Heart Xmas

Heart Xmas is a popular online radio station based in London, UK that is part of the Global Radio network​​. The station began as Heart Extra, which was rebranded as Heart Extra Xmas in 2016, a temporary pop-up Christmas music service running during November and December. It has been relaunched annually since then, with the name changing to Heart Xmas in 2020 following the closure of Heart Extra. In recent years, the station has begun its festive programming even earlier, starting in September​​. This station plays festive songs 24/7, with a playlist including popular tracks such as Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’, Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’, Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ and Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’​. Listening to the first Christmas song played on the radio is a significant marker of the festive season for many Heart listeners, second only to putting up and decorating the tree​​.