70s Non-Christmas Holiday Playlist

There’s a stretch of the year when you’re ready for the feeling of the holidays, but you’re not quite ready for Christmas music. The air turns cool, leaves collect in the yard, and you start thinking about Thanksgiving dinners, familiar faces, and the homes where everyone used to gather.

That’s what this playlist is for. Picture yourself on a wraparound porch, tucked into a chair with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, watching the leaves fall. Or take these songs along on a drive through the fall colors. Some capture the changing seasons. Others bring back the warmth of childhood, family, and holidays gone by. A few are bittersweet, because remembering the good times sometimes means missing them, too.

Mostly drawn from the ’70s—with a few earlier favorites and one later exception—these are songs to slow things down and warm your heart before the holiday rush begins.

1. “Vienna” — Billy Joel (1977)
   From The Stranger, this piano ballad offers a comforting reminder that life doesn’t have to be lived in a hurry. Its gentle pace makes it a fitting place to begin: take a breath, settle into your chair, and let the season arrive.
2. “Rainy Days and Mondays” — Carpenters (1971)
   Karen Carpenter’s voice gives this song its mix of sadness and comfort. Written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, it suits a gray afternoon when the house is quiet, the windows are cool, and staying inside sounds pretty good.
3. “Landslide” — Fleetwood Mac (1975)
   Stevie Nicks’ acoustic reflection on change appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album. Fall makes us notice time passing, and this song meets that feeling with tenderness. It belongs on a drive through changing leaves—or an evening spent thinking about how much life has changed.
4. “Fire and Rain” — James Taylor (1970)
   Appearing on Sweet Baby James, this acoustic classic carries grief, struggle, and the need for connection. Its subject is heavier than its soothing sound might suggest, but that honesty belongs here. The approaching holidays can bring back the people we miss as vividly as the people we’ll see.
5. “Time in a Bottle” — Jim Croce (1972; hit single in 1973)
   First released on You Don’t Mess Around with Jim, this delicate ballad captures the wish to hold on to time with someone you love. Few songs fit better with looking through old photographs or remembering a house full of family.
6. “Back Home Again” — John Denver (1974)
   A fire burning, supper cooking, and someone waiting at home: Denver finds warmth in ordinary things. The title track of his 1974 album feels right for Thanksgiving, especially for anyone who remembers traveling familiar roads to a family gathering.
7. “Ring Out, Solstice Bells” — Jethro Tull (1976; album appearance in 1977)
   First released in 1976 and included on Songs from the Wood the following year, this song welcomes the winter solstice with bells, layered voices, and a lively folk-rock sound. It adds a little celebration to the playlist as autumn begins giving way to winter.
8. “Winter Time” — Steve Miller Band (1977)
   This quieter selection from Book of Dreams shows the reflective side of a band better known for its radio rockers. Its spacious sound and wintry mood fit the moment when the last leaves are coming down and you pull the blanket a little closer.
9. “Forever Autumn” — Justin Hayward (1978)
   Hayward’s familiar voice brings warmth to this sweeping song from Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. Falling leaves and approaching cold become the setting for longing and loss. It’s one of the most directly autumnal songs on the list.
10. “Rainy Day Man” — Bonnie Raitt (1974)
    Raitt’s version appears on Streetlights, bringing a soulful touch to a song associated with James Taylor. It’s about needing someone when brighter days disappear—a good companion for wet sidewalks, overcast skies, and a quiet afternoon at home.
11. “Vincent” — Don McLean (1971; single in 1972)
    Often remembered by its opening words, “Starry, starry night,” this portrait of Vincent van Gogh appeared on American Pie. Its delicate guitar and compassionate storytelling invite a few minutes of stillness. Beautiful and deeply sad, it suits the reflective side of the season.
12. “Still Crazy After All These Years” — Paul Simon (1975)
    The title track of Simon’s 1975 album begins with an unexpected encounter with an old lover and unfolds into a reflection on passing time. Holiday gatherings have a way of making the years visible. This song captures that strange feeling of being older while still recognizing the person you used to be.
13. “Doh!” 
14. “Old Tennessee” — Dan Fogelberg (1975)
    From Captured Angel, this gentle acoustic song places longing against a late-autumn landscape. Its changing leaves and approaching winter make it an especially good fit for a drive down a wooded road, with memories keeping you company.
15. “Theme from The Waltons” — Jerry Goldsmith (1972)
    This instrumental can bring back a whole household: family gathered around the television, familiar opening credits, and stories about people finding their way through difficult times together. Goldsmith’s theme accompanied the series that began in 1972, and its warmth belongs comfortably on this list.
16. “Greensleeves” — Vince Guaraldi Trio (recorded in 1965)
    Guaraldi gives this traditional melody a gentle jazz treatment that works beautifully for quiet seasonal listening. The tune is also used for “What Child Is This?,” which helps explain its familiar holiday pull. His recording comes from the 1965 sessions associated with A Charlie Brown Christmas and is available on expanded editions.
17. “Remember (Christmas)” — Harry Nilsson (1972)
    Despite the parenthetical title, this song from Son of Schmilsson centers on memory, dreams, and looking back rather than describing Christmas. Its tender, almost storybook quality fits an evening spent remembering people and places that still feel close, even after many years.
18. “Song for a Winter’s Night” — Gordon Lightfoot (1967; rerecorded in 1975)
    Snow outside, lamplight inside, and the wish that someone you love were beside you. Originally released on The Way I Feel and rerecorded for Gord’s Gold, this is a natural bridge from fall into winter. Lightfoot reportedly wrote it during a July thunderstorm in Cleveland—a surprisingly summery beginning for such a wintry song.
19. “It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It’s Spring)” — Love Unlimited (1973)
    This lush soul recording brings a brighter mood to the colder weather. Written by Barry White and Paul Politi and previously recorded by Felice Taylor, it celebrates the warmth that love can provide regardless of the temperature outside.
20. “Snowfall” — Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra (1941), or Doris Day (1964)
    Thornhill’s dreamy instrumental suggests a world growing quieter beneath falling snow. Doris Day’s vocal recording offers another lovely option, particularly for listeners who remember her voice on family records. Either version makes a gentle transition from autumn leaves to winter windows.
21. “Celebrate Me Home” — Kenny Loggins (1977)
    The title track of Loggins’ first solo album brings the playlist back to its heart: coming home and wanting to belong. It mentions the holidays, but its emotional reach extends to Thanksgiving, reunions, and any gathering where someone is glad you made it back. A fitting closer for a collection built around warmth, memory, and connection.

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