The 10 Best Original Christmas Songs Released in the ’90s

In the last couple months of the year, when the soft rock radio stations switch over to their Christmas music, do you ever get sick of hearing the same old classics over and over again? Come on, DJs, let’s mix things up with some more recent original releases (ahem, okay, 30-year-old releases)! Everyone and their mother has some version of White Christmas or Jingle Bells, give us something a little more creative! And don’t forget to make some more rockin’ numbers, please. Not everyone wants a ballad.

If you want to create your own playlist of more recent original Christmas hits, we don’t blame you. Below is your head start, with a totally subjective list of the 10 best holiday hits released in the 1990s.

Looking for the ‘80s? We got you: The 10 Best Original Christmas Songs Released in the ‘80s

10. This Gift - 98 Degrees (1999)

You might call this fairly typical boy band fare, and you’d be right. We just think this song is slightly better than the Backstreet Boys’ “Christmas Time,” so here we are.

9. Don't Save It All for Christmas Day - Celine Dion (1998)

Interestingly, this song was the first time Dion had a co-writing credit on one of her own recordings. It’s a ballad-y Christmas song, so if that’s your jam, give it a listen.

8. Christmastime - The Smashing Pumpkins (1997)

What’s this? The Smashing Pumpkins recorded a Christmas song? It’s true, and while it may not be a classic necessarily, it’s definitely memorable… once you remember it 😉

7. Christmas Through Your Eyes - Gloria Estefan (1993)

The only original song on Estefan’s Christmas album, she co-wrote this sporadically upbeat ballad with Diane Warren.

6. Let It Snow - Boyz II Men (1993)

The single from the Boyz also featured R&B artist Brian McKnight, and was the only single released from Boyz II Men’s Christmas Interpretations album.

5. At Christmas - Hanson (1997)

If you haven’t listened to this song or the whole Snowed In album by Hanson, you’re missing out. It has some quality Christmas jams – At Christmas is one of the more low key tracks, but the album has a lot of upbeat jams too.

4. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - NSYNC (1998)

NSYNC was ready to GO their debut year – just months after their first album released in the US, their Christmas album debuted, and was soon certified platinum. Not bad, boys.

3. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1992)

Tom Petty contributed this song to the second compilation holiday album produced to benefit the Special Olympics, and thankfully it’s an awesome one!

2. The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler (1995)

No, this isn’t a Christmas song, but it’s a holiday song, and quite frankly, there’s sadly not enough hit Chanukah songs to make a list — so it gets a highly ranked spot here!

1. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey (1994)

Look, was there really any other option for the number one Christmas song of the ’90s? We think not! There’s a reason this is on heavy rotation each holiday season and if you disagree… bah humbug to you, Scrooge!

What’s your favorite Christmas song from the ’90s? Let us know in the comments!

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You topped the Billboard Top 100 for the first time in 2019, 25 years after its release, and as of 2017 reportedly had earned Carey $60 million in royalties. You see? It pays to make a hit Christmas song, guys!
2. The Chanukah Song was written by Adam Sandler, Lewis Morton, and Ian Maxtone-Graham for Saturday Night Live, and was performed live for the first time during Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler has also made sequels to the song, updating it to include even more Jewish celebrities.
3. A Very Special Christmas 2, part of the ongoing series of compilation holiday albums made to benefit the Special Olympics, was released on October 20, 1992, and was supposed to include a song by Tupac Shakur, but due to legal trouble, his song was dropped from the album.
4. Remember Total Request Live, aka TRL? Of course you do. NSYNC debuted their video for Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays on the show on December 14, 1998. The video features a cameo by Gary Coleman as an elf, which apparently was a little tricky to secure, according to the director.
5. Snowed In was the best-selling holiday album of 1997 in the US, selling 863,000 copies. It debuted and peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard 200 album sales chart, and was certified Platinum after selling over a million copies.

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You topped the Billboard Top 100 for the first time in 2019, 25 years after its release, and as of 2017 reportedly had earned Carey $60 million in royalties. You see? It pays to make a hit Christmas song, guys!
2. The Chanukah Song was written by Adam Sandler, Lewis Morton, and Ian Maxtone-Graham for Saturday Night Live, and was performed live for the first time during Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler has also made sequels to the song, updating it to include even more Jewish celebrities.
3. A Very Special Christmas 2, part of the ongoing series of compilation holiday albums made to benefit the Special Olympics, was released on October 20, 1992, and was supposed to include a song by Tupac Shakur, but due to legal trouble, his song was dropped from the album.
4. Remember Total Request Live, aka TRL? Of course you do. NSYNC debuted their video for Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays on the show on December 14, 1998. The video features a cameo by Gary Coleman as an elf, which apparently was a little tricky to secure, according to the director.
5. Snowed In was the best-selling holiday album of 1997 in the US, selling 863,000 copies. It debuted and peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard 200 album sales chart, and was certified Platinum after selling over a million copies.