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Christmas 2026

Christmas songs for Dad: 18 for the man on the ladder with the lights

Give Dad a Christmas song with his name in it. Tell us about him and we turn your story into lyrics and a finished song in minutes.

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18 songs · Updated 19 October 2026

Every family has a Christmas dad. He is on the ladder with a tangle of lights, testing every bulb, or he is the one who plays the same three records every year and will not hear of changing them. He is not always easy to buy for.

This list is built around him: songs for decorating, crooners for the fire, some country and blues, and a couple of songs about fathers that say what most of us never quite manage to. All real recordings, each with a note on when to play it.

Or give him a Christmas song about him

The lights he is so proud of, the grill he refuses to retire, the thing he always says at the table. Tell us a few details and we turn your story into lyrics and a finished song in minutes. You hear a free preview first. Here is one we made for a dad.

One we made, to hear what it sounds like

Thanks for Everything, Dad
3:05
fathers dayrockmale

Thanks for Everything, Dad

For Dad From Your Son

"You taught me how to throw a ball Picked me up each time I'd fall Dad, you've always been my guide Standing strong right by my side..."

Make Dad’s Christmas song

You tell us about them, we write and sing it, and you hear a preview before you decide.

For stringing the lights

Rock and roll Christmas, loud enough to hear from the roof.

  1. 1

    Run Rudolph Run — Chuck Berry, 1958

    Christmas rock and roll from the man who invented the riff. Put it on when he gets the ladder out.

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  2. 2

    Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — U2, 1987

    U2 roaring through a sixties classic. For the dad who wants his Christmas music loud while he untangles the lights.

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  3. 3

    Little Saint Nick — The Beach Boys, 1963

    Harmonies and hot-rod sleighs. For the dad who still cares about cars.

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  4. 4

    Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town — Bruce Springsteen, 1975

    Recorded live and having a great time. For a Springsteen dad, this is the only version.

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  5. 5

    Step Into Christmas — Elton John, 1973

    Piano-pounding and cheerful. Good when the tree goes up and the boxes come down.

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  6. 6

    Christmas Wrapping — The Waitresses, 1981

    For the dad with a record collection who swears this is the best Christmas song ever made.

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Crooners for the fireside

For later, with the lights on and something in a glass.

  1. 7

    Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas — Frank Sinatra, 1957

    Sinatra at his smoothest. Put it on when he finally sits down and admires his work.

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  2. 8

    A Marshmallow World — Dean Martin, 1966

    Light and a bit playful. For a dad who does a Dean Martin impression after one eggnog.

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  3. 9

    Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — Gene Autry, 1949

    The version he heard as a boy. Good when the grandkids are around and he wants to tell them so.

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  4. 10

    Pretty Paper — Roy Orbison, 1963

    Willie Nelson wrote it, Roy Orbison made it famous. Quiet and a little sad, for a thoughtful dad.

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  5. 11

    I’ll Be Home for Christmas — Elvis Presley, 1957

    For a dad who grew up on Elvis. Send it the day you book the ticket home.

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Country and blues Christmas

  1. 12

    If We Make It Through December — Merle Haggard, 1973

    A working dad worrying about getting his family through the winter. For the father who did exactly that.

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  2. 13

    Merry Christmas from the Family — Robert Earl Keen, 1994

    A loving, chaotic family Christmas in Texas. For a dad who will laugh because he recognises everyone in it.

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  3. 14

    Please Come Home for Christmas — Charles Brown, 1960

    Slow blues piano. For a dad who loves the old R&B records.

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  4. 15

    Christmas in Hollis — Run-DMC, 1987

    For the dad who grew up on hip-hop and still knows every line.

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Not Christmas songs, but about him

For the moment you hand him the gift, or the drive home afterwards.

  1. 16

    Driving Home for Christmas — Chris Rea, 1986

    A Christmas song about the long drive back to your folks. Send it to him from the road.

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  2. 17

    Father and Son — Cat Stevens, 1970

    A father and son trying to understand each other. Hits hard when you are home for the holidays.

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  3. 18

    My Old Man — Zac Brown Band, 2017

    A grown son finally seeing his father clearly. A good one to play when you give him your gift.

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How to choose

Respect his three records

If Dad has a Christmas album he plays every year, start there. Adding one new song to his rotation means more than replacing it.

Play it while you work together

Dads often say more side by side than face to face. Put a song on while you string the lights or wash up together, and see where the conversation goes.

Say the line he will not

Most dads find it hard to say what they feel at Christmas. Send a song with one sentence from you, a thank-you for something specific, and you have said it for both of you.

Questions people ask

What is a good Christmas song for dad?

For a rock and roll dad, "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry or "Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town" by Bruce Springsteen. For a crooner fan, Frank Sinatra’s "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". For a country dad, "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard.

What Christmas song is funny for dad?

"Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen, a chaotic Texas family Christmas, is one dads quote back for years. "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses and "Christmas in Hollis" by Run-DMC are fun picks for a dad with a record collection.

Can I give dad a Christmas song with his name in it?

Yes. Tell us about him, his habits and the family stories, and we turn your story into lyrics and a finished song with his name in it. It comes as a private link he can play and download.

Can I hear it before I pay?

Yes. You hear a free preview first, and pay only if you love it.

How fast is it ready?

Minutes after you pay, on any day including Christmas morning.

More song lists

Looking for a song written just for them? A custom song for Dad · Christmas gifts for Dad from a daughter · Christmas gift guides

Or give him a Christmas song about him

Their name, your stories, the things only the two of you would get. Written and sung for them.

Make Dad’s Christmas song