Photo courtesy of E Street Shuffle

Christmas time can be a season of celebrating with loved ones, reflecting on tragic breakups, or longing for companionship for those of us who have not yet found a special someone. Whatever the circumstance, the following vintage tracks transport you back to a time when the seasonal challenges that are experienced today were also once experienced and sung about in decades past. Here are five fresh songs to add much-needed character to your December playlists and bond over with your hip moms and dads.

The Eagle’s Please Come Home For Christmas

Kicking off this count is the Eagle’s rendition of Please Come Home for Christmas. The soft rock anthem begins with four simple piano keys, launching into an enjoyable bluesy performance. One might say it paints the scene of a defeated middle-aged guy who is home for the holidays, pathetically drowning his sorrows in eggnog at the local bar, and wondering where he went wrong with his last girl. Don Henley’s comforting, classic vocals and the down-to-earth melody are what make this song feel like your best friend.. or perhaps that appetizing shot of RumChata that makes you feel especially warm and tingly during the holidays.

Bruce Springsteen’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town

In typical Springsteen fashion, the Boss warms up the crowd in this live recording of the famous jingle, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, by setting the winter stage. He mentions the cold beach and the windy boardwalk before jumping in with raspy vocals and gritty inflection. It is Bruce’s passionate, rocky delivery that makes you forget this song is one of hundreds of covers written about a fictional Santa Claus. Pump yourself up in any way needed this holiday season with this number. 

Norah Jones’s A Holiday With You

Although A Holiday With You was just released in 2021, it sounds as though it could have been made in the early 90s. Also, Norah Jones, in general, is a pop legend whose music can most often be found on our parents’ CD shelves from long ago. This song is perhaps the most unique on the list because of its dreamy melody and sorrowful sound. It is a sweet invitation to spend the holidays with a lover accompanied by gentle piano and soft vocals. Jones’s beautiful voice periodically builds to falsetto throughout its two minutes and forty seconds, maximizing the song’s emotional atmosphere. This piece of music is so dainty, feminine, and will touch anyone’s heart that is longing to hold someone this holiday season. 

Joni Mitchell’s River

River is one of my personal favorite tunes that has been added to my own playlist in recent years. The artist’s soulful voice and reflective lyrics encourage you to look back at the events of the past year. Which times would you want to relive? Which could you have done differently? This uniquely soothing melody is one of those rare Christmas ballads that may end in a few tears but in the best way imaginable. 

Tom Petty’s Christmas All Over Again

Some may call this one a filler song, but I think that is just part of its charm. The song’s repetitiveness and everyday tone allows listeners to play it over and over again during the season in any setting they would like. The easy-going melody is comforting in its familiarity, mirroring its lyrics that depict the typical Christmas happenings. Unlike the others on this list, this song is neither a downer nor extremely upbeat. Christmas All Over Again is the song you play every year simply because it is tradition. Or perhaps because it makes you feel cool and nostalgic as if you are in a Friends Christmas episode thanks to its 90s flair.

 Make these oldie gems the latest additions to your Christmas playlists for some comfort, self-reflection, and bragging-rights because, thanks to me, you are now slightly more cultured.