With Christmas Day quickly approaching and exam season taking over, it’s easy to fall into the habit of listening to ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey on repeat to lift your spirits and help you maintain the Christmas cheer. However, in an attempt to switch up your playlist, we have compiled a list of five equally as good (and most likely equally as popular) Christmas songs to match any vibe this holiday season.

Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea

This is an obvious one for university students. There is nothing better than listening to it on repeat on the journey home after you’ve finally submitted your last assignments for the year, and you can look forward to a few weeks of no classes or deadlines while you sit at home and stuff your face with Christmas leftovers.

Christmas Lights – Coldplay

This song just reminds me of walking through town and admiring the Christmas lights (obviously) while you’re all bundled up in cosy clothes. The lyrics aren’t as festive though as they describe the longing feeling you have at Christmastime if you’ve recently ended a relationship, but if that’s relatable for you this year then I hope the lyrics don’t cut too deep and you can still enjoy the magic of this time of year.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love

An iconic Christmas song that has been used in so many TV shows and movies, and for good reason. This is my personal favourite Christmas song as I just think it’s comforting, nostalgic vibe is a perfect fit for parties, Christmas baking, or whatever you get up to this festive season.

Winter Song – Sam Fender (cover)

This song has a completely different vibe from the last three songs but that doesn’t take away from how good it is at all. Sam Fender’s haunting vocals really help emphasise the message of the song – remembering to empathise with people who may be going through a hard time, especially at Christmas.

Fairytale of New York – The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl

I feel like it’s impossible to hate this song, it’s just so feel-good and everyone instantly knows the words. No matter if it were to come on in the pub or the supermarket, I can guarantee you would be able to find someone singing along. I just hope you can listen to it without your dad asking if you know how Kirsty MacColl died… for the hundredth time. And of course, if none of these songs takes your fancy then my advice would be to pop on ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! and enjoy the best Christmas song ever made.