My 5 Favorite New Holiday Songs

Every year a batch of new Holiday albums and singles come out. Most times we get a bunch of covers of songs we've heard a billion times before. I love an original Holiday song. Show me what you got that is new!

So, here are my favorite new, and to my knowledge, original Holiday songs for 2020 so far.

1. My girl Carly Rae Jepsen put out a great song "It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries" and I am here for it. So relatable. Especially for my mom's side of the family. They laugh. They yell. They cry. It's what they do.

2. Carrie Underwood released a festive album this year. She teamed up with John Legend for "Halleluiah," but not that "Halleluiah." This is a different one and I love it.

3. Pentatonix is no stranger to Christmas albums. On their latest album, We Need A Little Christmas, they do a cover of "Amazing Grace" that I've seen making the rounds. And, while it's an amazing version, I'm going with "Thank You" as my favorite. It's original and I think it sums up 2020 pretty good. Trying to be grateful even when things are hard. And, gasp, they are using instruments! This song gives me "New Year's Day" vibes off of their all-original album, Pentatonix.

4. Mandy Moore threw her hat in the Holiday ring with a very subdued and subtle, yet pretty song, "How Could This Be Christmas." Her breathy tone is soft yet powerful. Such a beautiful song.

5. No Christmas music list could be complete without the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey. "Oh Santa" was actually on one of her previous Holiday albums, but for 2020 we needed a trio of divas to save the day. This version features Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande and was for Mariah's Magical Christmas Special on Apple+, which I watched, and it is ridiculous, but fun! Much like this song! And, can we please recognize this double whistle between Mariah and Ariana!

Well, there you go. Go ahead and add these to your holiday playlists!

You're welcome.

Oh, and Season's Greetings!

Ok, so I couldn't narrow it down to 5. Here is a bonus original. We'll call it an honorable mention. Tori Kelly should be a way bigger star than she is. Her voice is just so good. Anyway, here is her contribution to 2020's Holiday cheer, her original song simply titled, "25th" off of her new Christmas album, A Tori Kelly Christmas.