The Christmas Number 1 is the song that finishes at No. 1 in the UK Official Singles Chart in the week ending on Christmas Day each year, and it is treated as the most coveted and symbolic chart position in British popular music. First officially recorded in 1952, the Christmas chart-topper has been a mix of timeless holiday classics, pop hits, charity records, TV talent winners, and surprise internet-driven campaigns, with each year’s winner reflecting the mood of the nation at that festive season. From Queen’s record-breaking “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” to more recent winners like LadBaby, this guide dives into every aspect of the Christmas Number 1, from its origins to how to predict and win the title in 2025 and beyond.
What Is the Christmas Number 1?
The Christmas Number 1 is simply the song that is ranked at position No. 1 in the UK Official Singles Chart in the week that includes Christmas Day. This is determined by the Official Charts Company (OCC), which compiles the chart based on a combination of physical sales, downloads, and, since 2014, audio streams from major streaming services in the UK like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. For fairness, streams are weighted so that one stream counts as a fraction of a sale (for example, 100–150 streams roughly equal one sale), and the week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the Christmas chart announced on the Friday before Christmas.
Because of its timing and cultural significance, the Christmas Number 1 is seen as more than just a chart position — it’s a national event, a talking point in the media, and a symbol of what Britain is listening to at Christmas. Record labels, TV shows, and fans often campaign hard for certain songs, and the battle for No. 1 can become a major news story, with rival artists, charity campaigns, and online movements all trying to influence the result. Winning it is often treated as a career milestone, while controversial or “joke” winners can generate huge debates about the meaning of the festive chart top spot.
Origins of the Christmas Chart Topper
The idea of the Christmas Number 1 began with the launch of the UK Singles Chart in November 1952, when the first official chart was published by the New Musical Express (NME). The very first No. 1 was “Here In My Heart” by Al Martino, which also happened to be the Christmas Number 1 that year, making it the first song in history to hold that title. At the time, the chart itself was a new concept, and the idea that a particular song could become associated with Christmas was still in its infancy — it was more about what was popular at the end of the year than a dedicated festive race.
Early Christmas Number 1s included a mix of romantic ballads, covers, and the occasional Christmas song, reflecting the tastes of the 1950s and early 1960s. The first true Christmas-themed song to top the chart was Dickie Valentine’s “The Christmas Alphabet” in 1955, a novelty tune that spelled out the word CHRISTMAS with seasonal descriptions (e.g., C for Christmas, R for Reindeer). Harry Belafonte’s calypso-style “Mary’s Boy Child” became the first recognisably Christmas song to be Christmas Number 1 in 1957, holding the top spot for seven weeks and setting a template for carols and festive hits in future years.
How the Chart Works
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company and is based on sales and streams from Friday to Thursday each week. To count towards the chart, a single must be sold as a physical CD, vinyl, or download, or streamed on eligible services in the UK; streams are converted into “chart sales” using a ratio (for example, 100–150 streams = 1 sale). The chart is updated weekly on Fridays, and the Christmas Number 1 is the No. 1 song in the edition dated on the Friday immediately before Christmas Day.
There are strict rules to ensure fairness: each individual can only contribute a limited number of sales or streams to the chart, and paid-for streams (e.g., from paid subscriptions) count more than free streams. Tools like chart-tracking websites and fan campaigns use these rules to plan “chart attacks,” encouraging fans to buy or stream at the right time to maximise their impact on the Christmas chart. Because of the weighting and rules, a song with a huge streaming base and a loyal fanbase can outrun a song with a big initial sales week if it maintains momentum.
For the Christmas Number 1 race, timing is crucial: the final chart week starts on the Friday before Christmas and ends on the Thursday before Christmas. This means that all purchasing and streaming activity in that six-day window helps determine the winner, and record labels and artists often time their campaigns, promotions, and TV appearances to peak in that week. The Christmas chart is often one of the most unpredictable of the year, with underdog entries, surprise charity singles, and viral internet songs sometimes beating heavily promoted releases.
The 1950s: Birth of the Christmas Topper
The 1950s saw the creation of the UK Singles Chart and the first Christmas Number 1s, which were mostly romantic ballads and pop standards rather than Christmas songs. In 1952, Al Martino’s “Here In My Heart” became the first Christmas Number 1, topping the newly launched chart for nine consecutive weeks, including Christmas. Over the next few years, the festive top spot was held by songs like Frank Sinatra’s “I’m Walking Behind You” (1953), Doris Day’s “Secret Love” (1954), and several hits by American artists, reflecting the dominance of US pop in British music at the time.
The first Christmas-themed song to win was Dickie Valentine’s “The Christmas Alphabet” in 1955, a light-hearted tune that went through the letters of CHRISTMAS with festive descriptions (e.g., H for hearth, I for toy). In 1957, Harry Belafonte’s “Mary’s Boy Child” became the first unmistakable Christmas classic to top the chart, spending seven weeks at No. 1 and becoming the first Christmas carol to become a major hit in the modern pop era. These early victories helped establish the idea that a Christmas hit could be a major chart success, paving the way for the dozens of festive songs and ballads that would fight for the Christmas Number 1 in later decades.
The 1960s: Crooners and Rock ‘n’ Roll
The 1960s brought a mix of established crooners, rock ‘n’ roll pioneers, and the first British Invasion hits to the Christmas Number 1 spot, with some songs dominating the charts for weeks. In 1960, Cliff Richard and The Shadows scored the first Christmas Number 1 of the decade with “I Love You,” a romantic ballad that stayed at No. 1 over Christmas. The Beatles began to dominate the mid-1960s, with their singles like “I Feel Fine” and “Day Tripper / We Can Work it Out” reaching the top of the chart, but the Christmas slot itself was often taken by other artists.
Notable festive winners included The Bachelors’ “Diane” (1964), a soft ballad that topped the chart at Christmas, and The Dave Clark Five’s “Over and Over” (1965), a Merseybeat track that beat the Beatles to the Christmas No. 1 spot that year, a rare moment when a rival British band edged past them. In 1967, Tom Jones’s powerful ballad “Green, Green Grass of Home” became the Christmas Number 1, holding the top spot for several weeks and cementing his status as a major UK star. The 1960s showed that the Christmas Number 1 could go to a wide range of styles — from crooners to rock bands — and that it was still more about the year’s biggest hits than a pure Christmas song contest.
The 1970s: Glitter, Rock, and First Charity Hits
The 1970s saw a golden age of glam rock, disco, and more powerful Christmas Number 1 battles, with artists like Queen, Slade, and Wizzard becoming associated with the festive season. In 1973, Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody” became one of the most iconic Christmas songs in UK history, but it only reached No. 1 for a week and was not the Christmas Number 1; instead, the festive top spot that year went to Gilbert O’Sullivan’s ballad “Clair,” which held the No. 1 position on Christmas Day. The battle for Christmas No. 1 intensified, with multiple big hits often competing in the same week.
Queen made chart history in 1975 with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which became the Christmas Number 1 and spent nine weeks at No. 1, including the Christmas week. Remarkably, when Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991, a re-release of “Bohemian Rhapsody” once again became the Christmas Number 1, making it the only song in history to hold that title twice. The 1970s also saw the first major charity singles, with Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” being planned for the following decade, but the seeds of the Christmas charity campaign were already visible in the increasing public interest in using the chart for social causes at Christmas.
The 1980s: Charity, Talent Shows, and Chart Wars
The 1980s transformed the Christmas Number 1 into a cultural battleground, with charity singles, TV talent winners, and fierce chart rivalries defining the festive period. The decade began with the first Christmas Number 1 by a children’s group, St Winifred’s School Choir and their “There’s No One Quite Like Grandma” in 1980, a novelty song that knocked John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” down to No. 2. This was followed by the first big Christmas campaign: in 1984, the all-star charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid was released with the explicit aim of being Christmas Number 1, and it smashed records, staying at No. 1 for five weeks and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The 1980s also saw the rise of TV talent shows influencing the chart: in 1985, Comic Relief’s “Living Doll” (a charity cover) reached No. 1, and the Christmas Number 1 slot became increasingly associated with charity and awareness campaigns. The chart race also became more tactical, with record labels and artists timing re-releases and promotions to coincide with the Christmas week, and fans being encouraged to “buy on the Friday” to maximise chart impact. This decade firmly established the idea that the Christmas Number 1 was not just about popularity, but about a national event, a campaign, and a shared moment in British pop culture.
The 1990s: Talent Shows and Massive Sales
The 1990s saw the Christmas Number 1 increasingly dominated by TV talent winners, massive ballads, and record-breaking sales, with the chart becoming a key part of the Christmas story in the media. The decade began with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” becoming Christmas Number 1 again in 1991, a deeply emotional tribute after Freddie Mercury’s death that sold over a million copies in a week. In 1994, East 17 and their ballad “Stay Another Day” narrowly missed out on the Christmas top spot, losing to Band Aid II’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, which repeated the 1984 feat and became Christmas Number 1 for a second time as a charity single.
The late 1990s saw the rise of TV talent show winners, with Spice Girls’ “2 Become 1” becoming Christmas Number 1 in 1996 and solidifying their status as Britain’s biggest pop group. The Christmas Number 1 battle also became a major media event, with shows like Top of the Pops using the Christmas chart announcement as a climax, and the public increasingly aware of which songs were in the race and how many sales they needed to win. By the end of the decade, the Christmas Number 1 was no longer just a chart fact — it was a weekly national drama, with fans, labels, and charities all vying for ultimate festive glory.
The 2000s: Reality TV Takes Over
The 2000s saw a dramatic shift in the Christmas Number 1, with reality TV talent shows, especially The X Factor, turning the festive chart top spot into a predictable, heavily promoted, and often controversial event. From 2005 to 2014, an X Factor winner or finalist held the Christmas Number 1 for almost every year, starting with Shayne Ward’s “That’s My Goal” in 2005 and continuing with Leona Lewis’s “A Moment Like This,” Alexandra Burke’s “Hallelujah,” and Joe McElderry’s “The Climb” and “Everybody Hurts.” These winners were backed by massive TV exposure, online voting, and intense marketing campaigns, making the Christmas Number 1 feel more like a manufactured event than a pure reflection of public taste.
Not every year went to the X Factor, however: in 2009, Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” won the Christmas Number 1 in a famous grassroots online campaign organised by fans who wanted to beat the X Factor winner, Joe McElderry, with a protest against reality TV dominance. This campaign showed that the Christmas Number 1 could still be a cultural battleground, with fans using social media and online petitions to influence the chart in a way that had never been possible before. The 2000s thus marked a turning point where the Christmas Number 1 shifted from being driven mainly by record labels and TV, to being something that could be influenced by online communities and fan movements.