7 Country Christmas songs you need to hear right now

Lainey Wilson took on a big task when she decided to cover this George Strait classic and we must say, she didn’t burn the cookies. While she captures the fun of the holidays perfectly singing and dancing around the kitchen, decorating cookies with “little sprinkly things,” the 29-year-old admits there’s another element to the song that she believes draws people in. “Some people, they act like they like to hear me talk just as much as they like to hear me sing,” the Louisiana native told Audacy’s Coop. “So I figured this is the song to do that! To show both.”

There’s no way a Country Christmas playlist can be complete without some good ol’ Texas vocals, and lucky for us Cody Johnson served up a whole bunch of them this year with his new album A Cody Johnson Christmas. Chock-full of some of our Christmas favorites (Texas style!) we especially can’t get enough of Johnson’s version of “Santa Claus is Back In Town.” Full of attitude, swagger and charm, this song will have you adding CoJo tickets to the top of your Christas list (if they aren’t already there).

Ok, stick with us on this one. The first listen may have you a little puzzled as Dirty Jobs television host, Mike Rowe, tries his hand at Country music alongside Big & Rich’s John Rich (with some background vocals by The Oak Ridge Boys). While Rowe’s singing is noticeably average (not saying we could do better), the song is clearly more about fun than technique as the pair sing about Santa’s dirty job. The cause behind this song, in addition to it’s good spirits, is what’s caused it to shoot up the charts as proceeds befit Folds of Honor, an organization that provides scholarships to military families, and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which promotes trades and apprenticeships. Giving is a highlight of Christmas, and by supporting this song, fans are doing just that. We love to see it.

We highly doubt anyone needs to be convinced to listen to new Dan + Shay music, but just in case… here we are. This newly released, original song highlights the holiday high we all feel as the lights start to shine and decorations go up. In true Dan + Shay style, the duo tosses feelings of true love into the mix and suddenly Christmas is the most magical it’s ever been. *sigh*

Aside from being an absolute bop, this new song from Country queen, Carrie Underwood is so relatable it hurts as she sings about the freedom stretchy pants bring to gobble up all our favorite holiday food! Seconds, thirds, fourths… ain’t no shame. We’re coming’ for ya with our stretchy pants on! The playful tune will put you in the holiday spirit in more ways than one as proceeds from streaming and downloads are going to The Store, an organization founded by Brad Paisley and wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, which supports those dealing with food insecurity by providing free groceries for qualifying individuals and families.

For Australian native, Morgan Evans, Christmas means surfboards and sunshine, not snowflakes and storms! In an effort to share what Christmas time in Australia is like, Evans wrote this song and paired it with an epic music video that shows Santa shedding the gnar! “People ask me every year, ‘What’s Christmas like in Australia?’” Evans shared. “So, I wrote a song about it! It’s called ‘Christmas In The Sun.’” Is it too late to add “trip to Australia” to our Christmas list??

Christmas cheer may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Pistol Annies, but they’re here to prove you wrong (kinda). So what if they’re on the naughty list? Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe surely don’t allow Christmas time to rob them of their signature, non-filtered style as these badass women create a lane of holiday music all their own. The title track, “Hell of a Holiday” sums it all up perfectly as the three warn “Santa better get his butt in gear.” The sass is strong with these three, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!