Legendary crooner Bing Crosby has delivered a historic holiday milestone nearly five decades after his death. His collection Ultimate Christmas has reached No. 1 on Billboard Top Streaming Albums for the first time, rising from No. 3 to No. 1 on the Jan. 3, 2026–dated chart.
Christmas Week Streams Drive Historic Rise
The chart reflects the tracking week ending Dec. 25, 2025—Christmas Day—when seasonal listening traditionally peaks. The achievement marks Crosby’s first No. 1 on the two-year-old Top Streaming Albums ranking, underscoring the enduring popularity of classic holiday music in the streaming era.
According to Luminate, Ultimate Christmas earned 106,000 streaming equivalent album (SEA) units in the United States during the week. That total equals 140.71 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs, making it the biggest streaming week ever for any holiday album.
Record-Breaking Numbers for a Holiday Classic
The new peak surpasses Crosby’s own previous record. Earlier this year, Ultimate Christmas logged 125.77 million streams during the Jan. 4, 2025 chart week, which had already been the largest streaming week for both a Crosby album and a holiday release. The album’s sustained growth highlights how evergreen Christmas standards continue to dominate digital platforms every December, often outperforming contemporary releases.
Timeless Songs Power the Album’s Success
Ultimate Christmas is packed with iconic recordings that remain central to holiday playlists. The collection includes classics such as “White Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Mele Kalikimaka.”
“White Christmas,” originally recorded in 1942, remains one of the best-selling singles of all time and continues to anchor Crosby’s streaming resurgence each holiday season.
Strong Performance Across Multiple Billboard Charts
In addition to its streaming milestone, Ultimate Christmas also hits No. 1 on Billboard Catalog Albums for the first time, marking Crosby’s debut atop that 34-year-old ranking. The album also climbs to a new peak of No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200, surpassing its previous high of No. 3. The set further returns to No. 1 on Top Holiday Albums for a second non-consecutive week, reinforcing its dominance across Billboard’s seasonal charts.
How the Streaming Chart Works
The Top Streaming Albums chart ranks the 50 most-streamed albums in the U.S. each week. Rankings are based on SEA units, where one unit equals 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand audio or video streams of songs from an album. If a song appears on multiple albums by the same artist, its streams are typically assigned to the album with the strongest traditional sales that week.
A Lasting Holiday Legacy
Crosby, who died in 1977, continues to define the sound of Christmas for new generations. His dominance on modern streaming charts highlights how classic recordings can thrive decades after their release, especially during culturally significant moments like the holidays. As the 2025 festive season closes, Ultimate Christmas stands as both a nostalgic favorite and a streaming-era powerhouse.
