Top 10 Christmas Albums

I'm a music aficionado. I like to listen to many different types of music (however, I'm still not into Rap) and I enjoy Christmas music; be it traditional Christian hymns, modern remakes of the classics, or contemporary "hits." Each year various artists put out their Christmas or 'Holiday' albums (I'm not sure they're marketing Festivus albums yet) for consumers. Sometimes these holiday albums become classics. One of the all time-sellers is "Elvis' Christmas Album" which of course includes "Blue Christmas". I've decided to post my top ten Christmas Albums (which I naturally believe are already or will become classics!). Here they are:

1. The Sinatra Christmas Album. See my earlier post on Ole Blue Eyes.
2. Elvis' Christmas Album.
3. The Ventures' Christmas Album. Killer "surf" guitar instrumentals.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi.
5. Dig That Crazy Christmas by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Brian Setzer was the front man for the 80's band, The Stray Cats. The best song on the album is "Angles We Have Heard on High."
6. Christmas Caravan by Squirrel Nut Zippers.
7. Ultra-Lounge Presents Best of Christmas Cocktails. This is a compilation of Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails, Parts 1 and 2. Various artists (Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton, Lena Horne, et al.) sing Check out the entire Ultra-Lounge collection here.
8. WOW Christmas: 30 Top Christian Artists and Holiday Songs. The best songs are "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" performed by Jars of Clay and "Do You Hear What I Hear? performed by
Third Day.
9. Happy Holidays (A Very Special Christmas Album) by Billy Idol. Yes, the Billy Idol of the 80's who scored such hits as "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," and 'Dancing With Myself."
10. Twisted Sister's Twisted Christmas. I admit, I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't like this particular "big hair" band back in the 80s and was sure I still wouldn't. However, one of my Warrant Officers brought this album into work to get the "young 'ens" into the Christmas spirit. We listened to the album for a good portion of the day as we worked. Needless to say, it was a hit. I liked the tunes; they were well done and fun. My favorites were "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas). Am I now a Twisted Sister fan? Not really. But I do dig the album.

Enjoy!