorite. So, perhaps being the most popular doesn’t ultimately mean being the best. Something as subjective as a favorite song is a choice that should be decided by the individual, not by statistics or other opinions. However, that doesn’t make these results less interesting.

Everyone has their individual preferences for music, so the best way to determine the best is to find out which one you think is the best. One thing’s for certain though: no matter which one is the best, a good Christmas song is one that stirs up nostalgia and joy unlike any other time of the year. So, this holiday season, pull up a playlist of songs and start listening!