Hip-hop has a solid background when it comes to its connection with Christmas. Besides rappers doing good deeds to help their neighborhoods with donations or splurge on their loved ones for the holiday, the music also isn't forgotten around this time of year.

Throughout hip-hop's history, rappers have contributed to a number of albums and songs with Christmas as the theme. Just last week, Gucci Mane announced on Twitter that fans should expect The Return of East Atlanta Santa on Dec. 16. There's no word yet on whether this project will be a mixtape or an album, but one thing is for certain: Guwop is in the spirit of giving this Christmas. Back in 2014, on Christmas Day, Gucci dropped East Atlanta Santa, the prequel to the aforementioned project.

Also, who can forget about the rap songs that have helped make Christmas a lot more fun. Kanye West's "Christmas in Harlem" featuring CyHi Da Prynce and Teyana Taylor is one of the best Christmas-themed records of all-time and nothing brings more joy into one's heart than Run-DMC's "Christmas in Hollis." There's also Eazy-E's "Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas" and DMX's iconic remix to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." All of these songs prove the depth of hip-hop's history with Christmas.

XXL takes a look back into the history books to pick out the most memorable Christmas-themed projects. Make sure you spin these records when you're roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

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