What are your favorite Christmas/holiday albums

[Savonarola]

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.)

[mongers]

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. 

[Grey Fox]

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.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Twisted Sister's Christmas album is something.

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