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In Jamaica, Christmas music has always reflected the many ways the season is experienced. Some songs are deeply faith-filled, rooted in the story of Christ’s birth and the spirit of thanksgiving. Others are creative and whimsical originals, capturing the humour, warmth, and everyday realities of a Jamaican Christmas. Then there are the faithful renditions of well-known carols, reimagined with classic reggae rhythms that make you want to dance, give thanks, and laugh — all while keeping the message meaningful and resonant.
Together, these songs form a uniquely Jamaican Christmas soundtrack: one that balances joy and reflection, celebration and spirituality, and continues to bring generations together every December.
1. Welcome Home for Christmas — Fab Five
Built around the familiar Christmas homecoming ritual when family members you may not have seen all year return to visit, Welcome Home for Christmas reflects the emotional reunion loved ones who have been missed, and the pull of family during the holiday season.
2. Christmas Medley — Cocoa Tea
Christmas Medley sees Cocoa Tea creatively reworking traditional Christmas tunes, including the classic 12 Days of Christmas, which he flips into the line “on the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a love letter from New York City,” and Jingle Bells, reimagined as “oh what fun it is to ride on a New York City subway.” These familiar melodies are reshaped with rhythmic reggae arrangements, blending well-known seasonal themes with Cocoa Tea’s smooth, melodic vocal style.
3. Merry Christmas — Frankie Paul
Like Cocoa Tea, Frankie Paul lends his smooth, silky vocals to Merry Christmas, a track that lightly remixes and weaves together Christmas classics such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Silver Bells with classic reggae rhythms. The chorus delivers an infectious and straightforward holiday greeting, offered with warmth and sincerity: “A merry Christmas to you and you.”
4. Mek The Christmas Ketch You In A Good Mood — The Joe Gibbs Family of Artists / Allstars
This ensemble recording brings together artists from the Joe Gibbs camp for a festive holiday tune aimed at listeners who have been working all year and feel they deserve some good times. Through its lyrics, the song encourages people to put on their dancing shoes and head out to enjoy the holiday season.
5. Do You Hear What I Hear — Tamara Marshall
Though Tamara Marshall is Bajan, her rendition of Do You Hear What I Hear adapts the well-known Christmas carol into a classic yet bombastic reggae arrangement. While preserving the song’s reflective and spiritual tone, this version is more upbeat and expansive than the original, with backing vocals adding brightness and lift to the melody.
6. Of Course — Professor Nuts
Christmas of Course is a festive dancehall holiday track that leans into the genre’s playful energy and conversational lyricism. Through witty, tongue-in-cheek lines, Professor Nuts touches on Christmas shopping, holiday spending, and the everyday realities of the season in a distinctly Jamaican style. Released by Mad House Records in 1999 as part a reggae/dancehall Christmas compilation, the song adds a light-hearted dancehall entry to Jamaica’s Christmas music catalogue.
7. Christmas in the Sun — Fab 5 feat. The Stage Crew
Christmas in the Sun is another festive entry from Fab 5, taken from their Christmas in the Sun album released in 1988. This time, the song focuses on what Christmas feels like on the islands, celebrating a snowless tropical holiday far removed from traditional winter imagery. With lyrics such as “I have never had to ride on a one horse open sleigh, or watch Santa Claus and his reindeer fly away,” the song contrasts foreign Christmas traditions with life in Jamaica, highlighting warm weather, friendly people, and a holiday season filled with music, food, and outdoor festivities.
8. Warm Jamaican Christmas — Baby Cham & Wayne Wonder
The infectious chorus, delivered by the silky-smooth Wayne Wonder, sends warm Christmas greetings wishing everyone “a warm Jamaican Christmas time” and “true love at Christmas time.” Set against a snow-free backdrop, the lyrics celebrate late-night parties, swimming, and washing away the year’s worries. The collaboration blends Baby Cham’s energetic delivery with Wayne Wonder’s smooth vocals to paint a relaxed, sun-soaked picture of a Jamaican Christmas.
9. Santa Claus Never Comes to the Ghetto — Yellowman
Santa Claus Never Comes to the Ghetto reworks Carlene Davis’s 1992 song Santa Claus Do You Ever Come to the Ghetto into a scathing yet humorous critique delivered in Yellowman’s unmistakable style. Using wit and sarcasm, the song rebukes the fictional Santa Claus for overlooking poor communities, questioning, “Something wrong with this part of town?” The lyrics highlight the unequal experience of the season, noting that while Santa visits “the queen and the king,” ghetto children are left without the joys of Christmas.
10. Christmas in Jamaica — Toni Braxton feat. Shaggy
The list would not be complete without a reggae-infused R&B Christmas track courtesy of Toni Braxton, featuring Mr. Boombastic himself, Shaggy. Christmas in Jamaica is about a laid-back holiday escape to the island, painting a picture of slowing down and switching off for the season. Lyrics like “we can sail under the light of the moon,” “unplug the phones, don’t need no calls,” and “we can make out to some cool reggae tunes” frame the song as a romantic island getaway, focused on presence, relaxation, and creating lasting memories away from the hustle and bustle.
From faith-filled reflections to playful dancehall storytelling, Jamaican Christmas songs capture the many moods of the season in a way that feels both joyful and meaningful. Whether you’re reliving traditions from home or creating new ones wherever you are in the world, these songs offer the perfect soundtrack for the holidays.
Press play and enjoy our curated Jamaican Christmas playlist on YouTube, and let the rhythms carry you through the season, island-style.
English (US) ·