The VERY Next Day
The frantic process of shopping, wrapping and cooking is done. Even the blizzard of mainstream attention to the charts and what now appears to be the annual debate of "does the Christmas No.1 still matter" ) kicked off by people who would struggle to identify how and why it ever mattered in the first place) has faded in the memory.
What we have left though is this week, the final chart of the year, and what as a true barometer of music tastes for the festive season is actually a far more relevant survey than the official "Christmas chart". This is particularly the case in 2025, this survey as noted tracking sales and most significantly streams between 19th and 25th December. The Christmas songs that Alexa chose for you up to and including the day itself are all ranked here for your curiosity.
Inevitably, this means a return to No.1 for Last Christmas. Pipped at the post it may have been last week but it now returns to the chart summit to occupy the same place it has done on the final chart of four of the last five years. Or five of the last six as it is now. As is traditional for Christmas week, it reaches No.1 with an utterly colossal chart sale, posting an ACR-encumbered 92,580. It would be well over 184,000 without that handicap.
This is now the song's 12th non-consecutive week at No.1, a total which makes it oddly unique amongst the small number of double-figure No.1 singles. It is a total on which it will now remain until at least next December, or perhaps forever if the rules are ever changed to debar Christmas songs (and other catalogue tracks from the singles chart).
The piece I wrote a fortnight ago about the "forgotten" original mix of the song sparked an interesting debate across various social platforms. My attributing the change to what is now branded the "pudding mix" wasn't entirely accurate as this was the title afforded to the original 1984 12-inch version, even though this was in the manner of the day little more than a version of the 7-inch with extended instrumental breaks and which bears no relation to the extended edit of the track we know today. The jury is out on whether the track was re-done for the Christmas 1985 reissue, meaning the first appearance of the "modern" cut may well have been on Wham!'s farewell hits collection The Final which would appear later the following year. Unless anybody else knows differently.
No, I Won't Embed The Video Again
Denied the boost that her physical releases gave her last week, Kylie Minogue's XMAS takes a tumble all the way to No.4, the rest of the Top 3 occupied by the usual suspects of All I Want For Christmas Is You and Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (which lands itself a brand new peak in the process). No.3 was also coincidentally the peak of the only previous hit version of the song, recorded by Mel (Smith) and Kim (Wilde) for Comic Relief in 1987. The rise of the Brenda Lee original means airplay for this one has diminished over the years (and sidesteps broadcasters' childish need to edit around a reference to the 1969 Christmas No.1 single in the bridge). However it always entertainingly pops up on the little-regarded video streaming chart, where it sits at No.53 this week.
You may note in a unique first, the entire Top 3 consists of songs over 30 years old.
The Current Stuff?
As for contemporary non-festive hits, well they barely get a look in at all, the highest any modern day pop record can reach on the charts this week is the No.27 scaled by Dave and Tems with Raindance. Every other rung above is occupied by seasonal hits of varying vintage.
The Top 10 itself is filled with what you might regard as the usual suspects, a mixture of the evergeen (Fairytale Of New York at No.5), forgotten American faves brought to public attention by homogenised global playlists (Jingle Bell Rock, No.8), and songs famously dragged kicking and screaming into the canon despite being largely ignored upon first release (Step Into Christmas, which hits a brand new all-time peak of No.7 for Elton John).
But for the first time in four years there is room in the final Top 10 of the year for another initially ignored classic that for the worst of all reasons suddenly became topical this week.
Top To Toe
The passing of Chris Rea on the 22nd was not only a terrible tragedy for his family and friends, but deeply regrettable for his overall legacy. The celebrated musician who over a decade and a half of mainstream hits gave us essential wine bar soundtracks (Fool If You Think It's Over, On The Beach, Josephine) and who rode the wave of the blues-rock revival of the late 80s (The Road To Hell, Auberge) is now destined forever more to be remembered as the "Driving Home For Christmas" man.
Originally recorded as the throwaway b-side to his 1986 single Hello Friend, the version we are all familiar with today is a re-recorded take first created for his 1988 compilation New Light Through Old Windows. Released (against his wishes) as a single at the end of that year, it staggered to a lowly No.53 and quite possibly found its way into more homes that year as one of the tracks on The Hits Album (Hits 9). Nonetheless Driving Home For Christmas remained a guilty pleasure to many. As a local radio DJ in the mid-90s, it was always on the playlist for the season as one of the favourites of the senior management. And when 2007 rule changes freed downloads of any kind to chart it made the Top 40 for the very first time at the end of that year.
Since then Chris Rea's classic (which he doggedly refused to play live except on special occasions) has formed part of the general mix of returning favourites in the streaming era - but until today its only visit to the Top 10 came in 2021 when a No.10 peak turned it into only his second ever Top 10 single and joint-biggest chart single of all time.
With his passing it was almost inevitable that the song would enjoy a surge of interest, one which propels it back to that self-same peak. And although he had other and far better songs and deserves to be remembered for far more than a twee festive song that he was always a tiny bit embarrassed by, there probably serves as no more fitting tribute. At least at this time of year.
Also surging this week to what will inevitably become its highest ever chart placing is the "other" Amazon Original of the season, Shake The Snow Globe by Gwen Stefani and which served as their priority single in the markets where Kylie meant far less. Reflecting less you suspect of public demand that it is on simply the presence on Alexa's default Christmas song playist, it rises to No.16 after briefly dipping to No.60 on last week's chart.
Mirror Universe Time
Regular readers of these pages will know that this is the one time of the year when we permit ourselves a brief "what if", applying a Christmastime filter to the chart. What would things have looked like if Christmas songs were not chart eligible, and what - potentially - might next week's countdown all but devoid of them look like to begin the new year.
1) Raindance - Dave and Tems
2) Rein Me In - Sam Fender and Olivia Dean
3) Man I Need - Olivia Dean
4) I Run - Haven featuring Kaitlyn Aragon
5) The Fate Of Ophelia - Taylor Swift
6) Golden - Huntr/X
7) Phantom - EssDeeKid and Rico Ace
8) Where Is My Husband - RAYE
9) Lush Life - Zara Larsson
10) Die On This Hill - Sienna Spiro
Perhaps there is no starker example of why the industry by and large writes off December. The fantasy Top 10 features four songs (three of them former No.1 hits) which are on ACR status. But still have enough streams to rank amongst the biggest hits of the week.
But it isn't all doom and gloom. The final Yule Log entry of the year tops out at 74 (meaning 26 contemporary songs in the Top 100). That's the first time since 2022 that there haven't been at least 80 on the final chart of the year. And this in a survey which (unlike all the others) doesn't include any of the "return to normal" days immediately after the 25th.
Holly Jolly (And Repeat)
Once upon a time the album chart surveying the week up to Christmas Day would reflect the near-frantic orgy of gifting purchases. But no longer. Instead, as predicted on these pages many weeks ago, the Official UK Albums chart is headed by the record that has just like the Wham single been No.1 in this week in four of the last five years. Step forward Christmas by Michael Buble. See you in 2026 old friend.
And that indeed was Chart Watch 2025, the writing of which was soundtracked by DJ Spoony on Radio 2 playing old Christmas songs WHAT HAVE YOU BECOME MAN? Place your bets for what will be the first No.1 single of the new year. Something we've expected? Or something we haven't?
