Now that it’s finally December, it’s time to fully embrace Christmas songs. (Sure, some may have started long ago, but many like to wait until Thanksgiving is in the rearview.)

There are a surprising number of rock and roll Christmas songs. Many rockin’ holiday tunes tend to be covers, but many artists have tried to pen the next Christmas classic. If they don’t end up classics, they are often at least a lot of fun.

One of those songs is “The Magic of Christmas Day.” The song was written by Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider, but it was made famous when it was recorded by Celine Dion. Snider wrote the song at the request of his wife, Suzette. The song got into the hands of producer Ric Wake, a friend of Snider’s, who thought the song had massive potential.

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Snider said in a Dec. 2020 interview in Ultimate Classic Rock that about five years after writing the song for his wife, he got a fateful call from Wake. The producer let him know that Celine Dion wanted to record the song.

It was perfect timing for Snider. He said was “broke and struggling” at the time he learned the pop icon decided to record his song. Considering Dion’s star power, Snider was thrilled she wanted to record the song at all. His big concern was making sure she didn’t know he was the one to write the song.

“I said, ‘Do not tell her that Satan wrote her Christmas song. Just put it on the f—in’ album,'” said Snider. (Fun fact: Due to the song’s success and the revenue it produced, Snider refers to her as “Saint Celine.”

To help fully get into the holiday spirit, consider adding these 25 songs to your Christmas playlist. They vary in subgenre from hard rock to metal to punk. Enjoy!