15 Christmas Songs Like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Take Me Home (4 Christmas)”
If you love Olivia Rodrigo’s new Christmas song “take me home (4 christmas)”, start with The Waitresses, Julian Casablancas, Bleachers, The Killers and The Darkness.
These artists approach festive music very differently from traditional Christmas standards.
Some combine Christmas themes with new wave and alternative rock. Others use humour, romantic frustration and energetic pop arrangements.
Rodrigo’s new single, released on 6 November 2026, is a particularly enjoyable example.
Rather than singing about snow or Santa Claus, she imagines meeting her partner’s family during Christmas.
The recording has a playful, slightly awkward romantic story and a bright, danceable arrangement.
It’s also connected with one of alternative Christmas music’s most recognisable songs: The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping”.
Here are fifteen recordings worth adding to a less conventional Christmas playlist.
What makes Olivia Rodrigo’s Christmas song different?
The musical arrangement is the first clue.
Rather than relying entirely on traditional festive instrumentation, Rodrigo combines a strong pop-rock rhythm with new-wave influences.
The song has bells and seasonal details, but it doesn’t sound like an attempt to recreate a 1950s Christmas standard.
The subject is also unusually specific.
The narrator wants to become part of her partner’s family celebrations.
That creates plenty of opportunities for humour.
Christmas becomes a test of romantic commitment rather than simply a festive occasion.
1. The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping
The most important recommendation.
Released in 1981, “Christmas Wrapping” combines new-wave guitar, funk-influenced bass and a humorous romantic story.
The narrator experiences the frustrations of an exhausting Christmas season.
But the story eventually develops towards an unexpected romantic possibility.
Rodrigo’s new recording has a similar playful energy.
There’s also a direct creative connection.
The Waitresses’ songwriter Chris Butler revealed in November 2026 that Rodrigo contacted him and invited him to hear her new Christmas song.
He praised the finished recording.
If you’re looking for the closest musical influence, start here.
2. Julian Casablancas – I Wish It Was Christmas Today
An energetic indie-rock Christmas song.
The recording originated with a comedy performance on Saturday Night Live before The Strokes’ singer Julian Casablancas released his interpretation in 2009.
The arrangement is simple and enthusiastic.
Casablancas gives the song a slightly scruffy rock personality.
It’s a good recommendation for listeners who enjoy Rodrigo’s willingness to make festive music sound contemporary rather than traditionally seasonal.
3. The Killers – Don’t Shoot Me Santa
One of the strangest Christmas songs from a major rock band.
The Killers released it in 2007.
The recording combines Christmas imagery with an absurd, darkly humorous story.
Its theatrical arrangement is closer to alternative rock than conventional holiday pop.
If you enjoy Rodrigo’s playful approach to festive songwriting, The Killers take that idea considerably further.
4. Bleachers – Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call
A more melancholy recommendation.
Released in 2024, Jack Antonoff’s recording turns Christmas into the setting for a complicated relationship.
The production combines nostalgic pop influences with emotional restraint.
It’s particularly suitable for listeners who want Christmas music that feels more personal than cheerful.
The song also demonstrates how modern holiday music can communicate loneliness without abandoning seasonal atmosphere.
5. The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)
A British rock Christmas classic.
Released in 2003, the recording combines enormous guitars with deliberately theatrical vocals.
The Darkness clearly understood the ridiculousness of making a grand Christmas rock anthem.
Then they embraced it completely.
The result is energetic, funny and genuinely catchy.
It’s an excellent recommendation when a festive playlist needs something louder.
6. Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)
Christmas through punk rock.
The Ramones take a familiar seasonal idea and transform it into a short, energetic recording.
The narrator simply wants to avoid another argument.
That makes the song surprisingly relatable.
Not every Christmas gathering is peaceful.
The Ramones acknowledge that possibility while maintaining their recognisable musical style.
7. Fountains of Wayne – I Want an Alien for Christmas
A particularly funny holiday song.
The American power-pop band imagines receiving an extraterrestrial visitor as a Christmas present.
The subject is ridiculous.
The melody is excellent.
And the production has the bright guitar-driven character associated with the band’s wider catalogue.
It’s a useful example of festive songwriting working through humour rather than sentimentality.
8. The Raveonettes – The Christmas Song
A dreamy, atmospheric alternative Christmas recording.
The Raveonettes combine melodic pop songwriting with hazy guitar production.
The result feels nostalgic and slightly distant.
It’s much more restrained than Rodrigo’s new single.
But both demonstrate that Christmas music can belong comfortably within an artist’s established sound.
9. Sufjan Stevens – Christmas Unicorn
An ambitious and unusual seasonal recording.
Sufjan Stevens frequently experiments with musical structure and arrangement.
“Christmas Unicorn” develops from intimate songwriting into something much larger.
It’s playful, strange and emotionally complicated.
This is a particularly good recommendation for listeners who want a Christmas song that rewards closer attention.
10. Kelly Clarkson – Underneath the Tree
A more traditional modern-pop recommendation.
Clarkson combines an enormous vocal performance with energetic festive instrumentation.
The song has the polished character of a contemporary Christmas standard.
It’s less unconventional than Rodrigo’s recording.
But both share an optimistic, romantic message and an infectious sense of energy.
11. Sabrina Carpenter – A Nonsense Christmas
A deliberately cheeky festive reinterpretation.
Carpenter transformed the playful attitude of her song “Nonsense” into a seasonal recording.
The result combines romantic humour with Christmas references.
It’s an obvious recommendation for listeners who enjoy Rodrigo’s more irreverent lyrical personality.
Both artists recognise that festive songs don’t need to be completely serious.
12. The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
An essential British Christmas recording.
Released in 1987, it combines Irish folk influences with a fictional relationship story.
The characters are complicated.
The dialogue is confrontational.
And the emotions are far removed from conventional holiday cheer.
Nevertheless, the recording became one of Britain’s most recognisable Christmas songs.
It’s a reminder that festive music can tell difficult stories as well as happy ones.
13. Kacey Musgraves – Ribbons and Bows
A country-pop Christmas recommendation.
Musgraves combines playful songwriting with warm, nostalgic production.
The song celebrates romantic affection through seasonal imagery.
It’s considerably gentler than Rodrigo’s new-wave-influenced recording.
But the two share an interest in making Christmas about relationships rather than simply presents.
14. The Wombats – Is This Christmas?
An energetic indie-rock Christmas song.
The Wombats bring their recognisable guitar-driven sound to an exaggerated festive environment.
The rhythm is immediate.
The vocal is playful.
And the recording has the slightly chaotic character associated with many indie bands of the late 2000s.
It’s an excellent choice for listeners who find traditional Christmas playlists too predictable.
15. Phoebe Bridgers – If We Make It Through December
A considerably darker recommendation.
Bridgers recorded a version of Merle Haggard’s country song about financial hardship during the Christmas season.
Her interpretation is restrained and melancholy.
The subject is far removed from Rodrigo’s romantic excitement.
But it demonstrates another important direction for modern Christmas music.
Not everybody experiences the holidays as a celebration.
Sometimes the most meaningful festive songs acknowledge that.
Why are alternative Christmas songs becoming more popular?
Because listeners want seasonal music that fits their everyday tastes.
Someone who enjoys indie rock doesn’t necessarily want to listen exclusively to traditional orchestral Christmas recordings for six weeks.
A fan of contemporary pop may prefer familiar artists exploring holiday subjects.
That creates room for different musical approaches.
New wave.
Punk.
Alternative rock.
Country.
Indie folk.
And electronic pop.
Christmas music is no longer limited to one recognisable style.
Is Take Me Home (4 Christmas) Olivia Rodrigo’s first Christmas song?
It’s her first original holiday single released in 2026.
Rodrigo has previously performed seasonal music, but this recording represents a new original composition within her own catalogue.
It also follows her collaboration with Chappell Roan on “expectations”.
For more about that partnership, Radar has an explanation of Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan’s “expectations”.
The contrast between the two recordings demonstrates her growing interest in more playful, rhythmically driven pop.
Which three Christmas songs should you hear first?
Start with The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping” for the strongest musical connection.
Then Julian Casablancas’ “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” for alternative-rock energy.
Finish with Bleachers’ “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” for a more emotionally complicated modern Christmas recording.
Those three offer a good foundation for building a playlist around Rodrigo’s new song.
What should you listen to next?
Explore The Waitresses’ original recordings for more new-wave humour.
Then try The Killers’ annual Christmas singles, which regularly experimented with unusual festive stories.
For something quieter, explore Sufjan Stevens’ extensive Christmas catalogue.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “take me home (4 christmas)” is a reminder that Christmas music doesn’t have to sound like every other Christmas song.
Sometimes the most enjoyable festive recordings come from artists making the holiday season sound like their own musical world.