What's your favorite Christmas album? Not favorite song, but the one (or more) album that you love to put on every December?

The Chieftains, The Bells of Dublin
Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians, Now Is The Caroling Season
Laurie Lewis And Tom Rozum, Winter's Grace

Low's Christmas

Also, Yo La Tengo's little Xmas EP with the Sun Ra cover, but I can't remember its name.

What's your favorite Christmas album? Not favorite song, but the one (or more) album that you love to put on every December?

For cheesy nostalgia factor it's hard to beat The Harry Simenone Little Drummer Boy with Thurl Ravenscroft's (voice of Tony the Tiger, and also sing's the Grinch's song) basso profundo voice making pronouncements over a 50s easy listening chorale.

Charlie Brown Christmas probably signifies the season to me as much as anything.

Though I do play the Phil Spector xmas album front to back pretty often.

Among more recent offerings I love the Five Chinese Brothers Window Shopping For Christmas, and also Santa's Got a GTO (put together by Rodney Bingenheimer and loaded with fantastic power pop).

I'm also fond of Shorty Rogers West Coast jazz version of the The Swingin' Nutcracker. That one's very cool. I use a lot of snips of this on my Beatnik Exploitation Xmas Mix.

Do compilations count? Rhino's Hipster's Holiday is very fun and listenable. I also like Christmas Time With Eddie G. - a mix of oddments and rockers tied together with an extended bit by Billy West playing all three Stooges in an aborted xmas project.

The Ventures' Christmas album, the Vince Guaraldi, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir doing hymns are always my first go-tos for the holiday season.

Compilations totally count!

My personal favorites are We Three Kings by The Roches (always my first Xmas CD in the player the day after Thanksgiving), Charlie Brown Christmas, and the classic compilation from Time-Life, the one that has everything from the Morman Tabernacle Choir and the Harry Simeon Chorale to Elvis and Dolly Parton. Oh, and of course, John Denver and the Muppets! I also like the first Xmas album from the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the one with "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sung by Setzer and Ann Margret and the Nelson Riddle arrangement of "The Nutcracker Suite."

I've got my own compilation disc with songs from Simon and Garfunkel, Mediaeval Baebes, and Bette Midler.

Nat King Cole's Christmas album.

I also have a great choral album, but I can't remember who the group is right now.

I love acoustic christmas as well-- i think I got it when I was a member of BMG or Columbia House. I am also fond of the Kingston Trio's "Last Month of the Year"-- my mom had it on record, and then I bought the CD.

What's your favorite Christmas album? Not favorite song, but the one (or more) album that you love to put on every December?

Charlie Brown Christmas, for sure.

Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops [link]

The Nutcracker

George Winston- December

The first Very Special Christmas compilation

GRP Christmas Collection V. 1 [link]

A new one to the list, Josh Groban- Noel (Contains the one and only version of "Little Drummer Boy" I can listen to.)

John Denver and the Muppets gets a lot of play at Casa Booth. My Sister is sure to break out Elvis. Mom will hit the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rodgers.

But our historical favorite is John Denver. It's just not the holidays until we hear "Pleeeeeease Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas..."

Susan McKeown & Lindsey Horner, Through the Bitter Frost and Snow. It's a gorgeous, haunting album for the darkest days of the year. Not a party album, but meant for quiet, focused listening, like when you're out for a walk on a cold, snowy evening, and the stars are blazing bright above you, and you can feel the seasons turning around you.

Besides that, I'd say the Peanuts Christmas album, and the first Christmas Revels album.