Top 10 Easy Christmas Songs On Guitar

Frosty The Snowman

Here’s a story of death and rebirth for the holiday season, sung to you by the Ronettes.

 

This tune has been sung for ages in the Christmas lexicon of music, and it’s definitely one of our favorite easy Christmas songs on guitar.

“Frosty the Snowman” is in the key of G, and to play it and sing the whole tale, you need three parts.

The main part of the song has an AABA structure, just like “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” Here is the A part.

G G C G

C G D G

G Chord

C Chord

D Chord

The B part, “There must have been some magic,” goes like this.

C Bm |Am D| G

D D A D

C Chord

Bm Chord

Am Chord

D Chord

G Chord

A Chord

If you don’t have a B minor chord you enjoy playing and this one does not do it for you either, you can always play a D major chord in its place.

D major is a good replacement because it has two of the same notes as B minor.

See how music theory makes easy Christmas songs on guitar even easier?

The other part of the song is the coda, the “thumpity thump thump” part. It goes like this:

G G G D

D D D G

Pro-Tip: When you are playing to accompany other people singing, like at a holiday party, if you mix up the chords, just keep playing!

Keep your strum going until you can find the chord you need, and try to keep singing, and once you’ve gotten yourself back on track, nobody will notice that you ever forgot a chord.

Let It Snow!

The best versions of some of these easy Christmas songs on guitar might still be the classics. Here is “Let It Snow” by Dean Martin.

 

This simple tune was written in 1945 by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, and Dean Martin recorded it in 1959, nine years after Frank Sinatra.

Martin’s version is in the ridiculous key of Db, and we’re just going to ignore that and do it in the key of G, where all the chords are friendlier.

The changes are a bit more challenging, because this is written in the American Songbook style of a standard, and the progression has been simplified somewhat so that you can use it in your set of easy Christmas songs on guitar.

It’s another AABA song, and the A part, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful,” goes like this.

|G D7| G |Em A7| D

|Am E7| Am |Am D7| G

G Chord

D7 Chord

Em Chord

A7 Chord

Am Chord

E7 Chord

The B part, “When we finally kiss goodnight,” has these chords.

D D |Em A7| D

D D |E7 A7|Am D7|

D Chord

Em Chord

A7 Chord

E7 Chord

Am Chord

D7 Chord

Winter Wonderland

Here’s Michael Bublé’s contribution to your list of easy Christmas songs on guitar.

 

Michael is singing in the key of C, and so can you! Here are the chords to the A part (“Sleigh bells ring”).

C C G G

G7 G7 |D7 G7| C

C Chord

G Chord

G7 Chord

D7 Chord

The B section (“In the meadow we can build a snowman”) modulates, temporarily changing keys, to E, and it winds its way back like this:

|E A| E |E A| E

|G C| G |A7 D7| G7

E Chord

A Chord

G Chord

C Chord

A7 Chord

D7 Chord

G7 Chord

Easy Christmas songs on guitar are there for everybody to enjoy!

If you’re planning a party, it’s not a bad idea to print out lyric sheets for people to sing along with.

Group sing-alongs always make for a fun time at a Christmas party, especially when everyone has had a few glasses of egg nog or punch.

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

Here we have Brenda Lee’s contribution to our collection of easy Christmas songs on guitar.

 

The song is in the key of A flat, another crazy key for guitar, so you can play it in G, and if you want to sing along with Brenda, you can put a capo on the first fret.

The A part, “Rockin’ around the Christmas tree,” goes like this:

G G D7 D7

D7 D7 D7 G

G Chord

D7 Chord

This is yet another AABA-structured song. The B section of “You will get a sentimental feeling,” goes like this.

C C Bm Bm

Em Em A D

C Chord

Bm Chord

Em Chord

A Chord

D Chord

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was written by Johnny Marks in 1958 and recorded by Brenda Lee when she was 13 years old.

It has been on the charts just about ever since.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Of all the easy Christmas songs on guitar, this is probably the song with the most guitar in it. Check out John Lennon’s version of the classic tune below:

 

In “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”, the chords are embellished with some sus2 and sus4 coloration, but it’s a nice cycle that goes like this:

A A Bm Bm

E E A A

D D Em Em

A A D D

G G Am Am

Em G D E

A Chord

Bm Chord

E Chord

D Chord

Em Chord

G Chord

Am Chord

John and Yoko took the melody from “Stewball,” a folk ballad about a race horse, and recorded this lovely song in 1971 with the Harlem Community Choir.

This tune sounds best when sung by a large number of people.

You can teach your group the “War is over, if you want it” part for a great group sing.

Feliz Navidad

This might be the simplest and most fun of this list of easy Christmas songs on guitar to play and share with other people.

Check out this live performance by José Feliciano below:

 

We’ll pause while you watch all of the Live from Daryl’s House episodes you can find on YouTube.

Feliciano is playing “Feliz Navidad” in the key of D, but you can play this in any key you like.

The chords are easiest in the key of G, and you can find them below:

C D G Em

C D G G

C Chord

D Chord

G Chord

Em Chord

The lyrics change from Spanish to English – Feliciano is Puerto Rican – and the melody changes between the Spanish and English sections.

With that, unless you are paying close attention while listening, you might not know that the chord progression is the same. It is!

“Feliz Navidad” is beautiful and simple, and you can extend your set of easy Christmas songs on guitar indefinitely by having people sing along, because it takes a remarkably long time to get sick of singing it!

Preparing For Your Holiday Performances

Once you have played these easy Christmas songs on guitar a few times, you are ready to take your act on the road.

There are nursing homes, shelters, clinics, hospitals, and other community places in your area who would be happy to have you and any fellow carolers you can round up in their lobby or common room singing with their residents, visitors, or clients.

Call in advance to secure permission and make scheduling arrangements!

Here’s one last tune to send you off.

Recommended Resources

Did you enjoy this guide from the National Guitar Academy? We’ve got plenty more in store for you below:

• How To Use A Capo
• How To Tune A Guitar
• Easy Guitar Chords
• How To Play The Guitar
• Strumming Patterns
• Rhythm Guitar Lessons
• How To Read Guitar Tabs