Image Credit: FinanceBuzz

All I want for Christmas is peace and quiet! What’s the most hated Christmas song in the US?

A survey has revealed the holiday tune that Americans think is the most annoying Christmas song ever. And the song that grates the most is unexpected – because it’s so popular. In fact, we placed it second on our (subjective) best Christmas songs of all time list, and at current count the official video has almost 750m views on YouTube.

So what is the most annoying Christmas song? It’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey.

FinanceBuzz’s survey questioned 1,250 adults in the US, to find the holiday song that everyone agreed wound them up the most. Asking in November, before the festive season, probably made Christmas songs seem extra-irritating. You’ve got to wait until the holiday spirit is fully present.

And as for the rest? Here’s how Americans ranked the top 10 most annoying Christmas songs – worst to slightly-more-bearable.


The 10 least favorite Christmas songs in the US

  1. Mariah Carey – All I Want for Christmas Is You
  2. Alvin and the Chipmunks, David Seville – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
  3. José Feliciano – Feliz Navidad
  4. Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas
  5. Baby It’s Cold Outside
  6. Deck the Halls
  7. John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
  8. White Christmas
  9. Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime
  10. Do You Hear What I Hear?

I would argue that your thoughts on the worst Christmas song depends on the version of the track in question, and how overplayed it is in stores and on the radio.

Anyway, what about America’s favourite holiday tune? FinanceBuzz also used Google Trends to find out what the most popular Christmas song is depending on where in the US you’re based, which is a much jollier undertaking.

Every state had their say. Kansas loves “Jingle Bell Rock.” Oregon stands alone with its soft spot for “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Is there a correlation between the popularity of “Feliz Navidad” and the states with the most Spanish language-speakers? Does the prevalence of “Santa Baby” suggest that listeners in those states are more likely to find the holidays a sexy time of year?

See the full list here and complete your own analysis of the data.


Happy holidays from RouteNote!