Five holiday music playlists for all the moods and occasions of the season, available in two popular streaming services.
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Music is such a huge part of our lives, all year long, and perhaps especially at holidays. Music ties us together and brings the past rushing back. We all have favorite holiday albums that we instinctively listen to around this time of the year. I definitely do.
Now, though, with the availability of so much music to stream and purchase digitally, we can explore more choices, find more artists we enjoy, and put together longer collections of songs in playlists.
Several months ago I shared my first batch of playlists— songs for every mood. We still enjoy those, of course, but I’ve recently been working on a new collection of playlists for the holidays. Because music is incredibly personal, I know that these playlists may not be everyone. There are, however, five different styles of holiday music playlists represented so hopefully there is something for most.
There is a playlist of calm music that is easy-listening in the background of the home, one for higher-energy times when you are feeling fun and like singing along, an instrumental playlist when you don’t feel like words are necessary, a collection of songs that get to the heart of the season, as well as one more “bonus” playlist too.
I’ve also included playlist options for both Amazon Music and Spotify. Simply click on the link to view the playlist. Keep scrolling past the playlists for our personal recommendations of how we enjoy listening to music everyday.
If I don’t get the chance to tell you again, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!
Holiday Music Playlists
CALM & BRIGHT
This playlist is very “easy-listening” and calm. It definitely has a folk-vibe to it, and enough songs to not feel too repetitive.
Elizabeth Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Penny & Sparrow, and more.
HOLIDAY HEART
This playlist is comprised of some of my favorite albums centered on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. The music is beautiful and meaningful. I recommend not shuffling this playlist, at least for enjoying the first album on the list.
Andrew Peterson, Sovereign Grace Music, Sandra McCraken, and more.
FUN & FESTIVE
These songs are fun, light, and somewhat silly holiday songs. Most will be familiar, but a few may be new to you!
Classic popular upbeat holiday songs.
CHRISTMAS INSTRUMENTAL
This playlist is great for low-key background music during the holidays.
Charlie Brown, bluegrass, the Nutcracker, and more.
INDIE & CHILL
This playlist is not holiday-specific, but rather a chill collection of songs that is perfect and lovely for slow winter days.
The Paper Kites, Hollow Coves, The Head and the Heart, & more.
How We Listen
We listen to music constantly throughout the day. It helps to set the mood to whatever we are doing, it is instructive, and energizes or calms us in turns.
Years ago, we started with Pandora, then made the switch to Spotify, and now have settled happily into using Amazon Music for all of our music storage and streaming. The selection is excellent and the app and browser are easy to use. Initially we started with the free service available to Prime members, but upgraded to Music Unlimited over a year ago.
The free service is an excellent way to start and learn Amazon’s music service. Then, if you want to expand your selection, you can make the switch from 2 million free songs to 50 million available songs for just 7.99 a month!
Visit my larger music playlists post to see a comparison between some of the most popular streaming services, as well as get access to my other playlists that we enjoy throughout the rest of the year.
Music Playing Devices
We basically stream/listen to music through three different devices. Each are used daily and highly recommended.
My husband and I both have these and use them daily. They’re wonderful for music, podcasts, audiobooks, drowning out children…all the usuals.
2. Echo Dots
We use these in bedrooms for music and audiobooks. We started with these in the kitchen because they were so inexpensive. We loved the convenience and were hooked. The sound quality is good and it’s so wonderful to be able to quickly turn on books or specific music or playlists, or even ask it questions. There are so many more uses than we currently take advantage of it.
3. Echo Studio
This year we upgraded from an Echo Dot in the kitchen to an Echo Studio in our living room. We use it for playing music and books in our living areas. The music quality and volume are significantly better than the Dots.
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