Let’s be honest- you either love Christmas music, or you don’t.
Personally, I love beautiful chorale Christmas music, madrigal-style, and gorgeous belted solos of certain hymns.
I hate, I repeat, hate, most pop Christmas covers. I can’t even pretend to stomach most of them. This makes going out in public from November 1- January 1 a miserable experience.
But well-done Christmas music that doesn’t involve a synthesizer or auto-tune, now that I can enjoy.
Won’t you join me for a quick tour of some of the most beautiful, non-nausea inducing, Christmas music available today? I’ve included clips, links, and videos to help you form your own opinions of my favorite songs. Nearly all of these albums are included on the Billboard list of “best-selling Christmas albums of all time.” The three albums that are not on that list just haven’t had time to get there yet. (But I highly suspect they will make it in time.)
Harry Connick, Jr “When My Heart Finds Christmas” My favorite song? “I Pray on Christmas” #11 I listen to it on repeat all Christmas long. The whole album is beautiful and tastefully done, but “I Pray on Christmas” will always be my favorite.
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a gorgeous version of “O Holy Night.” And every year I find myself searching for the perfect rendition. For the past few years that honor has gone to Nathan Pacheco. I fully admit that I am biased on this one. After all, I grew up with his older sister, used to sing in the same choir as Nathan, and his mother was my first voice teacher. But I promise you, the boy can sing. Need more proof? He soloed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the annual Pioneer Day concert.
My overall favorite Christmas album also changes from year to year. This year that place in my heart goes to Josh Groban’s Noel album
If you haven’t heard the Josh Groban “duet” with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on “O Come All Ye Faithful” you are missing out! It gives me chills!
One of my absolute most favorite Christmas songs will forever and always be I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Frank Sinatra. Another secret love of mine (not so secret if you were ever my roommate) is belting this song loudly whenever I hear it.
We listened to a Fresh Aire Christmas a thousand times over as a family when I was younger. I still love this album. And I still, not so secretly, like to pretend I’m conducting my imaginary symphony when I hear “Carol of the Bells.”
I found this list of the 99 most essential Christmas masterpieces on Amazon ($5 instant download!), and it is just beautiful. The kind of music you want to be playing in the background as you watch the glowing yule log on the TV. If you are like me, and love good classical music played without unnecessary embellishment, check it out.
A new-ish album that is pop in nature, but is actually tolerable and enjoyable is a Very She and Him Christmas. She and Him is voiced by the popular Zooey Deschanel of “New Girl” fame. But if you haven’t caught her there yet, you may remember her from “Elf?” Remember when she sings “Baby Its Cold Outside?” If you like her voice in this clip, you’ll love her (much better) version on the Very She and Him Christmas CD, which you can download instantly for $3.39!
And for the album that I love just because I do, I have to give Michael Buble’s “Christmas” album some credit. Some may call it pop. I do not. It falls squarely in the “pop standards” category, and quite frankly, makes me swoon. He’s earned the nickname “Mr. Christmas” with only two holiday albums out so far. He’s not yet on the list of best-selling albums ever, but give it time. He’s well on his way to earning a berth on that list.
Worst Christmas Songs Ever
Now, this list of songs is guaranteed to make a few people mad. I’m sure I am about to have a very different opinion from some people. And that’s what this list is- my opinion. You are entitled to your own. In an effort to torture you just as much as some of these songs torture me, if you want to hear my opinion, you’ll have to watch this awful video, with awful audio, of me singing and describing these songs. (Sorry.)
Erin Ann McBride is a writer, dreamer, and single woman. By day she works for a financial publication as a marketing professional. By night, she writes novels such as, “You Heard It Here First,” and the sequel “This Just In!” You can see, read, and hear her mock herself regularly on her blog at www.erinannie.com.
BruceDecember 20, 2013
The two Christmas albums Karen and Richard Carpenter recorded are still Number One with me. No one bests them for Silent Night and Ave Maria! Josh Groban's album, however, is a VERY CLOSE second.
Des BromilowDecember 17, 2013
Marina Prior "Angels we have heard on High" sets the bar for Christmas carols - example www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-2fE658YOQ every year she sings it slightly different at carols by candlelight, but it is always a treat.