Top 5: Christmas Albums

I love Christmas music. I hate that it plays nonstop on the radio from Christmas to New Years, but I love Christmas music. Each year we put on our favorite holiday albums and set them to shuffle while we decorate the tree and unpack the stockings. Luckily we still have our 1998 6-CD changer hooked up to our 80s box speakers so we can deck the halls while rocking out. Here are my top 5 holiday albums!


5. The Gift by Colin Raye 

We've had this CD since 1996 and still listen to it every single year. I've even uploaded it to my iTunes so I can continue to listen to it. It's not all that special, just a country singer covering classic Christmas carols and a lovely duet with his young daughter. But my mom and sister and I loved Collin Raye back when I still listened to country, so the memories are nice.






4. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Elmo & Patsy

Most of this album is corny and Elmo is a rather terrible singer, so you're probably wondering why this is included on the list. It is included because it includes my favorite adorable and random holiday song: Percy, the Puny Poinsettia. It's about a sad poinsettia who gets left on the shelf when all the others get bought and taken home. But then a cute little girl comes in and feels sorry for him and takes him home so they can have a happy holiday together. Adorable! My favorite lyric: "even a plant with no uncle or aunt shouldn't spend Christmas day by himself".



3. A Very Special Christmas

You've got to love a compilation of traditional and unique Christmas songs by a big variety of modern artists. Volume 3 includes songs by Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt, Johnny Lang and Hootie and the Blowfish. They sing everything from Ave Maria to Blue Christmas to Silent Night in some language only Enya can sing and get away with it. It's a lot of fun for the holidays.






2. Home for Christmas by *NSYNC

You might remember this from my Top 5 Guilty Pleasures list. it may be the most 90s thing you've ever seen (blond was not Justin Timberlake's best look) but the songs are really great.  How can you not enjoy an a capella version of O Holy Night? Confession: I have one of the songs from this album as my ringtone right now. Don't judge me, you know you want this album. It's only $5 to download on Amazon.





1. A Christmas Together by John Denver & The Muppets

This is my all-time, hands-down, favorite Christmas album ever created. My mom has the vinyl from when it came out in 1979 and we listened to it almost every year when I was a little kid (yes, we had a turntable when it wasn't cool). Tracks include "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with John and Rowlf the Dog, "Little Saint Nick" by Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem (featuring Animal, of course), and my favorite, "12 Days of Christmas" featuring all of the Muppets - my favorite being the line sung by Beaker! If you've never heard this you really need to. It's awesome.