Many here may find my tastes strange – but I like Windham Hill collections, A Windham Hill Christmas: I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a good one. The Carols Of Christmas: A Windham Hill Collection is another good one – but it isn’t available for download. Most of the songs are available on other albums. I will probably treat myself to another album this year.

James Taylor at Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas are always among my favorites

1. Vince Guaraldi – A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Chris Rice – Living Room Sessions: Christmas
3. The Carpenters – Christmas Portrait
4. Bing Crosby – White Christmas
5. Andy Williams – Christmas Present
My wife would like to add Johnny Mathis – Merry Christmas.
The Merry Axemas series is interesting at times.
BUT… Sparrow Records’ “Christmas” (1988), while not being comprehensively good, has the MOST AMAZING VERSIONS of the following songs – really, truly, the very BEST:
White Heart – Little Drummer Boy
Margaret Becker – O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Steve Taylor – Winter Wonderland
Enjoy!

These are my two favorite Christmas records:
Shane and Shane – Glory in the Highest
Sufjan Stevens – Songs for Christmas

For the past few years I’ve put on a Christmas concert at my church featuring musicians from the local club scene, many of whom haven’t played in a church before. I consider it a ministry as much to the artists as it is to the audience, and it usually results in some great music being made. I put out a CD this year of recordings from all three years of shows, I’ve been listening to it nonstop for the past week already…three songs are up at the concert’s Myspace profile, http://www.myspace.com/christmasatredbank.

Kevin, what a fantastic missional act of also being ministered to.

For me it’s got to be brass (as a former trombone player I’m a bit biased). A few of my favorites are:
‘Christmas with the London Brass’
‘A Festival of Carols in Brass’ (Philadelphia Brass Ensemble)
‘Christmas with the Symphony Brass of Chicago’
‘Pittsburgh Symphony Brass: The Spirit of Christmas’

In my house, it’s not Christmas unless Mom is playing the soundtrack to “Charlie Brown Christmas” 24/7. Surprisingly it never gets old. Ever!

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio

Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God”

A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Home for Christmas – Amy Grant.
And I agree with Bob #3 – the WhiteHeart version of Drummer Boy is an old favorite!

Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Jingle Bell Rock
Handel’s Messiah

I’ve never had a favorite band before these guys, but their haunting lyrics and moving melodies grabbed me a couple years ago about when they put out “Snow Angels.” Not strictly a mostly Christmas album, but enough so to get the nod from me. There song “Little Town” is deeply moving. There is a lot of stuff on the album that is moving, but much of it is romantic (think maritally related here and you’ll be OK). Some of it bluesy torch music and singing. You might like it, or not. You can see their stuff here: and “Little Town” you can hear here: Or the also not exactly uplifting reminiscence on the distortions of Christmas and need to be loved “All I get for Christmas is Blue” here: Enjoy.

a sufjan Christmas by sufjan stevens. But besides that I don’t really like much christmas music I am affraid. There are some beautiful christmas pieces on Stings new ‘winter CD’ though…

You’ve just reminded me to put the Christmas music back on my ipod.
A Winter’s Night – Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan doing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Avril Lavigne singing O Holy Night make you listen to the music afresh.
Down Home Christmas – guitar, fiddle & mandolin – perfect sipping by the tree album. Everyone loves it.

Harry Connick, Jr. – ‘When My Heart Finds Christmas’ (official start to Christmas season)
Michael W Smith – ‘Christmas’ – ‘Christmastime’ – ‘It’s a Wonderful Christmas’
David Phelps’ rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ is the definitive version of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIdjYQxbTIU

Bruce Cockburn’s “Christmas” album.
Wonderful arrangements of some of the classics as well as some more obscure Christmas carols.
This album holds up all year log.

Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s “The McGarrigle Christmas Hour” is wonderful. But I also want to give a shout out to Hymns from Nineveh – you can hear the latest Christmas EP here: http://www.myspace.com/hymnsfromnineveh.

Welp, I wouldn’t be post-hip and sterotypical missional if I didn’t say Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas stuff. Amazing.
But probably my favorite is Over the Rhine, the Ohio duo who crafts slow-dance folk-blues-americana-jazz standard-ish tones with steady hands and a touch of smoke. All their albums are seriously wonderful (and potentially Merry), but their most recent explicit Christmas album–Snow Angels–is the closest thing I can think of to a perfect winter evening.

Handel’s Messiah. Except, that I often listen to it before Easter. Later, I learned: Easter was Handel’s intent for the Messiah. Serendipity…

peter, paul and mary’s xmas cd, except for that great xmas classic – blowin in the wind. Then the time-life collection, 2 cds, then charlie brown xmas and the messiah.

Cockburn’s Christmas album is a yearly favorite. Sufjan Stevens collection of Christmas albums is charming in its quirky little way. Last week I bought Sting’s Winter album, which as some nice arrangements of traditional pieces. Next week or so, I think I might get Diana Krall’s Christmas CD. And [shameless plug] this year I’ve released my own Christmas album with arrangements of traditional carols, in CD and MP3: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XSTH1A
Oh, I almost forgot, for the past few years I’ve been enjoying Rivertribe’s Christmas album.

Check out Bob Dylan’s new Christmas CD. Much better than I expected. Not hokey. Very tasteful, tradidtional arrangements, but with Dylan’s signature vocal style.

Partial list:
Vince Guaraldi
Johnny Mathis
Nat King Cole “The Christmas Song”
Elvis “If Everyday was like Christmas” (great Elvis Christmas compilation)
Amy Grant “Home for Christmas” (and I’m not normally a fan of Amy’s)
Stevie Wonder “Someday at Christmas”
A little more obscure:
“Midnight Christmas Mess” was a vinyl only release that featured a version of “Angels We Have Heard on High” crossed with Van Morison’s “Gloria” that is a guilty pleasure for me. http://www.myspace.com/midnightchristmas

“Behold the Lamb of God” by Andrew Peterson.

City on a Hill’s “It’s Christmas Time”