Christmas classics remain popular with listeners, but a growing majority want radio stations to wait until Thanksgiving or later before switching to all-holiday programming, according to P1 Media Group’s 2026 America’s Top 100 Christmas Songs study.
The nationwide survey, sponsored by GoldDisc by TM Studios, found that 56% of respondents favor a Thanksgiving-or-later start—up from 49% in 2025. Meanwhile, 18% prefer stations to begin in early November, down from 23% last year and 31% in 2024.
“Christmas music continues to be one of radio’s most powerful audience magnets,” said Ken Benson, founder and partner at P1 Media Group. “The Nielsen ratings demonstrate its extraordinary ability to attract listeners, but our research also reveals an important shift. While Americans still love their Christmas classics, they’re becoming more selective about when they want the holiday season to begin.”
P1 surveyed 400 radio listeners ages 25–54 across the nation’s top 50 radio markets. Participants rated the appeal of the 100 most-played Christmas recordings of the 2025 holiday season, as measured by Mediabase.
🎅Download The Complete Christmas Top 100: HERE (Be Patient)