5 of the Best Christmas Covers From Your Faves

Because there really is something magical about hearing your favourite singers put their own spin on your favourite festive tracks.

Christmas covers are popular amongst singers and give us the chance to hear reinterpretations of old songs while connecting with newer listeners. Here are five Christmas covers from your faves that deserve to be on your December playlist. From Miley Cyrus’ warm energy covers to Laufey’s jazz versions, there is something for everyone.

Sleigh Ride – Miley Cyrus

Sleigh Ride has been covered by many artists over the years, with the most popular version released in 1963 by The Ronettes. In 2017, Cyrus released her own version recorded at Spotify Studios. Cyrus has had many popular covers over the years, including her rendition of Jolene from the Backyard Sessions, Heart of Glass at the iHeart Festival in 2020, and her cover of Don’t Dream It’s Over with Ariana Grande.

Her cover of Sleigh Ride is no different in the way that she took a familiar song and reimagined it with her own playful energy. This cover came just two months after she released the album Younger Now, which was dramatically different from her previous albums in an attempt to shift towards a more mature, country-pop sound and change the public’s perception of her.

Cyrus’ cover of Sleigh Ride came at a time of intentional reinvention for her and helps capture her warm and unique vocals. It is not only one of the most underrated Christmas covers, but it is also a snapshot into the type of artist she was in 2017. Her cover also highlights her raspy tone, which would later become central to her 2020 album Plastic Hearts.

With hindsight, this cover can be seen as a bridge between the Younger Now and Plastic Hearts era. The arrangement remains similar to the original structure, but with a more relaxed and inviting production. Furthermore, Cyrus’ version of Sleigh Ride represents an often-overlooked point in her career and how she was experimenting with her music in a different way.

Last Christmas – Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande released her cover of Last Christmas in 2013 as part of her Christmas Kisses EP. It came shortly after the release of her debut album, Yours Truly. The R&B-pop style of this album can be recognised throughout her cover; it clearly demonstrates her genre of music at this time.

Grande puts her own unique spin on Last Christmas while drawing on influences from artists such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and India Arie, rather than infusing the melancholic nature of WHAM!’s original version. Not only did Grande cover the song with this new sound, but she also changed the lyrics to both of the verses. This shifts the storyline into her own narrative but still honours the original.

Although this cover was released many years ago, it demonstrated Grande’s potential. Even at a young age, she was able to alter a classic Christmas song in a way that was modern and popular, foreshadowing how it would propel her into a successful music career.

Another aspect that makes this cover distinctive is her vocal performance. There are moments of falsetto and her famous whistle notes that differentiate her from other pop singers of her time. Grande has also been using her musical inspirations to influence her singing style as well as the production. However, this was only the beginning of her Christmas music, and she has gone on to have many successful original Christmas songs, for example, Santa Tell Me and Winter Things.

Winter Wonderland – Laufey

A more recent stripped-back cover is Laufey’s Winter Wonderland. She first released this cover in 2023 for the Spotify Singles Holiday, and it is now featured on her 2025 version of the album, A Very Laufey Holiday.

In this cover, she brought her own signature jazz style involving piano, brass and string instruments. The song is not overly produced and still showcases the nostalgia of the original song, which may be one of the reasons why it became such a popular cover.

When Laufey was interviewed about why she wanted to cover this song, she stated that ‘it captures the essence and warmth of Christmastime at my family’s home in Iceland’. This explanation helps us to understand why it is a personal song to her and helps the listener to feel more connected. This also differentiates her version of Winter Wonderland from other versions, as she anchors the song in how she feels when at her family home.

Laufey is also one of the key Gen Z artists involved in the revival of jazz music through her modernised sound. She had made jazz more accessible to younger audiences, and this cover has helped more people discover her music who may have otherwise overlooked this genre. Laufey’s cover perfectly balances jazz, nostalgia, and originality while keeping her music fresh. It reveals how music can feel both contemporary and familiar, which helps solidify this song as a Christmas cover favourite.

Driving Home for Christmas – Dasha

One of the most beloved Christmas songs is Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea. In 2024, Dasha released her own version, again recorded as a Spotify Singles Holiday. She rose to fame after her country song Austin (Boots Stop Workin’) went viral, and she now has over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. She has gone on to win People’s Choice Country Awards for Female Song, and her music has been getting a lot of radio play.

Dasha brings us a country-pop reinterpretation of Driving Home for Christmas. Her version of it involves steel and acoustic guitars, and banjo, into a more emotional take on the song, making it perfect for a cosy Christmas playlist. The song was produced by her brother, Bardo, which helps to elevate the family element of the lyrics. It helps to further demonstrate her ability to create emotional music, as this cover followed the release of her Anna EP, which had vulnerable and thoughtful moments. The original version is also particularly popular in the UK, and Dasha opens it up to more American audiences and brings it to more people.

Country music fans may not think to add Driving Home for Christmas to their holiday playlist, but with Dasha’s version, they may feel more inclined to. The importance of listening to different genres can also be demonstrated with this: those who do not usually listen to country music may want to listen to Dasha’s version. It is not simply a cover; she puts her own spin on it and makes Chris Rea’s song more vulnerable and softer.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Sabrina Carpenter

Saving one of the best Christmas covers for last, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Sabrina Carpenter is a must-have for everyone’s Christmas playlists.

Her cover is beautifully arranged and showcases some of her best vocal work that she does not often put into her music. It is a polished, melancholic version of the original that connects a younger audience to older Christmas songs, all making it stand out from other covers. The simplicity of the arrangement also helps to accentuate her vocals, and the piano allows her voice to shine through. Furthermore, as this cover was released in 2017, it illuminates how she was transitioning into a more mature sound and how her music can go beyond purely being known as pop.

Carpenter’s cover came the year before her release of the album Singular Act I, which was a different sound from her previous 2016 album EVOLution. The Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas cover almost builds a bridge between these two albums, and the particular sound she was trying to evolve into at the time can be pinpointed, as it is particularly different from her newer Christmas songs like is it new years yet? and A Nonsense Christmas. However, it is more similar to cindy lou who. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and cindy lou who, although released six years apart, both emphasise her vocal ability through their stripped-back arrangements.

These Christmas covers highlight how artists reinterpret classic holiday songs, bringing their own unique styles to timeless melodies and bridging generational gaps. From jazz to pop to country, performers infuse familiar tunes with fresh perspectives, perfectly blending both the enduring appeal of these songs and their significant role in our cultural tradition.