Funny Christmas Songs: 12 Hilarious Holiday Tunes

While the holiday season is thought of as a joyous time, let’s face it — finding the right holiday presents in time, throwing the perfect party and interacting with difficult family members can be stressful! So we say, sometimes it helps to approach the season with a sense of humor. Funny Christmas songs are the perfect addition to your holiday playlist, for those times when you’re fed up with the typical ho-ho-hos of seasonal tunes and could use some ha-ha-has instead.

Here, we’ve ranked 12 of our favorite funny Christmas songs, all of which are sure to put a smile on your face and help you trade the holiday hustle and bustle for a little chuckle.

12. “Elf’s Lament” (2004)

This song from rockers Barenaked Ladies asks you to please consider the overworked, underpaid elves. While Santa and his reindeer get all the glory, the elves are toiling away behind the scenes and lamenting their lack of a union. Guest vocals from crooner Michael Bublé (known for his — shall we say — more serious takes on the Christmas songbook) add a touch of gravitas to this tongue-in-cheek tune.

11. “Things I Want” (2003)

Tenacious D are one of the funniest bands around. The duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass may specialize in jokey rock songs, but they have some serious musical chops! Add pop punkers Sum 41, and you have the perfect goofy Christmas rock confection. The lyrics are all about an absurd list of holiday gift requests, from “A Motley Crue lunch box filled with sticky buns” to “Pamela Anderson’s Speedo top.” You gotta admire the creativity!

10. “The Very First Christmas” (2005)

If you have kids around, you probably know all about SpongeBob SquarePants and his signature high-pitched voice and goofy (some may say annoying) laugh. This is one of those funny Christmas songs that’s infectiously catchy and guaranteed to bring the holiday cheer to the whole family.

9. “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” (1959)

This Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song was a major hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and even winning three Grammys. Not bad for a band of soprano cartoon chipmunks! While it’s become something of a Christmas standard over 60-plus (!) years, you can’t deny the hilarity of a trio of animated chipmunks detailing their holiday wish lists.

8. “Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy” (1965)

Co-written and recorded by country legend Buck Owens in 1965, this song has since been covered by several country music artists including Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley and Travis Tritt. The song is about a child who has snuck downstairs to catch a glimpse of Santa, but who does he see? Daddy, of course, in Santa’s outfit! The child’s perspective (similar to the one in “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”) makes this tune particularly adorable.

7. “Redneck 12 Days of Christmas” (1995)

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy (of “You might be a redneck if…” fame) pokes some good-natured fun at how rednecks celebrate Christmas in this hilarious take on “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Instead of “two turtle doves” and “a partridge in a pear tree,” we get “two huntin’ dogs” and “some parts to a Mustang GT.”

6. “Snoopy’s Christmas” (1967)

What would the holiday season be without Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the gang? This song by The Royal Guardsmen details Snoopy’s fateful Christmas Eve battle against the Red Baron. The theme of a cartoon beagle fancying himself a World War I flying ace is downright hilarious, and the song makes for a good contrast to the melancholy of another Peanuts Christmas classic, “Christmas Time Is Here.”

5. “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” (1948)

“All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” is an oldie but a goodie. Written by Donald Yetter Gardner, the charming song was inspired by his experience teaching music to grade school students and asking them what they wanted for Christmas. They all responded with lisps, and he realized the majority of the class had just lost their baby teeth — and so a holiday classic was born! The song was originally recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers, a group known for their outlandish humor.

4. “The Chanukah Song” (1994)

Why should Christmas get all the good holiday songs? In a 1994 episode of Saturday Night Live, Adam Sandler introduced “The Chanukah Song,” and it soon became a Jewish holiday classic. The catchy song lists an eclectic variety of Jewish celebrities and characters, from David Lee Roth to Paul Newman to Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from Star Trek, and it makes us laugh (and wish for more songs themed around the Festival of Lights!) every time we hear it.

3. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” (1952)

“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” is a sweet Christmas favorite that’s been famously covered by icons like The Ronettes and The Jackson 5. Sung from the perspective of a child, the song adorably details the confusion of seeing daddy in a Santa costume when you’re young enough to think Santa is real. First recorded in 1952 by Jimmy Boyd, when he was just 13, this most classic of funny Christmas songs was an instant hit, and has been one of the holiday’s most adorable standards for over 70 years.

2. “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (1966)

How The Grinch Stole Christmas is one of Dr. Seuss‘ most iconic books, and in the ’60s, it was made into a classic cartoon, featuring this unforgettable song. The Grinch may be a horrible creature, but the creative descriptions of him as “cuddly as a cactus” and “charming as an eel” are laugh-out-loud funny.

1. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (1979)

Year after year, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” remains the ultimate funny Christmas song. The wicked sense of humor and undeniably catchy tune make it a winner. Performed by the husband-and-wife duo Elmo & Patsy, the song tells the tale of — you guessed it — poor old grandma getting run over by Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. When you think about it, the song’s actually pretty dark, but the pure absurdity of its premise makes it a winner.