Favorite Christmas Music

Like most families, when we put up Christmas decorations we have a few traditions. We put several different trees up (this year there is nine) that contain different collections and themes. Some are cute, some are cheesy. We put cherished knickknacks out, ornaments and treasures that we love and remind us of happy Christmas moments.

My husband and I actually have a lot of fun putting up decorations. And even though there is a lot of swearing (his, not mine) and off-tune warbling (mine, not his), we always stand back at the end of the day and smile. One of the things we look forward to is dragging out our favorite Christmas music. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for Christmas tunes. Here are some CDs I love:

Crooner’s Christmas – Crooner’s rule! I love this CD, and listened to it about five times before I realized that Clay Aiken was even on it. Clay Aiken? What the deuce is he doing on a crooner album? Still, he does a great job, so I can’t complain. My favorite tune on here just might be Bing Crosby’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” because you just never hear this one as much anymore, and the words are really lovely.
Let It Snow – Speaking of crooners, Michael Buble is another favorite that makes hisself a darn good album. This one has all the classics, and is really great to have on in the background while you’re trimming the tree.
American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics – This is a fun little CD, and has Kelly Clarkson banging out “O Holy Night,” which is pretty awesome.
Vanessa William’s Christmas CD – I saw Vanessa Williams sing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from this CD on the Tonight Show once, and went out and bought this sucker right away. LOL! I know, who does that? But I love the song and she does it really well.
Barenaked for the Holidays – This one is so fun, you just have to get it. It’s everything you’d expect from the Barenaked Ladies. Besides that, their duet with Sarah McLachlan on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings” is the best ever.
Elivs Presley’s Christmas Album – There are a lot of great songs on here. Elvis singing “I Believe,” and “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” are so beautiful, and then there are the fun songs like “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)” and “Santa Claus Is Back In Town.” I like that there is a mix of gospel and pop on here.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker – This is one of my overall favorites. I actually play this one a lot during the holidays, I love the music from this ballet.
Charlie Brown Christmas (Dig) – Another big-time favorite! Who doesn’t love the Peanuts, anyways, but the music is sad and nostalgic, and I love it during the holidays.