While the annual tradition of holiday-themed carols may go back more than 700 years, the rise of popular music over the past 70 has led to the Christmas song evolving faster than ever before.
Over that time, singers and composers used the subject matter to compose various tributes, observations and laments about what it means to be human and the state of the world around us.
Inspiring artists in a wide range of genres, from pop and punk to hip-hop, Christmas continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for each generation.
Here are 10 examples of how the popular Christmas song evolved over the years.
1. White Christmas by Bing Crosby (1942)
Regarded as a cultural milestone in the US, the song was composed by Irving Berlin and performed by Crosby in the 1942 film Holiday Inn.
In addition to its seasonal lyrics, White Christmas's timeless melodies struck a chord for its yearning sense of nostalgia.
In addition to becoming an immediate hit and one of the highest-selling singles of all time, White Christmas's legacy extends to the the end of the Vietnam War, when it was broadcast on the US's Armed Forces Radio in 1975 to signal the start of the US evacuation of Saigon.
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Vaughn Monroe (1945)
While White Christmas focuses on the memory of winter holidays past, this jaunty track celebrates the moment, whenever that may be.
That versatility has allowed the song to be used in films and campaigns not limited to Christmas in the years since its release, becoming an anthem of the winter season.
The track has also experienced enduring success over the decades, with covers by Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Carly Simon and Rod Stewart all becoming hits in the US.
3. Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry (1958)
Coming off the success of 1957’s Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, Chuck Berry cemented rock ’n’ roll’s contribution to the Christmas songbook with the influential Run Rudolph Run.
While basically a carbon copy of Berry's hit Little Queenie, recorded the same year, the blistering guitars, locomotive groove and Berry's irresistible performance all contributed to the song’s enduring appeal.
Run Rudolph Run’s success and Berry's stature as a genre pioneer encouraged more rock acts to try their hand at Christmas tracks in the following decade, including The Beach Boys with Little Saint Nick and The Beatles with Christmas Time (Is Here Again).
4. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto by James Brown (1968)
Christmas can also sound funky, courtesy of this classic by James Brown.
Released as part of his holiday season-themed album A Soulful Christmas, Brown pairs his taut rhythms and squalling horns with reflective lyrics about poor families struggling over the holidays.
Written as a letter to Saint Nick, Brown urges him to spread happiness in these struggling communities: “Santa Claus, go straight to the ghetto. Tell 'em James Brown sent you.”
5. River by Joni Mitchell (1971)
Is this really a Christmas song?
While popular culture seems to think so, this is essentially a stark ballad about the dissolution of a relationship during the Christmas period.
Nostalgia pervades this track that went on to be covered more than 400 times by artists ranging from James Taylor and Barry Manilow to Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding.
6. Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid (1984)
Released in response to famine in Ethiopia, British singers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure corralled more than 30 artists for this charity single.
Those lending their voices to the track were a who's who of the pop scene at the time, including Wham, Bono, Phil Collins, Duran Duran, Bananarama and Sting.
The song's immediate success, with five weeks spent on top of the UK charts, led to the establishment of the Live Aid concert the following year.
7. Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC (1987)
One of the biggest crossover pop groups at the time, Run DMC was tapped to record a Christmas song for the charity album Soul Christmas.
The trio explored how the season was celebrated in their neighbourhood of Queens, New York.
Judging by the lyrics, the Adidas-wearing group indulged in quite the feast: "Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens / Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese / And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees."
8. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight) by The Ramones (1989)
This punk anthem was written from the point of view of a warring couple who cease hostilities for the Christmas period.
Fun, manic and powered by Joey Ramone's sneering vocals, this has become a December staple of the punk music community.
9. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey (1994)
For the US singer, Christmas has become one of the defining themes of her more than three-decade career, thanks in large part to this enduring bop.
For many, the annual re-emergence of this song on the pop charts is a sign that the Christmas season has arrived. Carey has embraced its growing stature atop many a playlist, unleashing the song a day after Halloween via increasingly elaborate annual videos on her social media channels.
Initially released as part of Carey's first Christmas album Merry Christmas, it took the song 25 years to finally top the US charts in 2019 before repeating the feat for the next two consecutive years.
10. Mistletoe by Justin Bieber (2011)
Not every Christmas track has to be slathered with saccharine melodies and lyrics.
With Mistletoe, Bieber brings to the tradition some welcome pop panache with its warm acoustic guitars and playful falsetto.
While the song is an original, written by Bieber with Adam Messinger and Palestinian singer Nasri Atweh, contemporary pop stars would go on to update existing Christmas tracks with a similar modern approach, including efforts from Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
SPECS
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Company%20profile
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
