Gospel Christmas Songs

Often, we hear the same old pop Christmas songs year after year after year - All I Want for Christmas is You, Merry Xmas Everybody, Do They Know it's Christmas? etc. But if you're looking for something a little bit different this year, why not try a few of the gospel songs below? Gospel music is really very Christmassy and although it is rooted in religion, it is most definitely not dull and staid - in fact, gospel Christmas songs are wonderfully festive and are fantastic for playing for when you want to get into the Christmas spirit. Below, we list our top 15 gospel Christmas songs. Our personal fave is Mandisa's Bell Medley, but you're sure to find a new favourite amongst this gospel Christmas collection.

This lovely gospel tune is very soothing, yet at the same time, brilliantly festive. With Mandisa's soaring vocals, a full gospel choir and some rather lovely trumpets, this is sure to become a new player on your Christmas playlist.

Taken from the Grammy and Dove award-winning album A Timeless Christmas, Israel & New Breed present a number of gospel Christmas classics but in a totally new and contemporary way. Our favourite from the album is Everybody Knows, with a jazzy backing track, smooth vocals and a very catchy chorus.

Grammy and Stellar award-winning songstress CeCe Winans is back with this wonderful Christmas melody, complete with plinky-plonky piano and big, driving vocals. It's a real classic, but it's also contemporary, making it a fantastic choice for your new Christmas playlist!

A wonderfully soulful cover of this traditional Christmas song, this version of The Little Drummer Boy is new and completely different, but still undoubtedly a classic. With soulful, smooth vocals and a funky backing track, this is one of our favourite Christmas classic covers ever.

A Christmas song to send shivers down your spine - this delicious rendition of Holy-Holy-Holy is sung by a full gospel choir, accompanied by a piano, and it is one of the most festive tunes we've heard this year. You can easily imagine this being sung by a choir out in the snow!

Away in a Manger like you've never, ever heard it before - a jazzy, bluesy backing track, male vocals that are as low and smooth as chocolate and a female choir, this is a genius Christmas cover.

Another fantastic Christmas cover this time by the Grammy and Dove award-winning 'First Lady of Gospel', Shirley Caesar, this cover really shows off Shirley's haunting vocals. A simple backing track with a plucky guitar, the real star in this song is Mrs Caesar.

CeCe is on our list for the second time with her brother Bebe, (the seventh and eighth children from Mom and Pop Winans' ten children, most of whom have had very successful gospel singing careers), singing For Unto Us. This is a traditional cover, full of soaring vocals and is completely and utterly the very essence of Christmas.

This song starts off slow, sweet and gentle, but then it builds up into a fantastic gospel song, with a full gospel choir, smooth vocals and a soothing, calming tune. Another song that you can easily imagine being sung by carol singers out in the village square, this is a timeless Christmas classic.

This cool and rather quirky gospel song from Fred Hammond is a real winner - jazzy vocals, a funky backing track with some rather lovely guitar riffs, and a real modern feel, this is definitely a gospel Christmas song for the younger generations.

From The Clark Sisters first ever Christmas album, this wonderful rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing is completely different to the original but still absolutely full of Christmas spirit. With a laidback, almost bluesy feel, this single from the premier sister gospel group is a real stand-out Christmas cover.

Another of the Winans family, Vickie, released her first Christmas album in 2007, full of stonkingly good covers of traditional Christmas tunes as well as a few new songs to keep you on your toes. Our favourite from the album, this is a jazzy, upbeat Christmas song that is sure to get you on your feet.

Up next we have a track from Louisiana gospel artist Aaron Neville, taken from his album Christmas Prayer. The whole album sounds like you've walked into a real Louisiana-style Christmas party, and this song is no exception. Gospel artists have a real knack of turning an old classic into something new and different, and Aaron has certainly achieved that here with quirky gospel vocals and a relaxed backing track.

Another Christmas classic performed in a new and exciting way, this offering from sultry songstress Oleta Adams is in-keeping with her usual bluesy R&B style - with jazz vocals, a laidback piano backing track and a slow tempo, this is a Christmas song perfect for sticking on in the background of your Christmas dinner party.

The final song on our gospel Christmas playlist, this offering from wonderful singer Mary Mary, taken from T.D. Jakes' album Follow the Star, is a wonderfully contemporary gospel Christmas song. With a pop feel but still rooted in gospel, it's a catchy tune that you'll find yourself singing along to.