This page shows the best-selling Christmas singles in the United States. It includes artists from around the world, but it only reflects sales in the United States. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby is not only the best-selling Christmas/holiday single in the United States, but also the best-selling single of all time since the advent of recorded music, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Prior to March 1, 1991, the only means of tracking sales figures for record albums and singles in the United States was via the certification system of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), based specifically on shipments (less potential returns) on a long-term basis. From March 1, 1991, through the present day, the Nielsen SoundScan tracking system has been more widely used to accurately track sales of record albums and singles at the point of sale (POS) based on inventory bar code scans, as well as digital music download sales starting in 2003. As of November 25, 2016, the holiday single with the most digital downloads is Mariah Carey's 1994 track "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which SoundScan estimates as having sold 3,200,000 copies.[5]
This is a list of the top ten best-selling Christmas singles of the SoundScan era in the United States according to the Nielsen Company, as last updated on November 25, 2016. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital download sales data at the end of June 2003.
| Rank | Title | Artist | Released | Label | Digital downloads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | 1994 | Columbia | 3,200,000 | ||
| 2 | "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" | , Agatha Lee Monn & Katie Lopez | 2013 | Walt Disney | 1,600,000 | |
| 3 | "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" | Savatage (later credited to Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which featured all Savatage members) | 1996 | Lava | 1,300,000 | |
| 4 | "Mistletoe" | 2011 | Island | 1,100,000 | ||
| 5 | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | 1958 | Decca | 1,000,000 | ||
| 6 | "Where Are You Christmas?" | 2000 | Interscope | 977,000[6] | ||
| 7 | "Christmas Canon" | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | 1998 | Lava | 918,000 | |
| 8 | "Feliz Navidad" | 1970 | RCA | 808,000 | ||
| 9 | "Jingle Bell Rock" | 1957 | Decca | 780,000 | ||
| 10 | "Last Christmas" | Wham! | 1984 | Columbia | 751,000 |
This is an incomplete list of the best-selling Christmas/holiday singles in the United States based on certification by the RIAA. This list provides a more complete representation of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in history, as it includes those released well before the Nielsen/SoundScan era of music sales.
| Year of release | Title | Artist | Label | Certification award[7] | Certification date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Columbia | 14× Platinum | 2023-12-08 | ||
| 1958 | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Decca | 5× Platinum | 2023-11-03 | ||
| 2014 | "Santa Tell Me" | Republic | 4× Platinum | 2024-01-09 | ||
| 2013 | "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" | , Agatha Lee Monn & Katie Lopez | Walt Disney | 4× Platinum | 2023-03-17 | |
| 2011 | "Mistletoe" | Island | 3× Platinum | 2021-01-11 | ||
| 1963 | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Legacy | 3× Platinum | 2023-04-07 | ||
| 1963 | "Sleigh Ride" | The Ronettes | Legacy | 3× Platinum | 2023-04-07 | |
| 1984 | "Last Christmas" | Columbia | 2× Platinum | 2019-12-12 | ||
| 2019 | "Like It's Christmas" | Jonas Brothers | Republic | Platinum | 2023-01-25 | |
| 2018 | "Cozy Little Christmas" | Capitol | Platinum | 2022-01-27 | ||
| 2018 | "What Christmas Means to Me" | (Featuring Stevie Wonder) | Columbia | Platinum | 2022-03-22 | |
| 2017 | "A Ghetto Christmas Carol" | XXXTentacion | Bad Vibes Forever | Platinum | 2023-05-02 | |
| 2017 | "Snowman" | Sia | Atlantic | Platinum | 2022-10-27 | |
| 2017 | "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" | (Featuring Blake Shelton) | Interscope | Platinum | 2023-12-04 | |
| 2016 | "Hallelujah" | Pentatonix | RCA | Platinum | 2018-02-09 | |
| 2014 | "Mary, Did You Know" | Pentatonix | RCA | Platinum | 2018-02-09 | |
| 2007 | "This Christmas" | RCA | Platinum | 2021-10-01 | ||
| 1994 | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Columbia | Platinum | 2022-03-27 | ||
| 1994 | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)" | Columbia | Platinum | 2023-12-08 | ||
| 1994 | "O Holy Night" | Columbia | Platinum | 2023-12-08 | ||
| 1965 | "Christmas Time Is Here" | Fantasy | Platinum | 2019-01-31 | ||
| 1963 | "Winter Wonderland" | Legacy | Platinum | 2023-04-07 | ||
| 1958 | "Run Rudolph Run" | Geffen | Platinum | 2020-11-18 | ||
| 2021 | "Pick Out a Christmas Tree" | Dan + Shay | Warner Music Nashville | Gold | 2024-05-09 | |
| 2020 | "Take Me Home for Christmas" | Dan + Shay | Warner Music Nashville | Gold | 2022-02-03 | |
| 2019 | "Do You Hear What I Hear?" | Featuring Whitney Houston | RCA | Gold | 2023-01-27 | |
| 2018 | "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" | Columbia | Gold | 2023-02-14 | ||
| 2017 | "Candy Cane Lane" | Sia | Atlantic | Gold | 2023-11-15 | |
| 2017 | "Santa's Coming for Us" | Sia | Atlantic | Gold | 2023-11-15 | |
| 2015 | "Noel" | (with Lauren Daigle) | sixstepsrecords/Sparrow | Gold | 2024-03-07 | |
| 2014 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Capitol | Gold | 2020-02-11 | ||
| 2011 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You (SuperFestive!)" | with Mariah Carey | Island | Gold | 2020-06-25 | |
| 2011 | "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" | featuring Usher | Def Jam | Gold | 2024-01-10 | |
| 2011 | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | Def Jam | Gold | 2023-12-12 | ||
| 2010 | "Shake Up Christmas" | Train | Columbia | Gold | 2024-02-26 | |
| 2002 | "Mary, Did You Know?" | & Wynonna Judd | Curb | Gold | 2024-07-25 | |
| 2000 | "The Christmas Shoes" | NewSong | Benson/Reunion | Gold | 2020-07-31 | |
| 2000 | "My Only Wish (This Year)" | Jive | Gold | 2023-10-24 | ||
| 1996 | "Chanukah Song" | Warner Bros. | Gold | 2009-10-05 | ||
| 1996 | "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" | Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Lava | Gold | 2009-12-14 | |
| 1994 | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | Columbia | Gold | 2022-03-27 | ||
| 1982 | "Hard Candy Christmas" | RCA | Gold | 2022-10-21 | ||
| 1973 | "Step into Christmas | MCA | Gold | 2021-09-27 | ||
| 1965 | "Linus and Lucy" | Fantasy | Gold | 2019-05-10 | ||
| 1963 | "Frosty the Snowman" | The Ronettes | Legacy | Gold | 2023-04-07 |
| Year of release | Title | Artist | Labels | Certification award[8] | Certification date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Columbia | 2× Multi-Platinum | 2009-12-15 | |
| 2003 | "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" | Elmo & Patsy | Legacy/Epic | Gold | 2008-12-10 |
| 2003 | "Santa Baby" | Legacy | Gold | 2008-12-09 | |
According to the most recent record album certifications, the holiday single title with the highest RIAA certification is Elvis Presley's 1964 single "Blue Christmas", which is certified Platinum by the RIAA (though its date of certification came more than ten years after the RIAA reduced the threshold for Platinum level for singles from two million copies to one million copies).[9]
| Year of release | Title (A-side/B-side) | Artist(s) | Label | Certification award | Certification date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Blue Christmas"/ "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" | RCA Victor | Platinum | 1999-07-15 | |
| 1989 | "This One's for the Children"/ "Funky, Funky Xmas" | New Kids on the Block | Columbia | Gold | 1990-01-09 |
| 1985 | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | Columbia | Gold | 1992-05-05 | |
| 1984 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?"/ "Feed the World" | Band Aid | Columbia | Gold | 1984-12-19 |
| 1984 | "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" | Elmo & Patsy | Epic | Gold | 1989-12-27 |
| 1982 | "Mickey's Christmas Carol" | (no artist listed) | Disneyland/Vista | Gold | 1989-05-11 |
| 1977 | "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (Story and Song) | (no artist listed) | Buena Vista | Gold | 1994-03-25 |
| 1977 | "Frosty the Snow Man" (Story and Song) | (no artist listed) | Disneyland/Vista | Gold | 1994-03-25 |
| 1976 | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Story and Song) | (no artist listed) | Disneyland/Vista | Gold | 1994-03-25 |
| 1970 | "The Night Before Christmas" (Story and Song) | (no artist listed) | Disneyland | Gold | 1994-03-25 |
| 1959 | "Alvin's Harmonica"/ "Mediocre" (David Seville) | The Chipmunks | Liberty | Gold[10] | |
| 1958 | "The Chipmunk Song"/ "Almost Good" (David Seville) | The Chipmunks with the Music of David Seville | Liberty | Gold | |
| 1958 | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"/ "Papa Noël" | Decca | Gold[11] | ||
| 1957 | "Jingle Bell Rock"/ "Captain Santa Claus (and His Reindeer Space Patrol)" | Bobby Helms | Decca | Gold[12] | |
| 1955 | "Nuttin' for Christmas"/ "Santa Claus Looks Just Like Daddy" | and His Orchestra Vocal by Barry Gordon | MGM | Gold[13] | |
| 1952 | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"/ "Thumbelina" | Columbia | Gold[14] | ||
| 1950 | "Frosty the Snow Man"/ "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" | and The Cass County Boys | Columbia | Gold[15] | |
| 1949 | "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas"/ "Yingle Bells" | Capitol | Gold[16] | ||
| 1949 | "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"/ "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas" | & The Pinafores | Columbia | Gold | 1969-11-10 |
| 1948 | "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)"/ "Happy New Year" | and his City Slickers | RCA Victor | Gold[17] | |
| 1948 | "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"/ "I'm A-Tellin' You, Sam" | and his Orchestra | Columbia | Gold[18] | |
| 1947 | "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)"/ "An Old-Fashioned Christmas" | Columbia | Gold | ||
| 1946 | "Christmas Island"/ "Winter Wonderland" | Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | Decca | Gold[19] | |
| 1946 | "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"/ "In the Cool of Evening" | The King Cole Trio | Capitol | Gold[20] | |
| 1944 | "White Christmas"/ "If You Are But a Dream" | Columbia | Gold[21] | ||
| 1943 | "I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams)"/ "Danny Boy" | Decca | Gold[22] | ||
| 1943 | "Jingle Bells"/ "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | and the Andrews Sisters | Decca | Gold | |
| 1942 | "White Christmas"/ "Let's Start the New Year Right" | Decca | Gold[23] | ||
| 1942 | "White Christmas"/ "Abraham" | and his Orchestra | Victor | Gold[24] | |
| 1935 | "Silent Night"/ "Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)" | Decca | Gold | ||