All news on the topic: Christmas songs

Every year the same Christmas songs get played over and over again on people's playlists and the radio, but several have sad histories behind them which most do not know about

The original version of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' was rewritten after Hollywood star Judy Garland told the writers people wanted a 'warm' song for Christmas

Merry Xmas Everybody was released in 1973, but it actually started life as something much less festive - a "hippy-trippy" track about a rocking chair - and was rewritten in a few hours

The Pogues' 1988 hit beat the aptly-named 'Driving Home For Christmas', by Chris Rea, to the top spot for Christmas road trips this year

The song 'Fairytale of New York' is a Christmas classic that people across the UK adore - but the plucky tune almost didn't exist, and Shane MacGowan called it 'sloppy'

Other top magical moments during the holiday season include putting up decorations, seeing loved ones open their gifts - and that first mince pie of the season, the survey found