Who will write a new Christmas classic?

Newest song on Top 25 is 22 years old

The last 83 years have given us some great holiday music, no doubt, but 20 of our favorites predate the British Invasion, and none are from the 21st Century. Below is a list of the ASCAP Top 25 Holiday Songs, their writer(s) and the song’s copyright date, according to ASCAP records. Note that only Johnny Marks wrote more than one song that made the Top 25, and he wrote three:

Here’s ASCAP’s Top 25 list, rearranged by date written, with their ranking:

1934 “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (14)
1934 “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (12)
1941 “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin (11)
1943 “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (15)
1945 “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (3)
1946 “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (17)
1947 “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (16)
1948 “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser (21)
1948 “Blue Christmas” by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson (24)
1949 “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (10)
1950 “Frosty the Snowman” by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (18)
1951 “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Willson (8)
1951 “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (9)
1953 “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Anthony Springer and Philip Springer (22)
1957 “Jingle Bell Rock” by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (6)
1958 “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont; Frank Sinatra version arranged by Gordon Jenkins (20)
1958 “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (5)
1958 “Run Rudolph Run” by Johnny Marks and Marvin Broadie (23)
1962 “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (2)
1963 “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle (7)
1970 “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (13)
1979 “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney (25)
1984 “Last Christmas” by George Michael (4)
1994 “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff (1)
1995 “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Robert Kinkel, Paul O’Neill and John Oliva (19)

And here’s the Top 25, by favorites.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff (1994)
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (1962)
“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1945)
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (1958)
“Last Christmas” by George Michael (1984)
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (1957)
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle (1963)
“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Willson (1951)
“Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (1951)
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (1949)
“White Christmas” by Irving Berlin (1941)
“Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (1934)
“Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (1970)
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (1934)
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (1943)
“Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (1947)
“The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1946)
“Frosty the Snowman” by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (1950)
“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Robert Kinkel, Paul O’Neill and John Oliva (1995)
“Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont; Frank Sinatra version arranged by Gordon Jenkins (1958)
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser (1948)
“Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Anthony Springer and Philip Springer (1953)
“Run Rudolph Run” by Johnny Marks and Marvin Broadie (1958)
“Blue Christmas” by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson (1948)
“Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney (1979)