The Best Selling Christmas Single Of All Time

White Christmas by Bing Crosby is a cover of a song originally performed by Irving Berlin. It looks back at an old-fashioned Christmas setting.

Issued through Decca Records, Crosby's version became the best-selling single of all time. As per the Guinness Book of World Records, the single has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide.

Being one of the most recorded Christmas songs, there have been more than 500 versions of this timeless classic. But none of them garnered such fame as Crosby's version which peaked at number 12 on Billboard Hot 100 while also reaching number 5 on UK Singles chart.

Originally written as a poem by pastor Joseph Mohr and titled "Stille Nacht", Silent Night is a top Christmas song of all time sung throughout the world.

Recorded by many prominent artists like Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey, and many others, the version performed by Bing Crosby is the only song to achieve the highest commercial success.

First recorded in 1818, history was made when Crosby first performed the Christmas carol a century later in December 1934 on the CBS radio show. It was later included as the 12th track in his 1962 album Swinging On A Star.

The recording sold over 30 million units internationally, making it the third-best-selling single of all time.

Petit Papa Noël is a French Christmas song by French singer Toni Rossi, written by Raymond Vincy and Henri Martinet.

The original version was a prayer/hymn by a child waiting for the arrival of his father from the war in Germany.

Despite being sung in French, Toni managed to expand his audience beyond the French-speaking nations, and as of today, it has sold over 30 million copies internationally.

The song made its best chart appearance on December 28, 1991, when it peaked at no. 6 on the French SNEP Singles chart. It has also been covered by many artists throughout the decades.

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree is one of the Most Popular Christmas Songs Of All Time. It was performed by Brenda Lee in 1958.

Penned down by Johnny Marks, the song brings forth the notion of having fun and dancing during the special occasion of Christmas.

This happy festive song was a huge commercial success, peaking at number 2 on Billboard Hot 100 while topping the charts in several countries including Canada, New Zealand, and others.

Additionally, the song has recorded over 25 million unit sales throughout the world and is also the 5th highest digital download of any Christmas song.

Featuring The Jordanaires and Mille Kirkham on background vocals, Blue Christmas is Elvis Presley most notable Christmas song.

The song was originally recorded in 1957 but was only released in 1964 as a single to his third studio album titled, Elvis' Christmas Album, through RCA Victor Records.

After being forced to perform the song, Elvis instructed the supporting vocals to "do something silly" while simultaneously singing in a jerky voice in an attempt to vandalize the recording, but who would've thought it would become such a critical hit?

Similarly, the track became a commercial success, topping the Christmas Singles chart in the US, and became the first ever Christmas song to achieve Platinum status solely based on physical sales.

With multiple re-releases, it is reported that the single has sold over 22 million copies internationally.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is arguably the Number One Christmas Song Of All Time. It was performed by Mariah Carey and released in 1994.

Issued through Columbia Records, the track was taken from her fourth studio and first-holiday album Merry Christmas.

This classic uptempo song was written by Mariah alongside Walte Afransieff which mentions that the author doesn't care about the expensive gifts or lightning as long as she can be with her lover.

Selling over 21.5 million certified copies globally, this song was a critical and commercial hit, topping almost every mainstream Singles chart while receiving multi-Platinum status in 16 countries.

Additionally, the official music video which premiered on December 20, 2019, on YouTube has been viewed over 406 million times.

American writer Johnny Marks composed the song Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1939. It is based on a poem penned by his brother-in-law Robert L. May.

Recorded a decade later by Gene Autry in 1949, this iconic song was released through Columbia Records. It encourages its listeners to celebrate each other's differences.

It topped the US charts during the week of Christmas in 1949, shipping 1.75 million copies in its initial week. Currently, the song has sold over 12.5 million copies in total.

Additionally, if cover sales were to be included, the song has shipped over 150 million units, falling behind only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas".

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) is a novelty Christmas anthem. It was written and recorded by David Seville in the late 1950s.

The track was issued via Liberty Records and was invented whilst the singer was experimenting with the tape speeds to create high-pitched sounds, forming what is today a vocal trio - Alvin, Theodore, and Simon.

Included as a single in Alvin and the Chimpunks' debut studio album, Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks, the song became their best charting single ever, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 12 million copies worldwide.

Additionally, the festive song was also a critical hit, bagging three Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children's Recording, and Best Engineered Record (non-classical) while also earning a nomination for the Record of the Year in 1958.

Recorded as a fundraiser to help relief efforts for the mid-1980 famine in Ethiopia, Do They Know It’s Christmas? is a song by charity group Band Aid.

The song was reportedly recorded in a single day and was ready to be publicly released in December 1984. With the initial goal of raising £70,000 for famine relief, the final amount was a staggering £8 million.

The single eventually topped the major charts in 13 countries, and its unprecedented success led to the creation of several other charity singles like "We Are the World" and more.

Selling over a million copies in its initial week in the UK, the song became the fastest-selling single in the country's history until 1997. Ultimately, it sold over 11.7 million copies globally and has been awarded Platinum status in 5 countries.

Last Christmas is a song performed by British duo Wham! It was released in 1984 via multiple records.

The song was composed and produced by George Micheal and appeared on the band's third and final album, Music From The Edge of Heaven.

Despite being played mostly during the Christmas season, its lyrics are far from a Christmas-themed song, which depicts the tale of a broken relationship and only triggers more pain as the festival approaches.

Peaking at the top spot in the UK and several countries, it's fair to say that the song achieved commercial as well as critical success. It sold roughly 6.1 million copies worldwide while contributing all of the royalties to the Ethiopian famine relief fund.

Jingle Bell is the most well-known traditional Christmas song worldwide. Originally written by James Pierpont in 1857, the song has been heavily covered.

Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sister's version of the classic was recorded and issued through Decca Records. It was released as the seventh track from Crosby's compilation, White Christmas, in 1943.

Despite failing to make it to the top 10 in the US Singles chart, the song was a considerable hit shipping over 6 million units worldwide becoming one of the biggest-selling singles of all time.

The Little Drummer Boy was popularized by Harry Simeone's chorale. It was released in 1958 through the label 20th Fox. 

Originally titled "Carol of the Drum", this song was based on a Czech folk tune "Hajej, nynjej" and was composed by a school teacher and composer Katherine Davis in 1941.

Although this song became a massive hit, it only managed to reach number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it shipped 6 million records globally, making it one of the top-selling Christmas singles.

The original soundtrack from top grossing 2013 Disney animated film Frozen, Do You Want A Snowman is a song penned by Kristen Bell and Robert Lopez.

This 3:28 minute-long track captures three different stages of life in which the younger sister Anna tries to persuade Elsa to spend some time with her family.

Receiving widespread acclaim from critics, the heartfelt emotional ballad became a commercial hit as well. It has received quadruple Platinum certification from the RIAA and has over 4.63 million certified sales globally.

Mistletoe By Justin Bieber was a lead single from his 2011 Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe. It peaked at number 11 on Billboard Hot 100.

The recording was composed by Bieber alongside Nasri Atweh and Messy and combined elements of pop and R&B with a Christmas theme.

Issued by Island Records and RBMG, the song recorded 164,000 sales in its initial week of release and eventually sold 4.45 million certified copies worldwide including 3 million in the US alone, where it was triple Platinum certified.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is a Christmas pop song originally recorded by Darlene Love and appeared on a seasonal compilation album in 1963. 

Although the recording failed to find an instant footing, it has aged like a fine wine becoming even more prevalent as the years pass and ultimately evolving into a standard Christmas anthem.

Furthermore, the song was crowned the "Best Christmas Song of All Time" by Pitchfork applauding the singer's aching and emphatic performance and noting its longevity and rise over the years.

The track has been covered by several renowned artists including the likes of Mariah Carey, Micheal Buble, and more. However, none have achieved commercial success as Lover's original which sold more than 3.6 million certified copies worldwide.