What are your favorite Christmas/holiday albums

Started by Savonarola, December 21, 2025, 04:27:01 PM

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Savonarola

December 21, 2025, 04:27:01 PM
I find that I burn out on Christmas music quickly and I only put on Christmas albums about two weeks before the holiday.  Even then I only listen sporadically as they tend to have the same songs and just all run together.  The ones that I must hear are:

Ella Fitzgerald:  Ella wishes you a Swinging Christmas - It covers the same ground as most other albums of Christmas standards, but I personally prefer Ella's take on the hits to, say, Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole.

The Staple Singers: The 25th Day of December - Again a lot of standards, but done in a soulful blues/gospel way as only the Staple Singers could.

New York Latvian Concert Choir:  Christmas Joy in Latvia - A collection of Latvian Christmas Cantatas, I think this is great throughout and very different from most other Christmas albums.

The Beach Boys: The Beach Boys' Christmas Album - This is my favorite rock take on Christmas with the Beach Boys' gorgeous harmonies and enough original composition to keep the album fresh.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas - The classic with a mixture of both original composition and Guaraldi's very jazzy take on Christmas standards.

Christopher Hogwood: Handel: Messiah - The first recorded version of the Messiah to be done on period instruments and, in my opinion, the best take on the work.

What are your must hear albums for the holidays? (not necessarily Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza or whatever albums are fine as well.)
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

mongers

#1
December 21, 2025, 07:38:56 PM
Some good choices there Sav.

Though unfortunately, for me anyone of the Xmas classic singles from my childhood will do the trick, so Roy Wood, Slade et eal.  :blush:
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again"

Grey Fox

#2
December 21, 2025, 07:59:32 PM
My English language favorite is Michael Buble's Christmas album.

My favorite favorite is a French Canadian Christmas country album by a singer call Paul Daraîche.
Getting ready to make IEDs against American Occupation Forces.

"But I didn't vote for him"; they cried.

Darth Wagtaros

#3
December 21, 2025, 09:08:27 PM
Twisted Sister's Christmas album is something.

I like Broken Peach's Christmas stuff.  I like BNL's too.

PDH!

Savonarola

#4
Today at 08:13:50 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 21, 2025, 07:59:32 PMMy English language favorite is Michael Buble's Christmas album.

My favorite favorite is a French Canadian Christmas country album by a singer call Paul Daraîche.

I could only find Daraîche's songs as part of a compilation of French Canadian Country Christmas music, but that was interesting.  I didn't realize that French Canadian Country was such a well established genre.  (It makes sense, French Canada had a tradition of folk music, like the United States, so that morphing into country would be logical.)
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Grey Fox

#5
Today at 09:27:36 AM
Quote from: Savonarola on Today at 08:13:50 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 21, 2025, 07:59:32 PMMy English language favorite is Michael Buble's Christmas album.

My favorite favorite is a French Canadian Christmas country album by a singer call Paul Daraîche.

I could only find Daraîche's songs as part of a compilation of French Canadian Country Christmas music, but that was interesting.  I didn't realize that French Canadian Country was such a well established genre.  (It makes sense, French Canada had a tradition of folk music, like the United States, so that morphing into country would be logical.)

It's from 2017.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mwxYt2faIgTrBxXJdqdE5chqyi2-OK4Po&si=oHb3JbkRQbzdW4sJ
Getting ready to make IEDs against American Occupation Forces.

"But I didn't vote for him"; they cried.

Josephus

#6
Today at 10:10:31 AM
Around this time of year I'll play a lot of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They're a prog metal arena rock act that have released several Christmas themed albums and there are several versions of them touring North America in December. The Lost Christmas Eve is one of their best.

Also proggy is Jethro Tull's The Christmas Album.

I also like Jon Anderson's Three Ships
Civis Romanus Sum<br /><br />"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." Jack Layton 1950-2011

The Minsky Moment

#7
Today at 04:24:37 PM
Warren Wolf - Christmas Vibes
Jimmy Smith - Christmas Cookin'
Lou Rawls
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