Driving Home for Christmas
The British Christmas anthem born in London traffic
♫ Lyrics
Oh, I can't wait to see those faces
I'm driving home for Christmas, yeah
Well I'm moving down that line
And it's been so long
But I will be there...
Lyrics excerpt shown. This song is under copyright protection.
❄ The Story
"Driving Home for Christmas" was written by English singer-songwriter Chris Rea and released in 1986. The song was inspired by Rea's real experience of being stuck in traffic on the M25 motorway while driving from London to his family home in Middlesbrough on Christmas Eve. The tedium of the gridlocked journey became the backdrop for a song about anticipation, longing, and the pull of home.
The song initially charted modestly, reaching #53 in the UK in 1988 (it was re-released after the original 1986 release underperformed). But through steady radio play and growing cultural attachment, it became a slow-burning classic. By the 2000s, it was firmly established as the unofficial anthem of the British Christmas commute — the song that plays on the car radio as millions of Britons head home for the holidays.
For many in the UK, hearing "Driving Home for Christmas" on the radio is the moment Christmas truly begins. It captures a specifically British experience — motorway journeys, cold nights, the emotional reunion with family — that makes it feel intimate and personal despite its massive popularity.
🎶 Notable Recordings
The original — now the UK's unofficial Christmas commute anthem
Fun Facts
The song was inspired by a real Christmas Eve traffic jam on the M25 motorway.
It only reached #53 on its initial UK chart run — it became a classic through decades of radio play.
Chris Rea was driving from London to Middlesbrough — a 4+ hour journey.