P1 Reveals America’s Top 100 Christmas Songs
• Christmas classics continue to dominate America’s holiday music favorites, but listeners increasingly favor a later start to the all-Christmas radio season, according to P1 Media Group’s annual America’s Top 100 Christmas Songs study, sponsored by GoldDisc by TM Studios.
P1 Media Group’s nationwide study surveyed 400 radio listeners ages 25–54 across America’s Top 50 radio markets, testing the appeal of the 100 most-played Christmas recordings from the 2025 holiday season, according to Mediabase.
The research reveals the enduring strength of traditional holiday favorites — 100 recordings represent just 54 unique songs, demonstrating how familiar holiday standards continue to resonate with listeners across multiple artists and generations… and Bobby Helms‘ “Jingle Bell Rock” remains at No. 1. The study also reveals that 56% of respondents prefer Christmas music to begin “on Thanksgiving or later.”
The power of Christmas programming was once again evident in Nielsen Audio’s Holiday 2025 ratings. All-Christmas stations ranked No. 1 in numerous major markets, including Los Angeles (KOST, 13.3 share), Chicago (WLIT, 12.4), Boston (WMJX, 13.5), and St. Louis (KEZK, 17.6), among listeners ages 6 and older.
“Christmas music continues to be one of radio’s most powerful audience magnets,” said Ken Benson, Founder & Partner of P1 Media Group. “The Nielsen ratings demonstrate its extraordinary ability to attract listeners, but our research also reveals an important shift. While Americans still love their Christmas classics, they’re becoming more selective about when they want the holiday season to begin.”
The complete 2026 study is posted HERE.
