[2026] Recommended for your 40s! A roundup of perfect karaoke songs for Christmas

Merry X’mas of Love and CourageDaiji MAN Burazāzu Bando

Merry X’mas of Love and Courage

Released in November 1992 as the Daiji MAN Brothers Band’s sixth single, this song was featured as the ending theme for the TV Asahi program “Kimi to I-tsu-ma-de-mo” and used in a FamilyMart commercial.

While sprinkled with Christmas motifs, its lyrics—expressing gratitude and a forward-looking resolve to “stand up again from today, despite everything that’s happened”—resonate deeply with the feelings of adults at a turning point in life, rather than merely capturing a seasonal party mood.

With an upbeat groove reminiscent of WHAM!’s “Last Christmas” and the band’s characteristically emotive melody blending perfectly, it’s a Christmas number that’s easy to sing at karaoke.

An ideal song for sharing the warm feelings of year’s end while reminiscing about the days of youth.

Merry-Go-Round in DecemberTeraoka Yohito

Yohito Teraoka - December’s Merry-Go-Round

Yohito Teraoka, who began his career as the former bassist of JUN SKY WALKER(S).

His fourth single, released in November 1995, is a notable track with lyrics by Kanako Nakayama of Princess Princess and music co-composed with Kazutoshi Sakurai of Mr.Children.

Set beneath the Christmas city illuminations, it portrays a poignant scene in which memories of a past love begin to swirl, resulting in a sweet, nostalgic ballad.

The production story is also memorable: Teraoka and Sakurai alternated in crafting the melody at Teraoka’s home.

It’s a perfect karaoke choice for those moments when the glamour of Christmas leaves you feeling a little bittersweet.

I LOVE YOUTokunaga Hideaki

HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA – I LOVE YOU

Among the songs by Hideaki Tokunaga, a singer-songwriter emblematic of the ’90s, this track is known for its crystal-clear balladry.

Released in November 1992, it peaked at No.

7 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and sold over 310,000 copies.

With a simple yet moving melody and Tokunaga’s smooth, soaring high notes, it’s a memorable piece that conveys a warm feeling perfect for the winter season.

It’s also a karaoke favorite: while its straightforward ballad structure makes it easy to sing, it’s a masterpiece that tests the singer’s expressiveness.

It’s a song not only for those who listened in real time, but one that fans of the golden era of ’90s J-pop should definitely try singing.

Christmas BellYanagihara Yoichiro

Yoichiro Yanagihara – Christmas Bell / I Am a Musician

This is a single released in November 1995, when Yoichiro Yanagihara was still a member of the band Tama and was credited as Youichiro Yanagihara.

Unlike the usual bright, festive Christmas standards, it tackles a shocking theme: a man whose dreams have failed deciding to take his own life on Christmas Eve.

Yanagihara himself has described it as “the darkest Christmas song in the world.” Even so, its somber subject matter is wrapped in Yanagihara’s characteristically humorous, matter-of-fact storytelling and an arrangement by Moonriders’ Ryomei Shirai that carries a touch of brightness, achieving a delicate balance that contains pathos without becoming oppressively heavy.

Among fans, it’s highly regarded as an “outlier Christmas song,” and for the generation that spent their youth during J-pop’s golden era, singing this sardonic Christmas tune at karaoke might just convey a distinctly adult sense of composure.

I can’t wait until ChristmasWatanabe Misato

I can’t wait until Christmas

The single released by Misato Watanabe in November 1991 is a song that was re-edited into the “Snowman Version” from the album Lucky and used in a Meiji Life Insurance commercial.

Its vivid imagery beautifully builds anticipation for Christmas against a vast snowy landscape, and the saxophone, which shines from the middle to the outro, leaves a strong impression.

The arrangement blends refreshing guitar tones with rock’s power, carrying a surf music–like lightness that sets winter romance aflutter.

Peaking at No.

12 on the Oricon Singles Chart, this track evokes the buoyant Christmas spirit of the bubble era and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at karaoke.

I can’t say “Merry Christmas.”Inagaki Junichi

Junichi Inagaki – Can’t Say Merry Christmas ~ Church ver. (Official Music Video)

This is the 20th single by Junichi Inagaki, who has long been active as an urban-style singer, released in November 1990.

Chosen as the commercial song for Sanki’s “Boutique JOY,” it’s a winter staple marked by sophisticated arrangements and poignant lyrics.

Interweaving imagery like a velvet sky and foghorns sounding from the harbor, it delicately portrays the regret and loneliness of being unable to express one’s feelings to someone important.

This ballad, themed around a heart that can’t be honest, is full of mature mood with elements of AOR and city pop.

It’s a recommended number for those whose hearts ache with Christmas memories or when you want to sing in a mellow, intimate atmosphere.

Devil’s Merry ChristmasSeikima II

Devil’s Merry Christmas

The heavy metal band Seikima-II, which took the world by storm with its unique worldview, released a single in 1996 that stands out as an unconventional piece, sharply depicting the reality lurking behind the glitz of Christmas.

While it opens with scenes of a holy night wrapped in eerie brilliance, the lyrics also confront the darker sides of society, such as war and poverty, serving as a powerful counterpoint to the festive season.

It’s also memorable that the song was originally produced to run over seven minutes, but the second verse was entirely cut on the grounds that it was too long for a single, with the full version later released in subsequent years.

Combining metal-style intensity with melodic, kayōkyoku-inspired sensibilities, the sound is guaranteed to get a crowd going at karaoke.

It’s a bracing Seikima-II number that’s especially recommended for those tired of the usual Christmas standards.