Favorite Christmas Album?

[Craig]

What is your favorite Christmas Album ever recorded?

[Craig]

I always struggle with this because I have 2 albums that I absolutely love and can never really decide which I like the best between the 2. Both are fairly recent albums. The first is Christmas Eve and Other Stories by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the other is City On A Hill - It's Christmas Time. I could listen to either all day, every day of the year, and never grow tired of hearing them.

[tobymacfan]

I have a lot of favorite Christmas albums which include Peace On Earth by Casting Crowns, The Dawn Of Grace by Sixpence None The Richer, This Christmas by tobyMac, and many more

[Steven S. Billings]

For me it's the Stan Kenton "Merry Christmas" album, which I found on CD a few years ago. It was recorded back in the 50s - classic carols set to the Stan Kenton Big Band (Jazz). And it's not just the "secular" stuff.

Recently, Ron Dante (of Archies fame) recorded a new Archies Christmas album, featuring Christian artist Kelly-Lynn. Not bad, if you liked the Archies. Ron's amazing voice is on lead on only a few tracks, but the most disappointing thing to me is that there are no religious songs on the project.

Even Barbra Streisand had Christian songs on her classic Christmas album, and she Jewish!

[RockitD]

Kirk Franklin & the FamilyChristmas

Christmas- Various Sparrow Artists - Steve Taylor's mariachi "Winter Wonderland" is a classic, Deniece William's "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and BeBe & CeCe's "Silent Night" are absolutely funky, White Heart's "Little Drummer Boy" rocks, and Margaret Becker's "O Come Emmanuel" is hauntingly beautiful!

Merry Christmas- Mariah Carey and Nat King Cole are my secular favs.

He Came- Martha Munizzi

First Christmas- BeBe & CeCe

Christmas Prayer- BeBe Winans

and Israel & New Breed's seasonal piece.

I plan on picking up Mandisa's. "Christmas Makes Me Cry" with Matthew West is beautiful.

[tobymacfan]

I also wanted to add the Christmas albums from Michael W Smith would be included in my favorite Christmas albums along with the Christmas albums from Steven Curtis Chapman. X Christmas and It's Christmas by Mandisa will be included in my favorite Christmas albums as soon as I listen to both of them. I also love the WOW Christmas albums as they are great collection of Christmas songs from Christian artists.

[Craig]

I think if you look in my blog archives you'll find my Top 10 Christmas Albums from last December. Maybe I'll dig it out and repost it here.

[tobymacfan]

X Christmas and It's Christmas by Mandisa are now in my favorite Christmas albums. Check out reviews for both of those albums in my blog.

[Rachel]

Relient K "Let It Snow Baby... Let It Reindeer"

I don't have X Christmas yet, but I'm sure it'll be one of my favorites when I get it, too.

I really like Chris Rice's "The Living Room Sessions: Christmas", both to listen to and to play on the piano. (I have the songbook.)

[tobymacfan]

Rachel said:

Relient K "Let It Snow Baby... Let It Reindeer"

I don't have X Christmas yet, but I'm sure it'll be one of my favorites when I get it, too.

I really like Chris Rice's "The Living Room Sessions: Christmas", both to listen to and to play on the piano. (I have the songbook.)

I hope you get X Christmas some time soon. Also check out It's Christmas by Mandisa as it is another great Christmas album like X Christmas is.

[Jimbo]

probably Amy's first one then mariah carey's believe it or not!

[Jimbo]

Just visited your site..great stuff Keith...love seeing you play on youtube!
Keith Andrew Grim said:

OK, to be selfish, the one I recorded two years ago is my favorite!

You can check it out at http://www.christmascelebrationcd.com

OK, enough of a shameless plug for my album.

To me there are 4 albums that stand out. The first 3 were put out by the Goodyear tire company in the mid 1960's. They were classic Christmas songs sung by some of the best known artists of the time. We listened to these all the time when I was a kid.

I still have these albums on records and we listen to them a lot during the Christmas season. Yes, I still have a record player! (and a cassette player too!)

The next album that stands out to me is the Majesty and Wonder album by Phil Keaggy. This is probably my all time favorite Christmas album.

I also really like Six String Noel and Highlights from Messiah by classical guitarist Gary Lowry.

I like Amy Grant, Sandy Patty, and Michael W. Smith's albums also.

In general I like the classic carols done in an old fashioned way. So other people who stand out to me during Christmas are guys like Andy Williams, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, and finally Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme! (How about some of these names from the past?!!?)

I also like to listen to a lot of different guitar Christmas music to try and get ideas for new arrangements for the music I play.

We have a lot of Christmas music at my house and we try to listen to it all each year!

[Steven S. Billings]

I have to add The Carpenters Christmas Portrait to my list of favorites. Also The Cathedral Quartet Christmas A Capella and Christmas with Chet Atkins.