I’m dreaming of a bestseller: what makes Christmas songs stick?

We analyse the most popular festive songs to find that all we want for Christmas is mid-century nostalgia

• Comment: Do they know it’s Christmas?! Why today’s meek festive pop lacks the crucial chaos element

When composer Irving Berlin finished writing White Christmas in 1940, he reportedly told his musical secretary: “Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote.”

If musical greatness can be measured by record sales, he was correct. Recorded by Bing Crosby and released in 1942 on his compilation album Merry Christmas, White Christmas would go on to become the bestselling single of all time. The song is still one of our most-listened on the 24 and 25 December, more than 80 years later.