2025 has been a year, so the warm glow of the festive season feels more necessary than ever. Christmas decorations are popping up earlier and louder, playlists are looping sooner than anyone admits, and we’re all leaning hard into nostalgia, sparkle, and a little end-of-year escapism. When the world feels mildly unhinged, it’s reassuring to know that the reliable coziness of Christmas will greet us, same time as always.
Of course, no two years are ever quite the same — but there’s still plenty to be merry about. Case in point: there’s now enough Christmas content in existence to keep us entertained well into the next decade. In celebration of this excess (and because we love a theme), we’ve compiled our Top 5 Trippy Christmas Music Videos.
When the festive season gets weird…
Ah, Christmas songs. Love them or loathe them, they define the season. You might squeal with delight at the opening notes of a certain festive classic… or instinctively brace yourself, haunted by memories of retail shifts past. There is truly no middle ground. But among the endless Santas, fairy lights, snow-dusted cottages and cosy clichés, a few videos tap into Christmas’s stranger, more psychedelic undercurrent. We’ve picked some of the best with that trippy twist — some iconic, some lesser-known — for your festive viewing pleasure. (No Mariahs here — sorry!)
Whether you’re munching on a mince pie or something a little more… mind-expanding while watching is entirely up to you. 🎄✨
*NSYNC – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (1998)
Perhaps the most ’90s thing that ever happened — you can’t blame the festive season for all the frosted tips going on here.
Disaster! Santa has a fever (or heartburn or something), so a green PVC-wearing elf played by Gary Coleman announces that ‘Christmas is cancelled!’ It’s up to a hilariously baby-faced Justin and co to take over and deliver the presents. They zoom around in Santa’s sleigh against a very green-screeny backdrop, surprise some ’90s chicks, cuddle some confused babies. In the end, all is well. No word on how Santa is doing, however…
The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) (2003)
The Darkness were the noughties glam-rock revival that no-one (initially!) knew they needed. These long-haired rockers indulge in all the classic festive fun — snow, twinkling lights, presents — with a knowing look at the camera, as they sneak innuendo after innuendo into their lyrics. (Can you spot them?!) A modern classic.
Run-DMC – Christmas in Hollis (1987)
Would you believe we nearly didn’t have this classic tune? Initially, Run- DMC refused to do a Christmas song, not wanting to become “corny” after having fought so hard for hip-hop recognition.
Thank goodness they were convinced by the chance to sample Clarence George Carter’s 1968 funk-hit ‘Back Door Santa’. The result is a catchy-as-hell brass hook, and a wholesome rap about all the best holiday foods, as cooked by your mom. The video features a rather suspect-looking Santa — sorting through good and bad children — in what looks like a mall security room. The houses are decorated like a Christmas cartoon, a cheeky elf steals mom’s presents and… is that a dog pulling Santa’s sleigh?!
Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (1973)
For some reason the 1970s was a boom-time for Christmas songs. Maybe it was because beards were ‘in’ at the time. Or perhaps it was because everyone was dressed up like a Christmas tree all the time anyway. Whatever the reason, this is one of those tunes that, depending on your point of view, has either stood the test of time, or really overstayed its welcome. If one was to try and imagine a psychedelic Santa (and why wouldn’t you?!) you probably couldn’t do better than Wizzard’s singer, Roy Wood. With long white hair, and groovy face paint — he’d definitely share some shrooms he’d foraged from the North Pole with you!
Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (1963)
Just to add a dash of real old-school festive madness, we’ve included this kitsch 1960s fantasy. Imagine it from the perspective that Mr. Williams has just dropped a few grams of Golden Teacher and is deep in his own technicolour trip. Are these luminous Victorians really there? Or just a figment of his imagination? Why won’t they talk to him?! What does it all mean?
Finally, he sprinkles the with magical glitter, and they come to life — twirling and whirling like some Dickensian fractals. Why not throw some glitter on your family this festive season and see what happens?
Tips For A Magical Christmas…
We hope you are rosy-cheeked with seasonal wonder at our Top 5 Trippy Christmas music videos.
And, if you fancy taking that wonder further, why not check out our range of fresh magic truffles and magic mushroom grow kits! A perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones. Sprinkle some magic onto the festive season — you’ll be seeing angels in no time!
