It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and that means it’s time to round up the best new Christmas music in 2020. These are the albums and songs that we’ve been listening to to help us forget about 2020 and really get into the Christmas spirit.

If you need some help finding hope, peace, joy, and love this year, listen to this playlist we created and you’ll be full of Christmas cheer in no time at all!

1. for King & Country – “A Drummer Boy Christmas”

Joel & Luke Smallbone are experts at making powerful music that is still catchy and fun to listen to. The whole album is really good, but “O Come O Come Emmanuel” is the breakout song for this year. It probably helps that it features Bear Rineheart from Needtobreathe.

Also, my wife, who generally dislikes most Contemporary Christian Music, said, “I really like this. It’s not cheesy and it’s really worshipful without being overhanded.” Higher praise has never been spoken!

2. Tommee Profitt – “Birth of a King”

Tommee Profitt is best known for producing tracks by NF. His first Christmas album (which he’s wanted to make for 15 years) is full of guest appearances from people like Tauren Wells, David Crowder, and Avril Lavigne. You should really listen to this as an album straight through because Tommee takes you on a fabulous emotional ride that combines epic arrangements with the hope of Christmas and yearning of advent.

My favorite track is “We Three Kings” with We the Kingdom. I usually hate this song, but it might be the Christmas music highlight of 2020 for me.

3. Building 429 – “Hope is Here”

Building 429 released 3 new original Christmas songs in 2020. Original Christmas music is usually more miss than hit, but the band did a great job on this one.

The title track “Hope is Here” has a message that is so desperately needed after a year like 2020, and it’s destined to be a new song that gets played every Christmas season for years to come.

4. Zach Williams – “Go Tell it on the Mountain”

Okay, this is just one song. And it’s not original. But it’s really, really good. You might even say it’s the best version of this Christmas classic ever recorded.

It’s a little bit funk, a little bit country, and all joyful!

5. Micah Tyler – “Feels Like Joy”

If you need a quick pick-me-up that makes you want to dance, look no further. Tyler’s new original Christmas song is probably the most appropriately titled song ever. “Feels Like Joy” truly feels like joy.

I dare you try and resist Christmas cheer when you’re singing this one.

6. Matthew West – “The Hope of Christmas”

If Christian Christmas music had a poster, Matthew West’s face would be on it. “The Hope of Christmas” is great because it is full of nostalgia and confessing how hard hope is to find this year while still worshipping and remembering the promise of Jesus and the incarnation. (Bonus: Matthew West’s great Thanksgiving song, “Gobble Gobble“)

7. Francesca Battistelli – “This Christmas”

Battistelli is another Christian artist with a reputation for great Christmas music. Her new album is full of Christmas classics plus a few originals. This is a great album to put on and decorate, cook, or wrap presents. The standout track is “Behold Him,” which is both a Christmas and a worship song.

8. Chris Tomlin – “Miracle of Love”

Speaking of worship songs that are full of Christmas spirit, this is Tomlin doing what he does best. Tomlin put some Christmas classics on here with appearance from Lauren Daigle and We the Kingdom, but his originals are great, too! The title track is a song that you’ll hear for many Christmas seasons to come.

9. Tori Kelly – “A Tori Kelly Christmas”

Tori Kelly has one of the best voices of anyone making music today, Christian or not. And she does not disappoint on her first Christmas album. There are a few originals on the album, but the song you should listen to is “O Holy Night.” It’s the best Christmas song ever written sung by one of the best singers of her generation.

10. Needtobreathe – “Silent Night”

This is just one song. but with Bear singing, one is all you need. This arrangement is simple but not empty. It has some steel guitar, harmonica, and bells, while keeping up the worship-ful attitude the Christmas season should inspire in all of us.

I’ll be listening to this as I go to bed on Christmas Eve.

We partnered with the Bible Project to bring you a new perspective on the Christmas story. Joseph and Mary were real people in a real predicament full of anxiety, mystery, and danger. It can be easy to gorget that, but this 5 part series will make the Christmas nativity more real than it’s ever been.

Start the “Humans of Bethlehem” Series