Christmas would not be Christmas to me without wonderful Christmas music playing in the background. When I was growing up, we always had a special stack of Christmas records and cassettes (yes, remember those?) that we pulled out to play only at Christmas time. Pulling out the Christmas records and cassettes always signaled that Christmas time was really here.
We decorated the Christmas tree, baked cookies for the neighbors, made homemade gifts for the grandparents, drank hot cocoa, wrapped Christmas presents, and celebrated our family gatherings with Christmas music playing in the background. It set the tone for so many special memories.
Today, we’ve traded the records and cassettes for MP3s, but Christmas still wouldn’t be the same without the music. I like to buy a new album or two each year to add to our family’s collection. And then we rotate playing our Christmas music all December long.
Here are three of my favorite Christmas albums:
Merry Little Christmas — this album is a new one for us this year and we’ve loved it. You can download a free song here.
He is Born — This CD is by my sister so I happen to be a little biased. 🙂 You can listen to sample clips from most of the songs here.
What are your favorite Christmas albums? I’d love to hear!
Practical Application
If you haven’t done so already, pull out your Christmas CDs or download some free Christmas music and have it playing in the background at your home over the next 10 days. You can also create a Christmas station on Pandora to have playing on your computer or listen to Abiding Radio’s livestream Christmas station.
No way! Crystal, Brigette is your sister? I went through music classes with her in Indianapolis! Small world… 🙂
Ken Renfrow is a personal friend and goes to our church. I’m glad to see you promoting “Merry Little Christmas!”
Please check out my husband’s (Dan Forrest) new Christmas CD called “Never a Brighter Star.” You can listen to audio samples here: http://www.danforrest.com/2011/2011-cd-audio-excerpts/
I love any of the Amy Grant Christmas albums, (I think I have them all!) and we also have various versions of Handel’s Messiah. After reading all of these comments, I think I’m going to have to check out Andrew Peterson as well…
I have loved the Selah album the last several years, but last year I was given Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb” album and WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is AWESOME!!! If you have not listened to it, I HIGHLY recommend it. The “Labor of Love” and “Deliver Us” songs are some of the best Christmas songs I have ever heard.
Alan Jackson “Let it be Christmas.” I LOVE IT. I also really love The Statler Brothers “Christmas Card.”
The one I wait for all year is Sufjan Steven’s Songs for Christmas. I also love Peaceful Christmas — soothing and sweet instrumentals.
I think those are the only ones we have on CD. The rest are all on those cassettes you mention — or records! We got a hand-me-down Wee Sing Christmas cassette, and my toddler and I are BOTH learning new Christmas songs.
Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, and PEACE by Jim Brickman. Love, love, love!
The Hymnworks Christmas is my all-time favorite! I’ve listened to that one since I was a kid! (not that long ago :))
Enya’s version of O Come O Come Emmanuel is my fav this season. Gives me cold chills it’s so beautiful.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Best rendition of “Angels We Have Heard on High” ever! I get chills every single time I listen. The kids love it also.
Julie Andrews Greatest Christmas Songs is another great one – listened to it as a kid on a record.
My latest favorite (for the past year or two) is Our Daily Bread’s Majestic Christmas. It’s mostly instrumental, but even the few songs that are on it are done beautifully. In fact, I started listening to lots of Our Daily Bread music through Spotify, and I love it all!
We LOVE “The Word Became Flesh” cd! I think you would like it too. 🙂
Oh, and you can listen to song samples on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Word-Became-Flesh/dp/B002RX5WHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324048792&sr=8-1
(not an affiliate link or anything… we just love this cd!) 😉
I grew up listening to a compilation tape from Reader’s Digest. It brings back so many memories – apparently valuable to many since I’ve looked for CD copies on ebay to find out that they cost almost $100!
I still love listening to my old Vince Gill Christmas CD and a Wynonna Christmas album 🙂
I also LOVE the Narada Christmas music….I have 2 CD’s and they are beautiful…just instrumental and magical. My dad had these tapes when my sister and I were little and one song in particular, “I saw 3 ships”, I think…I remember that we would say it sounded like little fairies flying around in the forest. The things you remember…..:)
Well, hands down, it has to be Amy Grant’s Christmas Album….the one that has “Tennessee Christmas” on it. I think it was her first one. My favorite songs on there are “Emmanuel” and her rendition of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” This is the first CD I pull out out of my Christmas collection each year. I have vivid memories of my mom putting this record on our big ‘ol stereo console thing in our living room and then the baking would commence! We always made Christmas cookies and treats while listening to this album. It holds alot of special memories for me. And my children love listening to it as well!
My husband just bought me “Now That’s What I Call Christmas 4” and we usually don’t participate in the craziness that is “NOW” compilations but this one is great. It’s 2-disc, the first one being pop artists of today singing Christmas classics and the second one is purely classic artists. I love it and there is about 40 songs!
“Behold the Lamb of God” album by Andrew Peterson– each song is an integral account of a Biblical story leading up to the finale, the coming of Christ as a child. It is hands down my favorite: http://andrew-peterson.com/
Love listening to Casting Crowns and Michael W. Smith’s Christmas CDs!
I have loved streaming Pandora this Christmas season. Whenever I feel myself slacking around the house, I turn it on and am able to focus on Christmas AND get things done!
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas.
I grew up with it and it’s still so fun.
Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas… mostly because of the song, “Breath of Heaven,” (Mary’s Song.) It envisions what it must have been like for Mary to give birth to the Savior… There is no other song that has ever touched me more, and now that I’m a mom, it is even more powerful! Here’s a youtube link of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RVTZDgcpqM
you may have heard me say this before on fb but mine is this one. I’m a huge Loreena fan. http://www.amazon.com/Midwinter-Nights-Dream-Loreena-McKennitt/dp/B001G9LVGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324011085&sr=8-2
That’s easy. Love, love, love Mike Humrichouse’s A Little Christmas Music- perfect saxophone instrumental christmas music for a cozy night by the fire sipping cocoa or for a Christmas party! No words, only awesome music.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Little-Christmas-Music/dp/B0014DNHFW
I could listen to Josh Groban’s Christmas album all day long! Same with Bing Crosby- my dad always had it playing when I was little.
I’ve been playing instrumental holiday CDs in my classroom this week- the kids are all buzzing, so I’m giving them a calm Christmas fix while they work. I found some great CDs at the dollar store and Walmart a few years ago!
I like Martina Mcbride and Antrim Mennonite Choir. I prefer lyrics with the music over instrumental! I like to learn the words and I like my kiddos to hear the words, too!
Point of Grace’s “A Christmas Story”- it is hands-down my favorite Christmas album!!! Love it!!
Kenny G, Amy Grant, Boys II Men, and Mariah Carey! Love them all! 🙂
Todd Agnew’s Do you Hear What I Hear is amazing — it’s full of original songs that tell the nativity story. So moving and powerful.
My kids love listening to the Grinch soundtrack and I love my Glee: The Christmas Album. But I will always have a special place in my heart for the Amy Grant Home for Christmas and Avalon Joy albums. Christmas just isn’t the same without the music.
We have Jackie Evancho’s first Christmas album, and can’t wait to get her new one, Charlotte Church Dream a Dream, and anything Bing Crosby!
Claire
I love the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Charlie Brown Christmas,” the Carpenters’ “Christmas Portrait,” and Kenny G’s, “Miracles.” I have about twenty Christmas albums, but these are the ones I listen to first.
Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson. Seriously, check it out. Best Christmas album ever.
I love Andrew! I’m only sorry he isn’t more well known. His music is pure poetry. I especially love his song Hosanna. 🙂
I still couldn’t find the He is Born cd! I wanted to hear some samples! I went to The WILDS when I was a senior in high school!
Note to self…when you can’t find something do a product search! DUH! 😉 The music is BEAUTIFUL!!
All that and I forgot to say that I love the Von Trapp children’s Christmas cd! My kids and I love the Hot Cocoa song.
I love my “White Christmas by Bing Crosby” station on Pandora. It’s classy and puts me in the Christmas spirit every time I turn it on … and oh! it’s free!
Ages and ages ago, I got a free CD in a box of cereal of Lorie Line playing Christmas music. I play it every year while I’m decorating. She’s a pianist, and her rendition of Carol of the Bells is KICKIN’! The whole CD is actually pretty good.
Oh my goodness! I have that CD and it is so beautiful and one of my favorites!
I have it too! I was like…a CD in a cereal box? I put it on and it is beautiful! I love it!
Your sister’s album?? How fun!! (And I bet your kids LOVE it!)
I play Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God album every single day during the Christmas season. I just can’t help myself.
And for fun, upbeat instrumentals, I love A Spectacular Bluegrass Christmas.
Can’t wait to see what everyone’s favorites are!
We also play Andrew Peterson’s album, Behold the Lamb of God, every single day … it is by far our favorite album!
The Josh Groban and Michael Buble Christmas albums are also both outstanding.
Christmas Eve by David Lanz
Hm, I don’t see where to sample your sister’s music through that link?
Ah! Got it! It’s here: http://host0143.csmhosting.com/IW_Products.m4p.pvx?;PRODUCTS?company=TWC