This is the chart that covers Christmas Day itself. It also covers the three days after Christmas, when you might think the Christmas music would be tailing off a bit. But if it did, then the effect was swamped by everyone hammering the Christmas playlists in the first half of the week. And so we’re looking at another all-Christmas post.

1. Wham! – “Last Christmas”

Four weeks this year, seven in total. I’m pretty sure the Christmas records will be gone next week – last year, “Last Christmas” dived from number 1 straight out of the top 100. The top three are all non-movers, with Sam Ryder at 2 and Mariah Carey at 5. Most of the chart consists of the existing Christmas records squeezing up another place or two, but that does free up some space at the bottom for five new tracks – all of them Christmas.

35. Michael Jackson & The Jackson Five – “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”

Just think, there could be future generations for whom Michael Jackson’s reputation rests entirely on “Thriller” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. Ask Wizzard if you don’t believe me. This track was recorded for the “Jackson 5 Christmas Album” in 1970, and wasn’t released as a single at the time. It first charted in 2018 when it got to number 30, but hasn’t managed to establish itself as a chart regular. It got to 40 last year.

36. Coldplay – “Christmas Lights”

This reached number 13 in 2010 but, again, hasn’t managed to establish itself as one of the Christmas perennials, possibly because it just sounds out of place on most Christmas playlists. Its back catalogue peak is number 29, but it missed the top 40 altogether in 2018 and 2021. Reaching number 36 matches last year’s performance.

38. Bing Crosby – “White Christmas”

This first made the singles chart in 1977, when it got to number 5. It should up at number 29 in 1998 and made the lower half of the top 40 in 2017 to 2019 before missing the top 40 entirely in 2020 and 2021. Last year, it managed a week at number 39.

39. Frank Sinatra – “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”

A distant second place to the Dean Martin version at number 13. This made the top 40 for the first time two years ago, and its peak was number 33 last year.

40. Burl Ives – “A Holly Jolly Christmas”

Another duplicate: the Michael Bublé version of this is at number 30. And that’s not even the top placing Michael Bublé song – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” is at 7. The Burl Ives version has not charted before, but he did have two top 40 hits in 1962, one of which (“A Little Bitty Tear”) made the top 10. He’s a lot better known in America, though.

This week’s climbers:

• “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John climbs 5-4. Next year it’ll be on permanent downweighting, so don’t expect it to match this performance.
• “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee climbs 7-5, one place short of last year.
• “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé climbs 9-7, also one place short of last year.
• “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande climbs 11-8 to become her 20th top 10 hit.
• “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams climbs 12-9, matching its all time peak from two years ago.
• “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms climbs 14-11. Last year it made the top 10.
• “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by Dean Martin climbs 16-13. This track has never made it above 20 in previous years.
• “Stay Another Day” by Jorja Smith climbs 18-16.
• “Step into Christmas” by Elton John climbs 19-17, one place higher than last year.
• “DJ Play a Christmas Song” by Cher climbs 20-18.
• “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea climbs 21-19. Last year it got to 16, and the year before that, 10.
• “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes climbs 24-20 to become their third top 20 hit. (The others are “Be My Baby” and “Baby I Love You”, from 1963-4.)
• “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir climbs 22-21, three places higher than last year.
• “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney climbs 25-22. It was 17 last year, and in the year before.
• “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano climbs 28-23, two places short of last year’s all time peak.
• “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” by Wizzard climbs 26-25. This is definitely in decline – it made 10 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 15 in 2021 and 19 last year.
• “Winter Wonderland” by Laufey climbs 31-26.
• “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis climbs 32-29. This is also in decline: 8 in 2018, 15 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 20 in 2021, 25 in 2022 and now 29.
• “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love climbs 35-31. Two places below last year, one place higher than two years ago.
• “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade climbs 33-32. Again, definite long term decline. This placed between 16 and 19 from 2017 to 2020, but only made the top 30 in 2021 and 2022, and now it misses the top 30 altogether for the first time since 2015.
• “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber climbs 34-33. It was either 30 or 31 in all of the last three years.
• “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole climbs 36-34. That beats last year’s position by one place, to set a new all-time peak.

The five tracks leaving the top 40 are:

• “Houdini” by Dua Lipa after 7 weeks, peaking at number 2.
• “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn, with 13 weeks and a peak of 12.
• “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift, a former number 1 with 8 weeks on the top 40.
• “Leavemealone” by Fred again.. & Baby Keem, peaking at number 30 and with 2 weeks on the top 40.
• “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” by Creator Universe, after a single week at number 29 – it drops straight out of the top 100.

Other than the last one, they’ll all be back next week, so don’t feel too bad for them. The longest running track on the top 40 this week is still “Greedy” by Tate McRae, which drops to 37 this week but is guaranteed to rebound next week.

If you screened out the Christmas records, the top 10 would look like this:

1 (1) Noah Kahan – “Stick Season” (number 10)
2 (2) Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me” (number 27)
3 (3) Tate McRae – “Greedy” (number 37)
4 (7) Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn – “DNA (Loving You)” (number 55)
5 (5) Taylor Swift – “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version)” (number 61)
6 (RE) Drake featuring Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy” (number 65)
7 (NEW) Central Cee – “Entrapraneur” (number 71)
8 (9) cässo x Raye x D-Block Europe – “Prada” (number 73)
9 (6) Fred again.. & Baby Keem – “Leavemealone” (number 75)
10 (RE) Zara Larsson & David Guetta – “On My Love” (number 80)

Yes, Central Cee actually released a new single this week. Commendably perverse.

Once again, nothing to report on the album chart. “Christmas” by Michael Bublé is number 1, for its sixth week in total – the first three were at Christmas 2011, and then it’s had single weeks in 2020, 2022 and 2023.