Upgrading the Manger, A Holiday Homebuying Playlist

From traditional carols first sung in the second century to festive pop tracks that dropped on Spotify, like, yesterday, music is tied as tightly to the magic and promise of the holidays as a bow on a gift wrapped by a senior North Pole elf.  So, what’s on your wish list this year? 

If it’s some fresh halls to deck in a home that caters so fully to your unique lifestyle and personality that it feels as if the construction crew was acting on the orders of Santa himself, you’ve come to the right place.

At Woodside, we believe homebuying is a journey and a destination. To successfully navigate your way to your best fit new home this holiday season you’ll want a map—take our short, fun home match quiz to get a lay of the land now—as well as an inspiring soundtrack below that will lift your spirits, keep your hopes kindles, and infuse your new homebuying adventure with a “jingle all the way” joy that remind you that, with Woodside by your side, you need not settle for a mere house when searching for a home.   

Upgrading the Manger, A Holiday Homebuying Playlist

1.   John Legend: “You Deserve it All”

   Let's start this playlist off on the right knee-high booted foot with this tone-setting holiday anthem from the "All of Me" singer, one-time People magazine Sexiest Man Alive, and Mr. Chrissy Teigen himself. Much like the legend Legend, we believe “You deserve it all/You know you’ve been good all year,” so “come over here” and let Woodside show you what “having it all” can truly mean in the context of your holiday homebuying experience. (Spoiler alert: It’s “healthy, cleverly designed homes so that you can love where you live.”)

   

2. Kelly Clarkson: “Underneath the Tree”

   This infectious, upbeat instant holiday classic from Kelly Clarkson is a powerful ode to the transformative power of the season which begins with a search for meaning and ends with the singer describing the kind of love and memorable holiday celebrations that make a house truly a home: You're here where you should be/Snow is falling as the carolers sing.” Close your eyes and you’ll see it, too. 

3. Kacey Musgraves: “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”

   One of modern country music’s most celebrated new talents urges us to keep the importance of dreaming big top of mind—like, really, really big—during this time of year. If Kacey can know exactly what she wants (“No crocodiles/No rhinoceroses/I only like hippopotamuses/And hippopotamuses like me, too”) and get it (“Oh, what joy and what surprise/When I open up, my eyes/To see a hippo hero standing there”) then who’s to say you can’t take your dream home from wish to reality this holiday season? (For some concrete tips on how to manifest the perfect abode in 6 simple steps, click here.)

4. Jackson 5: “Up On the Housetop” 

   A reminder from your friends Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael that a solid roof is a holiday essential if you want to make things easy on ol’ Saint Nick–-and a spacious living area with room for family dance parties is, too, if you plan on putting this Jackson 5 boogie-fuel on the home stereo.

5. Taylor Swift: “Christmas Tree Farm”

   Swifties, we got you. As with so many of the songs in her now-vast catalog, Taylor takes things to another level, telling us her heart contains no mere ball of holly or sprig of mistletoe…but an entire Christmas tree farm. Though it may seem as if she’s setting a high bar for herself, the global superstar delivers and then some on this lilting, nostalgic track about creating spaces as warm and welcoming as the Christmas fire she croons about from her youth—that continues to light the path for her heart to this day. 

   
   
   

6. The Carpenters: "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"

   Are you, like Karen Carpenter, “dreaming tonight of a place” you love? It’s no wonder. As the late, great songstress puts it: “Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays/For no matter how far away you roam/When you long for the sunshine of a friendly gaze/For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.” It’s so true—and if you want to shorten your own roam time, our primer on nine steps to your new home can help.

7. Mariah Carey: “All I Want for Christmas is You”

   C’mon. Like the candy canes on the tree or the pair of socks in the stocking, you knew this was coming. What holiday homebuying experience playlist would be complete without it?

8. The Glee Cast: “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah!”

   You want a reminder of the power of perseverance, love, and light? Look no further than this rousing rendition of the Jewish traditional song by the cast of the seminal show that re-imagined “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Dream On,” and even Britney Spears for a whole new generation.

   
   
   

9. Lenoa Lewis: “One More Sleep”

   Good things come to those who wait for good things—especially during the holidays. That’s the lesson of this soulful, expansive anthem from animal advocate and X Factor winner Lenoa Lewis. So, if you’re wondering why the perfect home hasn’t yet materialized in your search; take heart. You may very well be only one more sleep away from exactly what you want. (Consider this a sign to keep those eyes open a few minutes longer and check current Woodside listings.)

10. Peggy Lee: “Happy Holiday”

    Let’s bring a little swing into the mix with this breezy, slinky number from multi-talented Peggy Lee—in addition to her enviable singing career, she voiced Darling, the Siamese cats, and other characters in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp—who prays for us one and all that while “the merry bells keep ringing” may “your every wish come true.” (Need some guidance to help you visualize your home wishes? Visit the Woodside inspiration gallery.)

11. Annie Lennox & Al Green: “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”

    Perhaps best known as the anchor track for the soundtrack of Scrooged—the devilish 80s retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Bill Murray—this duet, which unites two titans of soul and pop, is a revelation all its own with its own refrain, as catchy as it is profound: “You see it's getting late/Oh, please don't hesitate/Put a little love in your heart.”

12. Darlene Love: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

    Let’s end with the greatest track from the greatest holiday album of all time. 

With all due respect to Mrs. Love, however, when you’re ready to “come home” this Christmas, you don’t have to say “please”—just click here and Woodside will be glad to help personalize your new home for the holidays!