Best-selling Christmas/holiday singles in the United States

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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 of America. 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, 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 December 25, 2011, 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 3,100,000 copies.[5]

Best-selling Christmas/holiday singles since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began

This is a list of the top thirty best-selling Christmas singles of the SoundScan era in the United States according to the Nielsen Company as last updated in December 2010.[6] Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital download sales data at the end of June 2003.

Best-selling Christmas singles

Rank Title Artist Released Label(s) Digital Downloads
1 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey 1994 Columbia 3,100,000
2 "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" Alvin and the Chipmunks 1958 Capitol 780,000
3 "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" Trans-Siberian Orchestra 1996 Lava 763,000
4 "Christmas Canon" Trans-Siberian Orchestra 1998 Lava 590,000
5 "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Brenda Lee 1958 Decca 572,000
6 "The Chanukah Song" Adam Sandler 1995 Warner Bros. 548,000
7 "Where Are You Christmas?" Faith Hill 2000 Interscope 535,000
8 "Feliz Navidad" José Feliciano 1970 RCA 482,000
9 "Jingle Bell Rock" Bobby Helms 1957 Decca 469,000
10 "White Christmas" Bing Crosby 1942 Decca 451,000
11 "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" Nat King Cole 1946
1954		 Capitol 431,000
12 "Santa Baby" Eartha Kitt 1953 RCA Victor 428,000
13 "Last Christmas" Wham! 1984 Columbia 405,000
14 "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" Bruce Springsteen 1981 Columbia 387,000
15 "Blue Christmas" Elvis Presley 1957 RCA Victor 380,000
16 "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Thurl Ravenscroft 1966 Island/Mercury 369,000
17 "Believe" Josh Groban 2004 Warner Bros. 366,000
18 "A Holly Jolly Christmas" Burl Ives 1964 Decca 363,000
19 "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Dean Martin 1959 Capitol 349,000
20 "Wizards in Winter" Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2004 Lava 321,000
21 "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Michael Bublé 2003 143/Reprise 314,000
22 "Same Old Lang Syne" Dan Fogelberg 1980 Full Moon 309,000
23 "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" U2 1987 A&M 297,000
24 "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir 1971 Apple 293,000
25 "The Christmas Shoes" Newsong 2000 Benson 291,000
26 "Christmas Time Is Here" Vince Guaraldi Trio 1965 Fantasy 289,000
27 "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Andy Williams 1963 Columbia 288,000
28 "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"/"We Three Kings" Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan 2000 Nettwerk 268,000
29 "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Hippo the Hero)" Gayla Peevey 1953 Columbia 264,000
30 "Little Saint Nick" The Beach Boys 1963 Capitol 254,000

Best-selling Christmas/holiday singles by RIAA certification

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.

Digital downloads

Year of Release Title Artist Label(s) Certification Award[7] Certification Date
1996 "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" Trans-Siberian Orchestra Lava Gold 2009-12-14
1995 "The Chanukah Song" Adam Sandler Warner Bros. Gold 2005-10-05
1994 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey Columbia 2x platinum 2009-12-15

Physical singles

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).[8]

Year of Release Title
(A-side/B-side)		 Artist(s) Label(s) Certification Award Certification Date[7]
1964 "Blue Christmas"/
"Santa Claus Is Back in Town"		 Elvis Presley RCA Victor Platinum[8] 1999-12-15
1989 "This One's for the Children"/
"Funky, Funky Xmas"		 New Kids on the Block Columbia Gold[7] 1990-01-09
1984 "Do They Know It's Christmas?"/
"Feed the World"		 Band Aid Columbia Gold[7] 1984-12-19
1959 "Alvin's Harmonica"/
"Mediocre" (David Seville)		 The Chipmunks Liberty Gold[9]
1958 "The Chipmunk Song"/
"Almost Good" (David Seville)		 The Chipmunks with the Music of David Seville Liberty Gold[9]
1958 "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"/
"Papa Noël"		 Brenda Lee Decca Gold[10]
1957 "Jingle Bell Rock"/
"Captain Santa Claus (and His Reindeer Space Patrol)"		 Bobby Helms Decca Gold[11]
1955 "Nuttin' for Christmas"/
"Santa Claus Looks Just Like Daddy"		 Art Mooney and His Orchestra
Vocal by Barry Gordon		 MGM Gold[12]
1952 "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"/
"Thumbelina"		 Jimmy Boyd Columbia Gold[13]
1950 "Frosty the Snow Man"/
"When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter"		 Gene Autry and The Cass County Boys Columbia Gold[14]
1949 "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas"/
"Yingle Bells"		 Yogi Yorgesson Capitol Gold[15]
1949 "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"/
"If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas"		 Gene Autry & The Pinafores Columbia Gold[14] 1969-11-10
1948 "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)"/
"Happy New Year"		 Spike Jones and his City Slickers RCA Victor Gold[16]
1948 "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"/
"I'm A-Tellin' You, Sam"		 Les Brown and his Orchestra Columbia Gold[17]
1947 "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)"/
"An Old-Fashioned Christmas"		 Gene Autry Columbia Gold[14]
1946 "Christmas Island"/
"Winter Wonderland"		 Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians Decca Gold[18]
1946 "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"/
"In the Cool of Evening"		 The King Cole Trio Capitol Gold[19]
1944 "White Christmas"/
"If You Are But a Dream"		 Frank Sinatra Columbia Gold[20]
1943 "I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams)"/
"Danny Boy"		 Bing Crosby Decca Gold[21]
1943 "Jingle Bells"/
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"		 Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters Decca Gold[21]
1942 "White Christmas"/
"Let's Start the New Year Right"		 Bing Crosby Decca Gold[22]
1942 "White Christmas"/
"Abraham"		 Freddy Martin and his Orchestra Victor Gold[23]
1935 "Silent Night"/
"Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)"		 Bing Crosby Decca Gold[22]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187
  2. ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2008 Edition, page 181
  3. ↑ Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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