December ushers in classic Christmas imagery for most of us — the jingling of bells, twinkling lights, and trees dressed in red and gold. Yet the final month of the year is equally steeped in melancholy, heartbreak, yearning, and homecoming, thanks to winter’s quiet, contemplative chill. From nostalgia-laden verses to glittering festive beats, here are the most popular December tracks by iconic artists, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Linkin Park and more, to add to your year-end playlist.
Back to December — Taylor Swift
It would not be an exaggeration to say Taylor Swift has a song for every season and every emotion. Back to December is a staple among Swifties — a soft, wintry ballad in which a young woman looks back on a past relationship with sorrow and regret, her memory snowed under by a cold December night. Despite its heartbreaking sentiment, the warm vocals paired with acoustic guitar create a soothing ambience that adds depth and introspection to your December listening.
December — Ariana Grande
In sharp contrast to Swift’s wistful winter reflection, Ariana Grande celebrates romance. With jingling instrumental fillers and lyrics that frame the singer as the ultimate Christmas gift, December feels like a bow-tied present on a frosty doorstep. It fits perfectly within Christmas & Chill, her holiday album crafted for cosy nights in.
My December — Linkin Park
If you are partial to wintry heartbreak, this one belongs on your late-night playlist. In My December, the late Chester Bennington grieves a lost love, wishing for a chance to rewrite the past. Sombre keys and stark vocals set the tone — quiet, heavy, and cold enough to match the stillness of a December night.
Remember December — Demi Lovato
A classic winter yearning track, Remember December captures two lovers drifting apart even as they cling to memories of how it once was. Lovato echoes the emotional quality of the month itself — December forces us to look back, tally, remember, and ache a little for everything we have left behind in the year gone by.
Permanent December — Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has long mastered the marriage of lyrical honesty and musical emotion. In Permanent December, she sings of realising too late that a former lover was the right one all along. Layered autotune and bass give the song a trance-like, obsessive texture — perfectly embodying the desperation and urgency beneath the lyrics.
Cold December Night — Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé’s 2011 Christmas album remains his best-selling body of work to date, and Cold December Night is one of its glittering gems. Stockings by the fireplace, trees lining living rooms, ribbons, lights — Bublé packs Christmas into every bar. Beneath the carolling cheer, however, lies a quiet plea for love to warm the coldest season — a wish as timeless as Christmas morning.
From heartbreak ballads to sparkly Christmas grooves, these December tracks carry every shade of winter — sorrow, quiet, glitter, and longing. Add them to your playlist, pour yourself a hot chocolate, and let the season do the rest.
