Driving Home for Christmas

"Driving Home for Christmas"
"Driving Home for Christmas"
Single by Chris Rea
from the album New Light Through Old Windows
Released	10 December 1988
Recorded	1986 (original version); 1988 (re-recorded)
Genre	Pop rock, Christmas
Length	4:33
Label	Magnet
Songwriter(s)	Chris Rea
Producer(s)	Chris Rea, Stuart Eales
Chris Rea singles chronology
Music video
	"Driving Home For Christmas (2009 video in aid of Shelter)" on YouTube

"Driving Home for Christmas" is a 1988 Christmas song by English singer Chris Rea. It was taken from his compilation album New Light Through Old Windows. It had modest chart placings until 2007 when it placed at #33 and reached its new peak of #10 in 2022. It has been covered by many artists since then.

Track listings

Driving Home for Christmas (The Christmas EP): 7 inch, 1988
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Driving Home for Christmas"	4:33
2.	"Footsteps in the Snow"
3.	"Joys of Christmas"
4.	"Smile" (produced by Dave Richards^[1]^[2])

CD single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Driving Home for Christmas"	4:33
2.	"Hello Friend" (re-record)	4:21

Charts

Chart (1986–2025)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[3]	26
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[4]	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[5]	14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[6]	46
Denmark (Tracklisten)^[7]	4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[8]	17
Germany (Official German Charts)^[9]	3
Global 200 (Billboard)^[10]	27
Ireland (IRMA)^[11]	11
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[12]	18
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[13]	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[14]	22
Norway (VG-lista)^[15]	2
Portugal (AFP)^[16]	48
Scotland (OCC)^[17]	37
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[18]	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[19]	10
UK Singles (OCC)^[20]	10

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[21]	3× Platinum	180,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[22]	Gold	15,000
Portugal (AFP)^[23]	Gold	20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[24]	4× Platinum	2,400,000
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

↑ "Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas (The Christmas EP)". Discogs.
↑ Forums, BuzzJack Entertainment. "Music forums focusing on chart music with chart and entertainment discussion". www.buzzjack.com.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Tracklisten. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
↑ "Chris Rea: Driving Home For Christmas" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
↑ "Chris Rea Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
↑ "Chris Rea Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". VG-lista. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
↑ "Danish single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". IFPI Danmark.
↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". Recorded Music NZ.^{[dead link]}
↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.
↑ "British single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". British Phonographic Industry.

This short article about music can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.

[auto-1] "Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas (The Christmas EP)". Discogs.

[2] Forums, BuzzJack Entertainment. "Music forums focusing on chart music with chart and entertainment discussion". www.buzzjack.com.

[sc_Australia_Chris_Rea-3] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 December 2025.

[sc_Austria_Chris_Rea-4] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 January 2020.

[sc_Flanders_Chris_Rea-5] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 January 2024.

[sc_Wallonia_Chris_Rea-6] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 December 2023.

[sc_Denmark_Chris_Rea-7] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Tracklisten. Retrieved 6 December 2025.

[sc_Finland_Chris_Rea-8] "Chris Rea: Driving Home For Christmas" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[sc_Germany_Chris_Rea-9] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

[sc_Billboardglobal200_Chris_Rea-10] "Chris Rea Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2020.

[sc_Ireland4_-11] "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

[sc_Billboardjapanhot100_Chris_Rea-12] "Chris Rea Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[sc_Dutch100_Chris_Rea-13] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 December 2019.

[sc_New_Zealand_Chris_Rea-14] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 December 2025.

[sc_Norway_Chris_Rea-15] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". VG-lista. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[sc_Portugal_Chris_Rea-16] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 21 January 2021.

[sc_Scotland_-17] "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[sc_Sweden_Chris_Rea-18] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[sc_Switzerland_Chris_Rea-19] "Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

[SingleUKStacey-20] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

[DenmarkChris_ReaDriving_Home_for_ChristmassingleCertRef-21] "Danish single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". IFPI Danmark.

[New_ZealandChris_ReaDriving_Home_for_ChristmassingleCertRef-22] "New Zealand single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". Recorded Music NZ.^{[dead link]}

[PortugalChris_ReaDriving_Home_for_ChristmassingleCertRef-23] "Portuguese single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.

[United_KingdomChris_ReaDriving_Home_for_ChristmassingleCertRef-24] "British single certifications – Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas". British Phonographic Industry.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

v t e Chris Rea
Studio releases	Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? Deltics Tennis Chris Rea Water Sign Wired to the Moon Shamrock Diaries On the Beach Dancing with Strangers The Road to Hell Auberge God's Great Banana Skin Espresso Logic The Blue Cafe The Road to Hell: Part 2 King of the Beach Dancing Down the Stony Road / Stony Road Hofner Blue Notes The Blue Jukebox Blue Guitars The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes Santo Spirito Blues Road Songs for Lovers One Fine Day
Compilation releases	New Light Through Old Windows The Best of Chris Rea The Very Best of Chris Rea Heartbeats The Ultimate Collection Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea The Journey 1978-2009
Singles	"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" "Loving You" "Let It Loose" "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" "I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It" "Bombollini" "Ace of Hearts" "Stainsby Girls" "Josephine" "It's All Gone" "On the Beach" "Hello Friend" "Let's Dance" "Loving You Again" "Joys of Christmas" "Driving Home for Christmas" "Working on It" "The Road to Hell" "That's What They Always Say" "Tell Me There's a Heaven" "Texas" "Auberge" "Heaven" "Looking for the Summer" "Winter Song" "Nothing to Fear" "God's Great Banana Skin" "Soft Top, Hard Shoulder" "Julia" "'Disco' La Passione"
Related articles	Discography La Passione