The Christmas Number Ones prior to 1952 are based on sheet music sales. The artists listed for those hits are the ones mainly responsible
for popularising the song.

1945: Issy Bonn... I'm In Love With Two Sweethearts
1946: Frank Sinatra... Five Minutes More
1947: Lou Preager.. Jimmy Leach... An Apple Blossom Wedding
1948: Dinah Shore..Evelyn Knight... Buttons And Bows
1949: Anton Karas... The Harry Lime Theme
1950: Gene Autry.. Bing Crosby... Rudoph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
1951: Teddy Johnson ..Teresa Brewer ...Longing For You

Chart hits are taken from the sales of a record in a week and announced at the end of that week. So what might be actually at No.1 on Dec 25th in some cases is not the Christmas No.1 Hit. It was really the number one from the sales the week prior to Christmas. When this has happens I will also include the track that was in the chart ON Christmas Day too. (eg 1960 & '61)
LILAC ( ) = week ending date it topped the charts / date announced
GREEN ( ) = weeks at number one

1950's
1952: Hear In My Heart - Al Martino (Nov 16th) (9) First ever track in the UK charts + million seller + USA No1 .
1953: Answer Me - Frankie Laine 9 (Nov 13th) (8)
1954: Lets Have Another Party - Winifred Atwell (Dec 3rd) (5)
1955: Christmas Alphabet - Dicky Valentine (Nov 16th) (3)
1956: Just Walking In The Rain - Johnnie Ray (Nov 16th) (7)
1957: Marys Boy Child - Harry Belafonte (Nov 22nd ) (7) + million seller
1958: Its Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty (Dec 19th) (5) + No.1 in USA
1959: What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For - Emile Ford and The Checkmates (Dec 18th) (6)

1960's
1960: I Love You - Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Dec 29th) (2) It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1961: Moon River - Danny Williams ( Dec 28th) (2) Tower of Strength - Frankie Vaughan was No.1 on Dec 25th, but not Xmas No.1.
1962: Return To Sender - Elvis Presley (Dec 13th) (3)
1963: I Want To Hold Your Hand - Beatles ( Dec12th) (5) +US No.1 + Million Seller
1964: I Feel Fine - Beatles (Dec 10th) (5) +US No.1 + Million Seller
1965: Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out - Beatles (Dec16) (5) +EP was a Million Seller + Day Tripper No.1 in USA
1966: Green Green Grass Oh Home - Tom Jones (Dec 1st) (7) +Million Seller
1967: Hello Goodbye - Beatles (Dec 6th) (7) + US No1
1968: Lily The Pink - Scaffold (Dec 11th) (3)
1969: Two Little Boys - Rolf Harris (Dec20th) (6)

1970's
1970: I Hear You Knockin' - Dave Edmunds (Nov 28th) (6)
1971: Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) - Benny Hill (Dec 11th) (4)
1972: Long Haired Lover From Liverpool - Little Jimmy Osmond (Dec23rd) (5)
1973: Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade (Dec15th) (5) + UK entry at No.1 + Million Seller
1974: Lonely This Christmas - Mud (Dec 21st) (4)
1975: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (Nov 29th) (9) + million seller
1976: When A Child Is Born - Johnny Mathis (Dec 25th) (3)
1977: Mull Of Kintyre / Girls' School - Wings (Dec 3rd) (9) + million seller
1978: Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord - Boney M (Dec 9th) (4)
1979: Another Brick In The Wall ( Part 2 ) - Pink Floyd (Dec 15th) (5) + Million seller + USA No1. + UK entry at No1.

1980's
1980: There's No-One Quite Like Grandma - St. Winifred's School Choir (Dec 27th) (2) (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1981: Don't You Want Me - Human League (Dec 12th) (5) + million seller + USA No1
1982: Save Your Love - Renée and Renato (Dec 18th) (4)
1983: Only You - Flying Pickets (Dec 10th) (5)
1984: Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid (Dec 15th) (5) + million seller + UK entry at No1.
1985: Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens (Dec 28th) (2) Saving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1986: Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson (Dec 27th) (4) Caravan Of Love - Housemartins was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1987: Always On My Mind - Pet Shop Boys (Dec 19th) (4)
1988: Mistletoe And Wine - Cliff Richard (Dec 10th) (4)
1989: Do They Know It's Christmas ? - Band Aid II (Dec 23rd) (3) + UK entry at No1

1990's
1990: Saviour's Day - Cliff Richard (Dec 29th) (1) Ice Ice Baby -Vanilla Ice was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1991: Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives - Queen (Dec 21st) (5) + million seller + UK entry at No.1.
1992: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (Dec 5th) (10) + million seller + USA No.1.
1993: Mr. Blobby - Mr. Blobby (Dec 25th) (2)
1994: Stay Another Day - East 17 (Dec 10th) (5)
1995: Earth Song - Michael Jackson (Dec 9th) (6) + million seller + UK entry at No.1.
1996: 2 Become 1 - Spice Girls (Dec 28th) (3) + million seller + UK entry at No.1. Knocking On Heavens Door/Throw These Guns Away - Dunblane was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1997: Too Much - Spice Girls (Dec 27th) (2) + UK entry at No.1. Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh! -Telletubbies was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1998: Goodbye - Spice Girls (Dec 26th) (2) + UK entry at No.1. To You I Belong - B*Witched was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1999: I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun - Westlife (Dec 25th) (1) + UK entry at No.1.

2000's
2000: Can We Fix It - Bob The Builder (Dec 22) (3)
2001: Somethin' Stupid - Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman (Dec 23) (3)
2002: Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud (Dec 28) (4)
2003: Mad World - Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (Dec 27) (3)
2004: Do They Know It's Christmas -Band Aid 20 (Dec 11) (4) (Band Aid 1984, Band Aid 11 1989)
2005: Shayne Ward - That's My Goal (Dec 31) (4) (UK X Factor winner)
2006: Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This (Dec 30) (4) (UK X Factor winner)
2007: Loen Jackson - When You Believe (Dec 29) () (UK X Factor winner)

FACTS

The first Christmas chart-topper to enter at No.1 was Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" in 1973

The most consecutive Christmas No.1's is 3 by the Beatles (1963, 1964, 1965) and The Spice Girls (1996, 1997, 1998).

There has only been one instrumental Xmas No.1 Winifred Atwell's "Lets Have Another Party"

The longest running Christmas No.1 was Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" which topped the charts for 10 weeks and stayed at No.1 into February.

Only Christmas No.1 by female vocalist Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"

Only five Christmas No.1's have the word 'Christmas' in the title
1955 'Christmas Alphabet' - Dicky Valentine
1974 'Lonely This Christmas' - Mud
1984 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - Band Aid
1985 'Merry Christmas Everyone' - Shakin' Stevens
1989 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - Band Aid 2
'Merry Xmas Everybody' - Slade (1973) has the word Xmas in the title but if you count this one it makes six.

The youngest female & male vocalists to feature on a Christmas No.1 are 8 year old Dawn Ralf fronting St. Winifred's School Choir - "There's No-One Quite Like Grandma" in 1980 and 9 year old Little Jimmy Osmond with 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool' in 1972.

The only non-human to make Christmas No.1 was Mr. Blobby with 'Mr. Blobby' in 1993.

All information from 1952 - 2000 is take from the
"Guinness Book of British Hit Singles"

The 'Secret' Number One
John & Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir - "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"
There was a time when no new chart was compiled over the Christmas period; it was a labour-intensive process requiring couriers racing around the country, collecting sales diaries which were then delivered to a data-entry team who would manually key the catalogue numbers into an early computer system. These staff needed a week off for Christmas. Furthermore, the media didn't seem to require a chart update due to lack of publications and special festive programming. Today, the data is downloaded from stores in a flash and chart-compilation is much less labour-intensive so even over Christmas a new chart can easily be compiled - and Radio One is happy to air it. But, between these two extremes, there were a few years in which a new chart was compiled but never aired or published. Usually, this resulted in no change at the top in any case. But the notable exception was Christmas 1980. On 8th December of that year John Lennon was assassinated. On the week ending 27 Dec, St Winifred's School Choir hit the top spot with "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma." But, directly over Christmas week, large numbers of shoppers bought Lennon's classic "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)." The chart compiled (though not published) for w/e 3rd Jan 1981 had John Lennon at number one. This fact is not widely known, thus it is omitted from lists of Number Ones. Instead, St Winifred's School Choir are shown as holding the position for two weeks. By the time normal service had been resumed (w/e 10th Jan 1981), John Lennon's "Imagine" had climbed to the top in any case.

Christmas Album No.1 Hits

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