The best Christmas karaoke songs are not necessarily the best Christmas songs. A gorgeous carol with a soaring final note is a trap for a nervous amateur at an office party. A slightly silly novelty song with a chorus the whole room knows is a guaranteed win. Christmas karaoke works because everyone already knows the words, so the right song turns one person with a mic into a room full of people singing along.
So this list is sorted by what each song asks of the singer, from easy Christmas karaoke songs anyone can survive to big-voice showstoppers, duets, rock and pop picks, and a handful of songs for people who swear they cannot sing at all.
What makes a good Christmas karaoke song
The same rules as any karaoke night, with one festive twist.
The room knows the chorus. With Christmas music this is almost a given, which is why holiday karaoke is easier than the regular kind. Pick songs where people will join in by the second line.
The range is forgiving. A lot of classic Christmas songs were written for crooners and sit in a comfortable middle. The modern pop ones tend to climb. Know which you are choosing.
It gets to the words quickly. A long orchestral intro means standing there while everyone watches you wait.
The twist: avoid the slow, solemn carols unless you have the voice for them. "Silent Night" is beautiful in church and very exposed with a karaoke backing track.
Easy Christmas karaoke songs for beginners
Start the night here. Each of these sits in a narrow range, moves at a friendly tempo, and has a chorus the room will carry for you.
1. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee. Short, bouncy and over before the nerves arrive.
2. Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms. Practically spoken in places, and everyone joins the title line.
3. Feliz Navidad, José Feliciano. Two lines repeated with total commitment. The easiest Christmas karaoke song there is.
4. A Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives. Cheerful, simple and pitched for normal human voices.
5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Gene Autry. The room will shout the traditional heckles ("like a light bulb!") whether you want them or not.
6. Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley. Low and slow, and an Elvis impression covers any wobbly notes.
7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Dean Martin. Relaxed, swingy and forgiving. Lean back and croon.
8. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Michael Bublé. A gentle range and lyrics that read like a shopping list.
Big-voice Christmas showstoppers
For the person who has been waiting all year for this. These are among the best Christmas karaoke songs for a strong singer, and they are brutal for anyone who is not. Choose carefully, and pick your key if the machine allows it.
9. All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey. The Christmas karaoke song everyone asks for. The verses are easy, the ending is not, and the room will sing louder than you anyway.
10. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Darlene Love. A wall of sound that rewards a big, brassy voice and real commitment.
11. O Holy Night, Celine Dion. Only if you can actually hit "night divine." If you can, it silences the room.
12. Underneath the Tree, Kelly Clarkson. Fast, joyful and relentlessly high. A modern classic for a confident belter.
13. Mary, Did You Know?, Pentatonix. Moody and dramatic, with plenty of space to show off.
14. Where Are You Christmas?, Faith Hill. A slow build to a huge finish, made for the singer who wants a moment.
Christmas duet karaoke songs
A duet halves the pressure and doubles the fun, which makes it the perfect format for a nervous pair. For year-round picks, our list of karaoke duets has plenty more.
15. Baby, It's Cold Outside, Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone. Playful call and response, and the parts are easy to swap if you want to flip the roles.
16. Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy, Bing Crosby and David Bowie. One singer takes the carol, the other the counter-melody. Odd pairing, lovely result.
17. Fairytale of New York, The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl. A shouted, bickering duet that sounds best a little rough. Check the lyrics first, as many groups swap out one dated line.
18. Winter Wonderland / Don't Worry Be Happy, Pentatonix featuring Tori Kelly. A relaxed mashup with clear parts for two voices.
Rock and pop Christmas karaoke songs
For the crowd that wants a party, not a carol service. Upbeat, familiar and built for a room that is already on its feet.
19. Last Christmas, Wham!. Moody, singable and instantly recognizable from the first synth note.
20. Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney. Repetitive in the best way, so even the shy can keep up by the second chorus.
21. Step Into Christmas, Elton John. Upbeat piano pop with a comfortable range.
22. Run Rudolph Run, Chuck Berry. Two and a half minutes of rock and roll. Pure energy, no high notes.
23. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, Bruce Springsteen. Loose, live and full of shouting. Play to the crowd and you cannot go wrong.
24. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, *NSYNC. Perfect for a group of friends who grew up on boy bands. Choreography optional but encouraged.
25. Santa Tell Me, Ariana Grande. A modern pop pick with a catchy chorus and just enough attitude.
26. Sleigh Ride, The Ronettes. Bright and bouncy, and the backing vocals are a job for everyone else.
Christmas karaoke songs for non-singers
Some people will only take the mic if they do not have to actually sing. These songs are half spoken, mostly performance, or loud enough that nobody can hear the notes.
27. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, Thurl Ravenscroft. Low, growly and mostly a character voice. The best non-singer Christmas song there is.
28. Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt. Purred, not sung. All attitude and timing.
29. Christmas Wrapping, The Waitresses. Mostly spoken over a groove, and the story carries it.
30. Christmas in Hollis, Run-DMC. Rap, not singing, so pitch does not matter. Rhythm and confidence do.
31. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Elmo & Patsy. A comedy song where a straight face is the whole performance.
32. Happy Xmas (War Is Over), John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Harlem Community Choir. Save it for last and hand the mic to the room.
If anyone is still nervous, our guide to karaoke when you can't sing has a few more tricks for getting through a song.
How to run a Christmas karaoke night
The song list matters, but the order matters more.
Open easy. Start with a group song or one of the beginner picks above, ideally with the host going first. Whatever opens the night sets how brave the room feels.
Mix the eras. Alternate crooner classics with pop and rock so the grandparents and the twenty-somethings both get something they know.
Save the showstoppers for the middle. Too early and they intimidate everyone else. Too late and the room has stopped listening.
Make it a group song when it stalls. If the queue dries up, put on something like "Feliz Navidad" and hand out a second mic, or just let the room sing.
Warm up with a quiz. A round of our Christmas finish the lyrics questions is a gentle way to remind everyone how many words they already know before anyone stands up. For games to fill the rest of the evening, see our full list of Christmas party games.
A Christmas sing-off format
If you want a competition rather than a queue, run it as a sing-off. Split the room into two teams. Pick a festive word like "snow," "bells," "Santa," "tree" or "home." Teams take turns singing a line from any Christmas song containing that word. The first team that cannot think of one in ten seconds loses the round, and the other team picks the next word.
For a faster, phone-based version, word karaoke does the same job. A word lights up, whoever grabs the phone first has fifteen seconds to sing any song with that word in it, and the group votes on whether it counts. Grab The Phone Karaoke runs this for free on one phone with two to eight players, keeping score on a leaderboard so you can crown a champion by the time dessert is served.
If the sing-off gets everyone hooked, our best karaoke songs list will carry the night well past the Christmas playlist.
