Reddit mentions: The best christmas music

If they love classical music, Handel's Messiah and Bach's Christmas Oratorio are great. The Messiah is a LOT more famous and easily recognizable, so if they don't know too much about classical music it might be a safer bet than the Bach.

A strange and little known personal favorite of mine is Sneak's Noyse: Christmas Now Is Drawing Near. It is a collection of OLD (medieval and renaissance) English folk carols done with period instruments and singing style.

If they like jazz, and if you can find it, they might like one of the Swingle Singers holiday albums. I grew up with these, they are great fun to listen to. Also, no holiday is complete without Vince Guaruldi Trio: Charlie Brown Christmas. So, so good!

Another strange and wonderful album I grew up with is Pete Seeger's Christmas album. You have to love the banjo for this one, though!

Hopefully some of these will make your parents happy :-) Good luck, and I bet I can come up with more if you like!

EDIT: we also have some great scattered tracks of various big band artists doing Christmas stuff, but it looks like most of it is out of print. If your folks like big band jazz, you might try looking for tracks from this album, or just hunt around for tracks by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, etc.

(BTW -- Sorry about the Amazon links! Not sure where you get your music, they're just so you can see the album covers.)

The one complaint I have about this is that many of these pieces deserve to be listened to in their entirety. I don't generally like Germanic operas - and listening to the entire Ring Series from Wagner would take something like 9 hours - and even then there are relatively few songs that stand out to me. With that in mind, I'd like to first thank you for putting this up and add just a bit to what you've already listed. I've tried to find some of the best recordings I can, which are often very cheap from Amazon if you buy them used.

Carmen is one of the very best operas, but that's for another discussion. You really can't go wrong with anything from Bizet.

Also Sprach Zarathustria is an entire work. The piece most commonly known from 2001: A Space Odyssey is merely the first piece.

Carmina Burana most certainly belongs in this list, as its signature piece (O Fortuna) is frequently used for a cheap dramatic effect.

I am fairly certain the band name "Modest Mouse" is a direct reference to a classical composer, Modest Moussorgsky.

Numbers listed refer to the track number in the listed album.

Album/Work|Composer|Notable examples

----|:----|:----
Peer Gynt Suite | Edvard Grieg | 1 - Morning Mood, 4 - In the Hall of the Mountain King
The Nutcracker | Tchaikovsky | 3 - March, 19 - Waltz of the Flowers, 22 - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Carmen / L'Arlésienne Suites | Georges Bizet | 1 - Les Toréadors, 2-3 - Prelude / Aragonaise, Habanera
Also Sprach Zarathustria, bonus: The Planets | Richard Stauss, bonus: Holst | 1 - Einleitung or Sonnenaufgang (prelude or sunrise), 10 - Mars, the Bringer of War, 12 - Mercury, the Winged Messenger
Carmina Burana | Carl Orff | 1 & 25 - O Fortuna, 6 - Tanz, 15 - Amor Volat Undique
Pictures at an Exhibition / Night on Bald Mountain | Modest Moussorgsky | 12 - The Great Gate of Kiev, 16 - Night on Bald Mountain (Fantasia version)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Greatest Hits | Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov | 1 - Flight of the Bumblebee, 10 - Procession of the Nobles, 6 - Fandago Asturiano

I love Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas and Louis Armstrong & Friends' "What A Wonderful Christmas" album, which has his wonderful, happy-making "Christmas In New Orleans" on it. ETA: Also, if you like New Orleans style jazz, I recommend Irvin Mayfield's new Christmas album, which is pretty great.

This is going to sound funny, but here goes...

Jingle Bells - Diana Krall Album

The mastering on this album is fantastic, and I would say that every track is a great reference track. The brass and bass line, coupled with Diana's delivery are absolutely outstanding. No joke, this is my year-round reference.

A few to consider, some more affordable than others:

• Complete Webern
  
• Complete Varese
  
• The DG Complete Beethoven Edition (if you can find it anywhere)
  
• The Philips Complete Mozart Edition (if you can find it anywhere)
  
• Steve Reich
  
• Philip Glass
  
• Handel - Orchestral Works
  
• Bach - Orchestral Works
  
• Ravel - Complete Edition
  
• Debussy - Complete Edition
  
• Shostakovich Edition (one of the few Brilliant Classics box sets I can wholeheartedly recommend, unlike many of the others which can be a bit patchy)
  
• Strauss - Complete operas
  
• Wagner - Complete operas (Solti)
  
• Boulez - Bartok
  
• Boulez conducts Schoenberg (far from complete, but this about the best you can do)
  
• Boulez - Stravinsky
  
• Various Bach choral stuff - Gardiner
  
• Stravinsky
  
• Alban Berg Collection
  
• Berlioz - Complete orchestral works (Davis)
  
• Brahms - Complete Edition (absolutely superb collection)
  
• Britten conducts Britten + operas 1 and operas 2 + Complete Britten
  
• Sibelius - Symphonies and tone poems
  
• Elgar - Collector's Edition
  
• Vaughan Williams - Collector's Edition
  
• Barber - orchestral works (Alsop)
  
• Scriabin - Piano works
  
• C.P.E. Bach Edition
  
• Corelli - Complete Works
  
• Telemann - Tafelmusik
  
• Schubert - Masterworks (Brilliant Classics - not always the best recordings, but for the amount of stuff you get, worth the money
  
• Poulenc - complete works
  
• Messiaen - complete edition
  
• Mahler - complete edition (the symphony recordings here are a representative cross-section, you might want to supplement it with another complete cycle, e.g. Solti, Bernstein, Abbado, etc.)
  
• Liszt - Complete piano music
  
• Janacek - Operas
  
• Haydn - Symphonies (Hogwood), not complete, but as close as anyone has come to it
  
• Mozart - Symphonies (Pinnock) - an alternative to Mackerras
  
• Bartok - Piano works
  
• Debussy - Piano works
  
  If you need anything more specific than that, let me know and I'll try to recommend something.
  
  If you have a look in the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section for any of these, you'll find many more.

I just spent all last week compiling about 24 hours worth of Christmas tunes! My favorite albums are:

• A John Waters Christmas
  
  
• Cool Christmas Blues - Charles Brown
  
  
• James Brown's Funky Christmas
  
  
• The Ventures' Christmas Album
  
  
• Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
  
  
• Reggae Christmas From Studio One
  
  And personal favorite songs are:
  
  
• Donde Esta Santa Claus - Augie Rios
  
  
• The Man With the Bag - Kay Starr
  
  
• Marshmallow World - Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra
  
  
• I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Mildred Bailey
  
  
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - She & Him

A lot depends on what she already has/doesn't have in her Peanuts collection but I think:

This is a beautiful book for the ultimate Peanuts fan. This book is also a nice gem for collectors

And of course A Charlie Brown Christmas is always a nice stocking stuffer

And if she hasn't seen it yet, take her out to see the new Peanuts movie!

Oh, my Happy Bunny friend. It's ok that we have some difference.

Truth be told, there is one Christmas CD that I do actually love because it reminds me of childhood. It's this one. I will listen to it during the holidays, even though we never put a tree up or anything. Usually while drinking home made (brandy) egg (brandy) nog. It has some brandy in it.

Thank you, dude! I'll have to torrent most of these and keep them handy for the season; Kings College Cambridge and Charlie Brown, especially! I would also love to get the Charlie Brown (Vince Guaraldi) tracks on vinyl, turn off the lights and computer, and sit back with some hot chocolate or apple cider! When celebrating Christmas, you have to keep it old school!

EDIT: Look what I found! https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Green-Vinyl/dp/B002Y1OAJU

Fave Albums

• Jingle Bell Swing - Various Artists
  
  
• Lou Rawls - Merry Christmas Baby
  
  
• A Very Special Christmas - Various Artists
  
  
• Joy to The World - John Williams and the Boston Pops Robin Williams narrates The Night Before Christmas on this album
  
  
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
  
  
• Diana Kralls - Christmas Songs
  
• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
  
  
• The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas - Various Artists
  
  
• ChristmasTIME - Swingle Singers
  
  
• Handel's Messiah - A Soulful Celebration
  
  
• Afroman - A Colt 45 Christmas

My personal favorites:

X-M@$ - Corey Taylor

Oh Holy Night - Halford This is just one, but the entire album Winter Songs by Halford is just all, well, winter and Christmas songs sung by Rob Halford. Can't beat the Metal God!

Also, I recommend We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year. It has the aforementioned Alice Cooper song, plus ones with Dio and Lemmy and the like.

Well you've already got my favourite one :P but for the sake of variety, try some of these (not all of them are ALL jazz, but I would say they're all 'jazzy'):

Baby it's Cold Outside

Boogie Woogie Christmas

Christmas with the Rat Pack

Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas

A Jazz Christmas

Jazz for Joy: A Verve Christmas Album

Jazz to the World: A Christmas Collection

Merry Mixmas (one of my other favorites - most of them are originally jazzy, but were remixed)

EDIT: Formatting.

the Santa Cause- it's a punk rock christmas album was pretty nice. i can't a youtube playlist of it but it was pretty neat. there was also a vol. 2 that i never heard.

In no particular order, my favorite Christmas albums are:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio
  
  
• We Three Kings - The Roches
  
  
• When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr.
  
  
• Barenaked For The Holidays - Barenaked Ladies
  
  
• Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas - The Klezmonauts
  
  
• Christmas With The Puppini Sisters - The Puppini Sisters
  
  
• A Wintery Mix - The Raleigh Ringers
  
  
• Christmas in the Caribbean: Holiday Songs Performed on Steel Drums
  
  
• A Christmas Album - Amy Grant
  
  
• A Christmas Album - James Taylor

Agreed, this is a fantastic set of tunes. Actually, this is one of the few times I've bothered to buy the physical CDs -- the box set comes loaded with extras:
>This 5-CD box set includes all five volumes, plus a 42-page booklet with an original Christmas essay by acclaimed American novelist Ricky Moody, two essays, a short story by Stevens, a holiday sticker, chord charts, lyrics, comic strip, family portrait poster, photos, and an animated video.
(from Amazon description)

Plus, creative, independent artists like Stevens definitely deserve to see some of the money from their satisfied fans.

A couple of my favorites:

• Nutcracker / Gergiev: Little if any compression, a true test for any system.
  
• Sympathique / Pink Martini: Gets off to a bang.
  
• Brothers in Arms / Dire Straits: Amazing sound and music, especially considering the time.
  
• Mask & Mirror / Loreena McKennitt: World music at its best.
  
• Stop Making Sense / Talking Heads: How a live album should sound.
  
• Live in London / Leonard Cohen: Another stellar live album.

A sample from Los Straitjackets's Christmas album.

Michael Bolton's Christmas album is surprisingly good (as is his live show - remember he was in a hair metal band in the 80s and early 90s before becoming a balladeer. The man can SHRED a guitar).

Frank Sinatra

Vince Guaraldi

Stevie Wonder

Elvis

Johnny Cash

Louis Armstrong

Oscar Peterson

Even Bob Schneider, though I don't recommend paying over $20 for the few songs that cd has on it.

Lastly, my absolute favorite Christmas 'song,' by Cary Grant. Enjoy and share. Here's the Amazon link

Do it online, do it online!!!

EDIT: Okay, seriously, you need to buy this. It is awesome and perfect for this time of year.

That DG set looks awesome. Might have to be a Christmas present this year.

Some of my favorites are the EMI Elgar and Vaughan Williams sets, the Stravinsky collected works, and the big RCA Toscanini set.

Sufjan Stevens christmas album. Amazing singer/songwriter, five full length discs of music for $14, original as well as classic songs. What more could you want?

I have been on a retro Christmas album kick. Recently grabbed:

Christmas With The Chipmunks

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Gift for You

Merry Christmas

The Hi-Fi will be full of Christmas cheer this holiday season.

This reminds me that it is about time to break out Songs For Christmas. It is a fantastic album by Sufjan and a must have for Christmas music lovers.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Star of Wonder

I have been saying for years that Christmas With The Rat Pack is best holiday CD that has ever been made, or ever will be.

We Wish You A Metal Xmas. Alice Cooper and Tim Ripper Owens sing Christmas carols, Stephen Pearcy does a fantastic rendition of Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, and Testament's Chuck Billy covers Silent Night.

I find Sufjan Stevens's Christmas album to be a pretty pleasant listen when Xmas music would be most appropriate.

I like Diana Krall's Christmas album quite well.

Picturing her while hearing them also helps.

From the album, Merry Mixmas:

 

(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag (Thunderball Mix)


 

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Away Team Remix)


 

And the fat man's comin' in hot with Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Johnny Mercer), although I always like to pretend it actually say's "Batman's coming"

My girlfriend's favorite track. I personally don't really like any Sufjan except for this song and maybe 1 or 2 others. For those wondering, he has a 5-cd box set with all sorts of Christmas/Christian songs: http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Christmas-Sufjan-Stevens/dp/B000HLDF0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322873234&sr=8-1

He's very good!

If your'e feeling jazzy, B3 organ master Jimmy Smith's Christmas Cookin', from 1964, has been a favorite of mine for many years. It absolutely smokes.

In that same vein, An Oscar Peterson Christmas is pretty damn fine, too.

I have this album stashed somewhere. Pretty sure it applies.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Santa-Cause-Various-Artists/dp/B0000DF2KQ

"half-naked women"? If you want a great Canadian christmas album go for this hot album

So do the Barenaked Ladies in their Barenaked for the Holidays album. Their original songs "Elf's Lament," "Christmas Pics," and "Green Christmas" have become some of my new favorite traditions.

Not a bad CD, Dio's take on "God rest ye merry gentlemen" is fucking epic, but as for the rest I personally wouldnt go out of my way to acquire this.
For those of you that would, I will not link you to Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Metal-Xmas-Headbanging-Year/dp/B001DZN5XA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1261686212&sr=8-3

Christmas With the Rat Pack Gotta love it.

...and can I just say that the soundtrack is by far the best Chrsitmas album I own.

Price History

• You Make It Feel Like Christmas [White Opaque LP]   ^PureLink
  CamelCamelCamel - [Info] │ Keepa - [Info] │ Discogs
  
  _
  Put those prices in Checkmate.
  ^(Info) ^| ^(Developer) ^| ^(Inquiries) ^| ^(Support Me!) ^| **[^(Report Bug)](/message/compose?to=The_White_Light&subject=Bug+Report&message=%2Fr%2FVinylDeals%2Fcomments%2Fcuu5dx%2Famazon_gwen_stefani_you_make_it_feellike%2Fexyvx2c%2F%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0APlease+explain+here+what+you+expected+to+happen%2Fwhat+went+wrong.)**

I think you are looking for this... Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Nic Payton + female vocalists Abbey Lincoln, Shirley Horn and Betty Carter.
Jazz for Joy: A Verve Christmas Album

Ella at Christmas is amazing. My go-to. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ella-Wishes-You-Swinging-Christmas/dp/B00006WL1Q

Yeah, I would also recommend Sufjan Stevens' Christmas collection.

The whole "Jazz For Joy" Verve Christmas album is terrific. Shirley Horn's take on "The Christmas Song" alone is worth the cost of the whole album. When I looked up the link, I noticed it's only five bucks on Amazon in the U.S.

• Price History @ CamelCamelCamel
  
• Price History @ Keepa
  
• Listen on Spotify
  
• Search Discogs for UPC 025218843119
  
  ---
  I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Always a good choice to stay sane: A Charlie Brown Christmas It's a jazz trio...no Josh Groban howling at you!

I might suggest, if you want a stirring performance with clarity in the orchestral texture, the complete ballet, Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra. Gergiev is always topnotch when it comes to interpreting Tchaikovsky...

The first "A Very Special Christmas" album.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000002GFJ

You could try this, its all good remixes of classic songs.
Amazon link

If you need to keep it proper.. I really like Merry Mixmas - Christmas Classics Remixed .. standard songs.. little twist

I'm quite partial to Harry Connick jr. He has a decent christmas album. There's something about his voice that I find quite soothing,

Oscar Peterson. Its nice and soothing. Nothing ground-breaking, but solid.
http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Peterson-Christmas/dp/B000003D4X

In my more-than-humble opinion, the only Christmas album worth listening to--in any genre--is the timeless original Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

$15 on Amazon

A Charlie Brown Christmas [Green Vinyl] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y1OAJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_EKb4DbA5MMVQV

Vince Guaraldi Trio's album A Charlie Brown Christmas

Hold on, you guys are making me think maybe I shouldn't buy a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas next November.

• • • • • • • • • • • • LOWEST PRICE EVER - - - - - - - - - - - -
                        
                        Price History Graph
                        

...sigh... $25 for this pre-order, or $12 on green vinyl from a variety of places.

Pre-order for $25 from Newbury Comics, or you know, just buy the fucking thing from the very same Newbury Comics for $18 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002Y1OAJU).

Or even better, buy it from somebody else like one of the 3rd party sellers selling it for $11. Insound marked theirs down to $5 before selling out.

Newbury can fuck right off with all of these unnecessary and overpriced reissues. I don't know why anyone buys them. 50-60% markups on titles that are readily available elsewhere, yet people eat that shit up. It makes zero sense.

Check out his entire album for more.

Here is one of my favorites

This is where it's at.

Not trolling, just saying. Check out the Barenaked Ladies Christmas album, featuring three Hanukah songs and a Christmas ornament on the cover.

Sufjan Stevens' "Songs for Christmas" box sets. Vol. 1-5 and Vol. 6-10

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Green-Vinyl/dp/B002Y1OAJU

http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Metal-Xmas-Headbanging-Year/dp/B001DZN5XA/

I am convinced that the acute need to buffer the onslaught of horrible, horrible holiday music is why Apollo and the muses cast Vince Guaraldi into the fray, all old-school Clash of the Titans styled. (At least that's what his biography on wikipedia used to say...)

Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack #ftw