Few Christmas songs can claim to define an entire nation’s festive soundtrack. Fewer still can fill pubs, living rooms, football stadiums, and radio airwaves with the same explosive energy year after year. “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade is one of those rare songs.

Every Christmas has its soundtrack. For some, it’s loud and celebratory, filled with sleigh bells and singalong choruses. For others, it’s quieter — reflective, emotional, and rooted in the moments between celebration. Few songs capture that quieter side of the season better than “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea.

Few Christmas songs inspire as much discussion, division, and yearly reappraisal as “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney. Since its release in 1979, the song has become a permanent fixture of the festive season — played endlessly on the radio, in shops, at parties, and across streaming playlists every December. And yet, it remains one of the most hotly debated holiday songs of all time.