List of UK singles chart Christmas number ones

thumb|290x290px|[[Kylie Minogue|Kylie Minogue's "XMAS" was the 2025 Christmas number one.]]

In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK singles chart in the week preceding or during Christmas Day. They have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume of record sales in the UK has peaked at Christmas.

Christmas number-one singles have often been the best-selling song of the year. During the 21st century many Christmas chart-toppers have been either by reality television contestants or charity singles. The Christmas number one is announced by BBC Radio 1 on the Friday before Christmas. The most recent Christmas number-one single is "XMAS" by Kylie Minogue.

History

alt=Publicity photograph of Al Martino from 1952|thumb|upright|[[Al Martino was the first person to reach Christmas number one, in 1952.]]

The UK Singles Chart began in 1952 – appearing in the New Musical Express. The positions of all songs are based on weekly sales (from Sunday to Saturday until 2015, then from Friday to Thursday). Before 1987, they were released on a Tuesday due to the need for manual calculation. The emergence of a serious contest for the Christmas number-one spot began in 1973, when the glam rock bands Slade and Wizzard deliberately released festive songs in an effort to reach the top of the charts at Christmas, with Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" beating Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". The Christmas number-one single was not revealed on Christmas Day itself until 1994.

From 2002 until 2014, the competition for the Christmas number one was dominated by reality television contests, with the winners often heading straight to number one in the week before Christmas. This trend began when Popstars: The Rivals contestants released the top three singles on the Christmas chart.

| align="center" |4

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | 1989

|"Do They Know It's Christmas?"

| align="center" |3

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | 1990

|"Saviour's Day"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | 1991

| Queen

|"Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives"|group=nb

|"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2013

| "Skyscraper"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2014

| "Something I Need"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2015

| Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir

| ""

| "Perfect"

| align="center" |6

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2018

| rowspan="3" |LadBaby

| "We Built This City"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2019

|"I Love Sausage Rolls"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2020

|"Don't Stop Me Eatin'

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2021

|LadBaby ft. Ed Sheeran and Elton John

|"Sausage Rolls for Everyone"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2022

|LadBaby

|"Food Aid"

| align="center" |1

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2023

| rowspan="2"| Wham!

| rowspan="2" |"Last Christmas"

| align="center"rowspan=2 |11<br />

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |2024

! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" |2025

|"XMAS"

| align="center" |1

List of UK singles chart Christmas number ones

History

See also

Notes

References

Further reading