Christmas albums you enjoy

What Christmas albums do you regularly enjoy each holiday season?  I am asking here because I don't really care if they are Christian artists or not.

The only 'album' I play is Theocracy's one (which I made myself!)

I don't play Christmas albums with Christmas.
To be very honest, I'm not a fan of Christmas music.

This is one the whole family enjoys:



We  have it on CD (which I bought back in the early 90's I think). A couple of years ago I bought it on record like the one above (green).

When I was a little kid (probably 78 or 79) I had a Christmas album I played over and over. I LOVED it! It was this:



Never knew what happened to it and I always wondered about it. It was a record and I never seemed to be able to find it after I moved out of my parents house (I even looked for it while I was there and couldn't find it). About 3 years ago my wife ordered some random Christmas albums on eBay and this was one of them in mint condition! I was excited! She didn't uderstand why and I told her it was my favorite Christmas album as a kid. So this one gets a lot of play on the record player (in fact it is on my player now ready to play when we listen to music again).

Another one from my childhood that I have never been able to find was an old 8-track of a bell choir. I loved it as a kid too but can't find it anywhere... I don't know the name of it, don't know what label released it and don't know anything about it but I remember the album artwork. I haven't been able to find it anywhere. I have searched high and low for bell choir albums from the 70's but haven't come up with any.... Maybe I'll have to look on discogs and see what I can find.

There are a ton of others that we play, mostly classic stuff. Bing Crosby, Sinatra, etc. We love all kinds of Christmas albums!

One that I like is one by Louis Armstrong and some of his friends.




I also like A Charlie Brown Christmas as well.

A Twisted Christmas--Twisted Sister
We Wish You a Metal Christmas and  Headbanging New Year--VA
Warmer in the Winter--Lindsey Stirling
Excelsis Vol. 1-3--VA (Darkwave/Gothic)
A Brutal Christmas:  The Season in Chaos--VA
Russ Taff Christmas
Amy Grant's Christmas albums

rockerVu2 wrote:

I don't play Christmas albums with Christmas.
To be very honest, I'm not a fan of Christmas music.

Same with me.

My wife was wrapping presents this weekend and she turned on a music station on the television that played nothing but Christmas music.  During the course of the day I heard at least 14 different renditions of the same 20 Christmas songs....a special kind of torture.

Quote :

a special kind of torture.

It's not that bad for me.
But listening over and over again to the same Christmas songs is annyoing.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra:  Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, The Lost Christmas Eve

Gary Hoey:  Ho, Ho Hoey 1 & 2

Merry Axemas:  A Guitar Christmas - It's all instrumental rockin' guitar from the likes of Joe Satriani, Kenny Wayen Shepherd, Brian Setzer, Eric Johnson, Richie Sambora, Alex Lifeson and Joe Perry.

Rock Power Praise:  Volume II:  The Christmas Hymns

Staybrite wrote:

rockerVu2 wrote:

I don't play Christmas albums with Christmas.
To be very honest, I'm not a fan of Christmas music.

Same with me.

My wife was wrapping presents this weekend and she turned on a music station on the television that played nothing but Christmas music.  During the course of the day I heard at least 14 different renditions of the same 20 Christmas songs....a special kind of torture.

Yeah, we have Music Choice and she plays the TV quite a bit. I don't mind it but you would think they could have more variety. Its the same 150 or so songs over and over.

Variety in Christmas music is something that is SERIOUSLY waning.  With that said, even if you write a new song and can get it recorded/mixed/mastered properly, terrestrial and even satellite stations will not put you in rotation.  They'd rather play the same songs over and over by various artists.


Here are several of the Christmas albums I enjoy:

Rock Power Praise 2:  Christmas
We Wish You A Metal Christmas
Christmas With The California Raisins
Twisted Sister - Twisted Christmas
X Christmas
Third Day - Christmas Offerings
Santa Clause 2 soundtrack
Northern Lights Orchestra - Celebrate Christmas
                                        Ring Out The Bells
                                        The Night Before Christmas
                                        The Spirit Of Christmas
Pentatonix - That's Christmas To Me
                  A Pentatonix Christmas
Monster Ballads Christmas
John Schlitt - The Christmas Project
Go Fish - Christmas With A Capital C
Gaither Vocal Band - Still The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Chipmunks - Christmas With The Chipmunks
Biran Setzer Orchestra - Christmas Rocks!
                                   Rockin' Rudolph
Avalon - Joy
Kutless - This Is Christmas

Adding two more:

Apologetix  - Apologetix Classics: Christmas
                   Handheld Messiah

While the tunes of all the songs are familiar as they are parodies, I guarantee that all of these songs are newer Christmas songs that aren't all over the radio.

I know some people don't like it, but I love Theocracy's Night Of Silence.  That has got to be my favourite for the last few years.  I hope they release another this year.

Actually, since I'm on a Slade kick at the moment, I've listened to this a few times!

That's a cool and different Christmas song.  Maybe that is something that we should be discussing is original Christmas songs by various artists that transcend genres.  Hmmmmm.....

One of the few Christmas songs that I really enjoy (a remake of the song originally recorded by Michael English).

Hehe reminds me of a comic I saw:



There are a few Christmas metal albums I enjoy.  I have three Christian Christmas metal compilations that I like, though all of them are very hit-or-miss song-wise.  I find myself skipping quite a few tracks.  Theocracy's Christmas songs are all great and the Christmas EP that Flaskavsae put out is quite good (if you're into lo-fi black metal) though it doesn't sound very "Christmassy" haha.  There are a few really great singles bands have put out over the years, such as by Becoming The Archetype, Blood Thirsty, Warpriest, etc.

EDIT: Royal Anguish did a pretty cool version of Mary Did You Know:

Some of my other favorite "songs" are Bob & Doug McKenzie's 12 Days Of Christmas & Cheech & Chong's "Santa and his old lady". Those aren't really songs but they are funny and I never tire of them.

Also like these rock classics:



And this one was great as well, back when MTV was actually a music channel and played good stuff.

Staybrite wrote:

One of the few Christmas songs that I really enjoy (a remake of the song originally recorded by Michael English).

I don't like his version.  If I want to hear this track, I go to the Gaither Vocal Band so I can hear Mark Lowery, one of the writers, sing it.  He seems to have the most passion when singing it.  Maybe that's because he wrote the lyrics.

MikeInFla wrote:

Some of my other favorite "songs" are Bob & Doug McKenzie's 12 Days Of Christmas & Cheech & Chong's "Santa and his old lady". Those aren't really songs but they are funny and I never tire of them.

Also like these rock classics:



And this one was great as well, back when MTV was actually a music channel and played good stuff.

Now Mike is on to something.  These songs might not have been huge hits, but they are good Christmas songs.  What are others like this?  I don't care if they are country, rock, pop, whatever.  I just want songs that are outside the traditional.

Mike, if you like Bob & Doug Mackenzie, you should also track down the albums by Bob Rivers.  He has done several Christmas albums but you will have to buy used copies of CDs to get them as he doesn't seem to have most of them up for sale anymore.

Rock Power Praise 2: Christmas
Sparrow Records Christmas various artists sampler
Myrrh Records Christmas various artists sampler
Ken Tamplin: Colors of Christmas
Violet Burning Christmas
Russ Taff Christmas
Stryper- Reason for the Season/ Winter Wonderland


I have to admit, I haven't even heard Twisted Sisters Christmas disc yet.

I have the We wish you a MeTaL Chrstmas disc but I don't really care for it.

And for commentary on one of my least favorite traditional Christmas songs....

MikeInFla wrote:

There is another good song I need to track down an MP3 of!