Although we might not get many new songs to add to the omnipresent roster of festive songs, many acts still do get that festive feeling and delight us with Christmas songs every year. Here are just some of our favourites from this year’s selection…

Ash – ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’

Following a year of festival slots, a new album and a support tour to The Darkness, Ash have rocked back the clock with a fast and frantic take on ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’. With a video shot at Butlin’s and wild guitar solos – plus a touch of jingle bells – it’s a zesty take on a classic.

The Futureheads – ‘What’s This?’

The Futureheads have already positioned themselves as a mainstay in ‘indie Christmas’ with their beloved ‘Christmas Was Better in the ’80s’ but now they’ve added even more to their Yuletide roster with a new album simply called ‘Christmas’. Maybe it’s because our 4-year-old has a newfound love for Jack Skellington but this take on the favourite song from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is our highlight – especially Barry Hyde’s closing ‘Christmas town…’.

The Coral – ‘She Died on Christmas Day’

The Coral’s first ever Christmas song tells a sad story of a lady dying in a house on 25th December: ‘She’ll haunt every Christmas now she’s gone’. Contemplative and psychedelic with a touch of Western charm, it captures the spirit of the season when many take a moment to remember their loved ones.

The Pretty Reckless – ‘Where Are You Christmas?’

Taylor Momsen is a familiar face at Christmas, thanks to her leading role in How The Grinch Stole Christmas opposite Jim Carrey. Now a quarter of a century later, she’s back with The Pretty Reckless’s high-octane punk cover of that film’s signature song, ‘Where Are You Christmas’.

The Divine Comedy – ‘All the Pretty Lights’

We’d argue ‘Home for the Holidays’ deserves its place on any Christmas playlist, but now Neil Hannon’s The Divine Comedy have conjured up another magical and nostalgic piece. Fond memories of sibling rivalry over who’s most excited about Christmas, seeing London’s lights for the first time and spending time with family playing games and watching pantomimes are all recalled with a touch of sadness: ‘I can feel my aged heart beating’.

The Darkness – ‘Mistletoe and Wine’

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Cliff Richard or The Darkness and now Justin Hawkins and co have combined the two with the rockers’ take on ‘Mistletoe and Wine’. Adapting the song into a soft-rock piece more aligned with Cliff’s earlier work, Justin seems suitably restrained with his vocals (at least until the final minute when the falsetto comes in with FULL force) – although his brother Dan definitely makes the most of his guitar solos throughout.

Swansea Sound – ‘Not My Order’

A song about the ‘neurosis and existential angst that are the inevitable results of last-minute online shopping’, Swansea Sound’s festive offering combines Art Brut-style spoken-shouty frustrations with punky guitar hooks and a touch of The Wedding Present: ‘Don’t expect much this year because I did an online purchase’.

Silk Daisys – ‘It’s Just Like Xmas’

Written by James Ambercrombie on Christmas Day last year in a moment of calm following the initial excitement, ‘It’s Just Like Xmas’ is a swaying and emotional piece of dream pop that finds him looking back over the past year and thinking about what’s to come. Last year, James’ thoughts turned to those children affected by war and this song is a wish for peace so that everyone can enjoy Christmas in the same way he and his family.

Sara Noelle – ‘I am Falling Snow’

Sara Noelle’s sixth annual Christmas release is a more ambient and reflective piece that she compares to ‘imagining yourself as falling snow, weightless and one with the winter atmosphere’. With birdsong shining through its Mount Eerie atmospherics, it’s an immersive piece of headphones music that is sure to make you think – and maybe a shed a tear or two.

Jeanines – ‘Listen, the Snow is Falling’

Brooklyn indie-poppers Jeanines have shared ‘Listen, the Snow is Falling’, a treat that finds them deliver musings about snow coming down all around and everywhere including Tokyo, Paris and Trafalgar Square (as Brits, we wish!). All delivered against gentle janglepop moments that recall the C86 movement.

Slow Owls – ‘Counting Down to Christmas’

Opening with a snippet of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, Slow Owls debut single ‘Counting Down to Christmas’ is a bittersweet and evocative song that offers nods to some of the festive classics while the words focus on love in all its forms: ‘We’ll count down to Christmas Day and the memories we’ll make along the way. I hope and pray they’re here to stay’. The song then moves into chamber pop territory – with bells on – as the band start to harmonise before finishing with a blast of Santa-inspired sax.

Martyrs – ‘Snow Came Down’

Taken from an EP where all donations go to Cancer Research UK, Merthyr Tydfil’s Martyrs ‘Snow Came Down’ fits somewhere between The Blue Nile, Arab Strap and Doves’ more introspective and probing moments. There’s emotion in the memories – ‘I never pictured a world without you on it’; ‘frost glitters in the trees and ice cracks on the street’ – as the band recall waiting and waiting for the lights to guide their way out of grief.