The parties have been penned in, presents under the tree joyfully await their hour to shine and hitmaker Mariah Carey is understandably back at the top of the Billboard charts. Perhaps you’re all packed and ready to board a flight to more wintry streets of snow, or about to welcome an intimate table of pizza and sangria. Exactly how you’re celebrating it is entirely up to you (‘tis the season, after all) but one thing’s for sure is that the wonderfully merry mood is hardly going anywhere.
Here at Vogue Singapore, we’re choosing to count down the days left to Christmas with our favourite tunes of the year-end season. With everyone in the office getting into the groove of the holidays, certain songs that played in the background as we went about our regular schedules this December became clear harbingers of the magical time of year, whilst others shared in the wistful nostalgia that the season similarly begets. Be it that spark of unbridled joy cued by the various renditions of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ or the soft, understated poignance gleaned from Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song’, we’ve filled up the empty spots in a special festive playlist to share with you, our readers.
With everyone declaring their favourite Christmas hits to press play on as 25th December comes around, we make a case for the songs that are taking us through the season below. And to chime in with the wise words of one festive-ready colleague: “If you’re not harmonising to the ‘(and I)’ part of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, is it even Christmas?”
1 / 13
Desmond Lim, fashion director
Festive song pick: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Dave Thomas Junior
“There is always something really melancholic about Dave Thomas Junior’s vocals and his rendition of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ brought a wispy, almost introspective mood to the otherwise gleeful song, which pretty much sums up my mood as we round up the year.”
2 / 13
Syed Zulfadhli, associate beauty editor
Festive song pick: ‘Last Christmas’ by Jimmy Eat World
“This song is so overdone, but my favourite rendition is by Jimmy Eat World. First heard it in my teens on The OC, when Seth Cohen made the word “Chrismukkah” famous.”
3 / 13
Amelia Chia, deputy editor
Festive song pick: ‘Lights’ by John Mark McMillan
“To me, this reflects the true reason behind Christmas—of hope, healing, unconditional love and renewed strength. Beyond the festivities, it’s a time to take stock of what is truly important in your life.”
4 / 13
Chandreyee Ray, senior writer
Festive song pick: ‘Oh Santa!’ by Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson
“A modern classic performed by three unparalleled divas. What more is there left to say?”
5 / 13
Janice Sim, digital editor
Festive song pick: ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys
“Two of my favourite things: The Beach Boys and Love Actually. The latter is in fact, that Christmas film for me. This song plays at the end as a flurry of families each have their own tear-jerking reunion at the airport, and it spreads a triumphant warmth—very much like what I think of Christmas. Everything from the initial piano melodies to Carl Wilson’s constant affirmations: ‘God only knows what I’ll be without you’, make this track a comfort to have on repeat.”
6 / 13
Jesslyn Lye, writer
Festive song pick: ‘The Magic of Christmas Time’ by Taeyeon
“This song makes me think of hot chocolate on a snowy night. It’s a comforting track that encapsulates the warmth and magic of the holiday season, and Taeyeon’s voice brings the song to life beautifully.”
7 / 13
Maya Menon, associate fashion features editor
Festive song pick: ‘You’re My Star’ by Stereophonics
“One of my favourite films growing up was Snowcake, starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver, that follows the unlikely friendship between the two. I remember hearing Stereophonics’ ‘You’re My Star’ for the very first time in one of the scenes and every now again, I come back to it. It’s beautifully written and cathartic, but to me, it also encapsulates the quiet retrospectiveness of the end of the year and the beauty of new beginnings.”
8 / 13
Vanessa Caitlin, digital and creative producer
Festive song pick: ‘Underneath the Tree’ by Kelly Clarkson
“Christmas will not be complete without dancing and making merry (it’s the celebration of the nativity of Jesus after all!)—and what better way than to shimmy to Christmas’ version of ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’.”
9 / 13
Bryan Ho, fashion features writer
Festive song pick: ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ by The Velvet Underground
“While it is not explicitly a Christmas or holiday song, the slow pace of this indie track brings out a sense of melancholy, as I reminisce the memories and events that happened this year. The melody is easy on the ears and the vocals are strong but subtle; the perfect song to listen to on dewy mornings when it’s chilly out (much like the weather these days).”
10 / 13
Alli Sim, beauty director
Festive song pick: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey
“Mariah is mandatory.”
11 / 13
Kelly Khua, fashion intern
Festive song pick: ‘Wading in Waist-High Water – Solstice Version’ by Fleet Foxes
“It’s not an obvious Christmas song but I play it during the holidays as the year winds down and seasons change. I love the wistful indie-folk sound and Pecknold’s beautiful lyrics. It takes me to a nostalgic place and recalls John Keats’s poem ‘To Autumn’.”
12 / 13
Azrin Tan, digital writer
Festive song pick: ‘For You’ by Lee Hi and Crush
“When this song was released two years ago, it came along with a beautiful holiday duet performance by both Lee Hi and Crush. Its wispy tunes always gear me up for a nostalgic finale to the year-end as I recollect memories with the people I’ve spent precious hours with during the course of the past year.”
13 / 13
Verity Cheng, beauty intern
Festive song pick: ‘Wrap Me Up’ by Jhené Aiko
“There’s no better song to accompany the Christmas night waltz around your house with that special someone than this tune by Aiko.”
