10 Christmas Songs that Actually Rock

These songs aren't just your generic Christmas tunes that are heard every year, again and again. Take out the ringing bells and nix the soft crooning; add some guitar riffs and gritty voices, and what do you get? Some Christmas music that actually rocks!

Several rock groups have broken into the Christmas music game, and we are sure glad they did. As our Christmas present to you, we picked 10 of our favorites to get you through the holidays, without having to listen to another mundane Christmas song, where the most rockin' you'll be doing is around the tree.

So, pour yourself a glass of eggnog, kick back and enjoy your new and improved holiday playlist!

1
Shinedown
'Happy X-Mas (War is Over)'
Once made famous by another rocker, John Lennon, 'Happy Christmas' was again taken on by Shinedown. We dig the band's edgier twist on a Christmas classic.
2
Guns N' Roses
'White Christmas'
Now this is the kind of Christmas we are dreaming about! No offense to Bing, but Axl and the screaming guitars do a little bit better of a job of getting us into the Christmas spirit. Agreed?
3
Linkin Park
'My December'
Ahh, an oldie but a goodie. In case you never knew, this song is about being lonely during the holidays. The lyrics describe a night of sitting alone in a cold house overwhelmed with feelings of regret and inner sadness. But hey, we can get down with Chester's emotional side during the holidays.
4
Corey Taylor
'X-M@$'
"If I ain't drunk then it ain't Christmas!" A few of us have been there right? Corey wrote this song because he was sick of seeing people so stressed out during the holidays. It definitely brings us some holiday cheer.
5
Pearl Jam
'Let Me Sleep (It's Christmas Time)'
When this song was first released in 1991, it was available to Pearl Jam fan club members only. Now, millions of people share the gift of being able to listen to this acoustic Christmas tune whenever they want.
6
August Burns Red
'Carol of the Bells'
Nothing puts us in the holiday spirit quite like this rendition of a classic. Plus, August Burns Red didn't just make one Christmas song, they recorded an entire instrumental holiday album. Merry Christmas to us!
7
Smashing Pumpkins
'Christmastime'
Billy Corgan showed off his emotional side and succeeded in writing a heartfelt Christmas song from a child's perspective, that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
8
AC/DC
'Mistress for Christmas'
Well, we sure know what Malcolm Young had on his Christmas list in 1990. AC/DC's take on a Christmas carol isn't so bad, is it?
9
Blink-182
'Happy Holidays, You Bastard'
Who doesn't remember jamming out to this song back in the day? While it may be less than a minute long, leave it to the boys of Blink-182 to pack in as many f-bombs and profanity as possible to a Christmas song.
10
Twisted Sister
'Deck the Halls'
Twisted Sister has an entire album of Christmas music, but this is the song that fills us with the most holiday cheer. They truly twisted something mundane into a brand new holiday favorite.

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