In the spirit of busting out Christmas decorations the second Halloween ends, we have taken the liberty to share our top 10 Christmas albums to listen to while preparing for the season. Hot chocolate, Christmas lights, watching the snow, ice skating, and much more, who wouldn’t want to start the holiday season early?
“Ella Wishes you a Swinging Christmas” – Ella Fitzgerald
You’ve probably heard at least five songs from this album in every Christmas movie you’ve watched, and for a good reason. Ella Fitzgerald’s hit album encapsulates all of the cozy Christmas music your parents forced you to listen to as a child, but you love it now. With a perfect twist on classic songs like “Sleigh Ride”, “Let it Snow”, and “White Christmas”, how could you not love such a classic album by the iconic Ella Fitzgerald?
“Fleet Foxes” – Fleet Foxes
While not specifically a Christmas album, the winter-y feelings in the album are impeccable. With the original White Winter Hymnal, it’s hard not to include this album on the list. With additions of “Ragged Wood” and “Tiger Mountain Peasant”, the album gives off snow-covered forest energy. The members’ voices blend together in perfect harmony with indie folk music. This album is perfect for listening to while decorating your house for the holidays.
“The Nutcracker” – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
This one is for our dancers. The Nutcracker is a staple in classical music. With the Instantly recognizable dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, as well as other Christmas and winter-themed songs, this album’s variations have been reworked into many elements of pop culture. The songs are repeatedly featured in commercials, movies, and so much more making them easily recognizable tunes even if you have never seen or know anything about the ballet.
“Beach Boys Christmas” – The Beach Boys
What could be more different than the beach, and Christmas? The “Beach Boys Christmas” album ties both together in an upbeat and prime Christmas feeling. They create a whimsical tracklist with layered melodies by taking classics and adding their California surf style. The album also includes 5 original songs that were beloved by fans with the album’s debut.
“Christmas” – Michael Bublé
Who would we be if we didn’t include Micheal Bublé on this list? The king of Christmas music himself made a masterpiece of an album with amazing covers of the most well-known Christmas songs. Not enough can be said about how amazing this album is with “It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas” becoming a popular version from this album. Modern pop takes on classical Christmas? Yes, please!
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee
We picked this album because “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is one of the most classic and memorable Christmas songs of all time. The album feels like watching the snow while you’re drinking hot chocolate- and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want that? The country singer takes a slower and delicate take on classic songs like “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” and “Silver Bells” and uses echoing voices to give an older feeling. This album easily made it to our top 10.
“Merry Christmas” – Bing Crosby
If you remember the scene from home alone while Kevin sings White Christmas, that song is included in this album. This version of “White Christmas” is one of the most famous and well-known, the album is packed with other hits some may not even know Crosby created, like the iconic “It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas”. These holiday classics have made generations anticipate the start of the Christmas holiday season.
“That’s Christmas to me” – Pentatonix
Pentatonix’s a cappella pop became royalty in 2010s music so it was no surprise when their Christmas album became one of the best-selling albums in 2014. Their cover of the “White Winter Hymnal” quickly shot the album into popularity. Their original “That’s Christmas to Me” also gained traction as the only original on the album. The a cappella mixed with body percussion is a favorite childhood memory of many.
“Holiday Collection” – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has been one of the highest-grossing and most popular female singers in multiple different genres since 2006. Naturally, as many artists do, she released her Holiday Collection in 2007 which consists of 4 different classic holiday songs and 2 original songs. Her rendition of “Last Christmas” is a classic that is still played now and tops as one of the better covers of the original Wham! song. It is a sweet and short listen coming in at just under twenty minutes, making it a fantastic album to listen to on the drive to do some much-needed holiday shopping.
“Holiday Wishes” – Idina Menzel
Whether or not you know her name, Idina Menzel’s voice is a recognizable one. Menzel has won multiple Tony awards for her role of Elphaba in the hit Broadway musical “Wicked” as well as a Billboard and American Music Award for her role of Elsa in Frozen. The album is her fourth solo album and first of two Christmas albums. Her version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is a must-play in any binge of Christmas music.
We hope our top 10 makes its way into your holiday playlist. Enjoy the season of snow, and gingerbread, and may all the warm fuzzy feelings of Christmas find their way to you.
Love the classics – Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee. The Fleet Foxes sound like a group I’d like to listen to – thanks for the recommendation. I’m also fond of the Muppets Christmas album. Miss Piggy in “The 12 Days of Christmas” can’t be beat!