12 Very ’90s Christmas Songs

It wasn’t all about Mariah! NSYNC, Beck, Master P, and a weirdly mystical Garth Brooks also celebrated the Yuletide.

1. Let’s get something straight right away: Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas” is the best Christmas album of the ’90s, and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the best new Christmas song of the past 20 years, maybe even 30 years.

This goes without saying, really.

“All I Want For Christmas Is You”

2. But NSYNC got in on the Christmas action…

“Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”

3. And that was a big hit, so 98 Degrees were like “Hey, me too, me too!”

“This Gift”

4. Why is there no trace of Christmas-ness on the cover of Garth Brooks’ Christmas CD? Why does he look like an evil cowboy wizard?

The album title is just like the name of a Harry Potter novel!

“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

5. Snoop Dogg and the Death Row Records roster taught us about Christmas in the ghetto…

Snoop Dogg featuring Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Tray Deee, and Bad Azz, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto”

6. …and the DGC roster of alt-rockers were like “Ehhh, OK, sure, Christmas.”

Beck, “The Little Drum Machine Boy”

7. The Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt, Natalie Merchant, Dave Matthews, Hootie and the Blowfish, Blues Traveler, Sheryl Crow, and Mary J. Blige got together to make the most ’90s Christmas album possible.

The Smashing Pumpkins, “Christmastime”

8. Ren and Stimpy had a very surreal Christmas.

“We Wish You a Merry Chest Wig”

9. Cats celebrated Christmas with great gusto.

“Silent Night”

10. Master P made a Christmas record before he was super famous.

C-Murder and Master P, “Christmas in the Ghetto”

11. Some artists put Christmas songs on their regular albums. This one by Archers of Loaf is sad, funny, and dark.

“Assassination on X-Mas Eve”

12. …and this Flaming Lips song is whimsical, silly, and strange. So, you know, a pretty typical Flaming Lips song.

“Christmas at the Zoo”