Christmas Music All Year Long!

How do you define Christmas music? A tough question! I think that Christmas music is music that is normally heard around Christmas in the months before and a short period after the holiday. It can relate to Jesus Christ and the nativity as well as to other themes like winter, Father Christmas, elves, reindeer, and the north pole. It can also include traditions like the twelve days of Christmas, yule logs, stockings, lights, cards and perhaps most importantly, it brings memories and creates the feel and the mood of Christmas. Fortunately for music lovers, Christmas music is available in many different styles.

Challenged to come up with a short Christmas list of the top Christmas songs you might create a list that looks something like this:

White Christmas by Bing Crosby, 1942
The Little Drummer Boy, by the Harry Simeone Chorale, 1958
Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, 1957
Please Come Home for Christmas, Charles Brown, 1961
The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole 1946
Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley 1964
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee 1958
White Christmas by Clyde McPhatter and the Drivers, 1954
Silver Bells by Earl Grant, 1966
The Chipmunk Song by The Chipmunks with David Seville (1958)

Click here to buy
Bing Crosby's White Christmas
from Amazon.

Click here to buy
Elvis Presley: The Christmas Songs
from Amazon.

Pop music is defined as a style of music that is the most popular over a period of time. It was an abbreviation for popular music at one time but sometime in the 1950s it because symbolic of a music style.

Some of the top pop Christmas songs include The Christmas Song by King Cole Trio, Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt, White Christmas by Bing Crosby, Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley, Winter Wonderland by Aretha Frankln, I'll Be Home for Christmas by Bing Crosby, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Jimmy Boyd, Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland and The Little Drummer Boy by the Harry Simeone Chorale.

Click here to buy
Canned Heat and the Chipmunks
from Amazon.

Rock music originally came from the 1940s and 50s. It usually features a vocal portion and guitar, drums and bass. Also includes organ, piano, mellotron and synthesizers plus sometimes saxophone, harmonica, violin, flute, French horn, banjo, melodica and timpani. Usually features a strong beat often set by an solid electric, hollow electric or acoustic guitar.

Some of the top rock Christmas tunes include Sock it to me Santa by Bob Seger and the Last Heard, Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC, The Little Drummer Boy by Jimi Hendrix, Little Drummer Boy by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Dancing with Santa by The Trashmen, Merry Christmas, Baby by Ike and Tina Turner, Christmas Blues by Canned Heat and the Chipmunks, Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry, Don't Believe in Christmas by The Sonics, Mr. Santa Claus by Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights, Santa Claus is Back in Town by Elvis Presley, Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bruce Springsteen, (It's Gonna Be a) Punk Rock Christmas by the Ravers, Run Run Rudolph by Foghat and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee.

Click here to buy
The Orioles 1947-1955 Christmas album
from Amazon.

Doo-wop features vocal-based rhythm and blues music originating from the black community and becoming popular in the 1950s in the United States

Top recordings in this category include Christmas in Jail by the Youngsters, Just a Lonely Christmas/Hey Santa Claus by the Moonglows, What Are You Doing New Year's eve by the Orioles, White Christmas by the Ravens, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by The Cadillacs, Happy Holiday by The Shells, Lonely Christmas by The Orioles, The Christmas Song by the Drifters, Dig that Crazy Santa Claus by Oscar McLollie and the Honeyjumpers and Mr. Santa Claus by Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights.

This CD has been discontinued but you can click here to buy Brenda Lee's
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree to download

Rockabilly can be called one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music and is from the early 1950's. Influences in rockabilly music include rock and roll, hillbilly (or country), western swing, blues, boogie woogie and jump blues.

Some of the top rockabilly records include Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee, Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry, Santa Claus is Back in Town by Elvis Presley and Sleigh Bell Rock by Three Aces and Joker.

Click here to buy
Merry Christmas Baby
from Amazon.

Rhythm and blues also can be called R&B or RnB and is a popular music style which combines jazz, gospel, and blues influences and which was originated with African American performers.

Top R&B recordings include White Christmas by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters; Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love; Merry Christmas Baby by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers with Charles Brown; Please Come Home for Christmas by Charles Brown; Boogie Woogie Santa Claus by Mabel Scott; Rhythm and Blues Christmas - Chuck Berry, Sonny Til and the Orioles Baby Washington, Charles Brown, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, the Five Keys, Lowell Fulson, B.B. King, Marvin and Johnny and Amos Milburn; It's Christmas by Marvin and Johnny; Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs by Charles Brown; Let's Make Christmas Merry Baby by Amos Milburn and Sleigh Ride by Lloyd Glenn.

Click here to buy
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by
Elmo And Patsy from Amazon.

Top 'fun' Christmas songs include Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Elmo and Patsy, Christmas at Ground Zero by Weird Al Yankovic, All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) by Spike Jones or Gayla Peevey, Green Christma$ by Stan Freberg, Christmas Dragnet by Stan Freberg and Daws Butler, Christmas Carol by Tom Lehrer, The Chipmunk Song by The Chipmunks, Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses, I Just Go Nuts at Christmas by Yogi Yorgesson, Twelve Pains of Christmas by The Bob Rivers Comedy Corp, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Jimmy Boyd and I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey.

These are some of the Christmas albums that were new in 2008. Every year numerous Christmas albums are released. Some feature new material; some, old songs redone. Some will stay with us and become classics...which ones will endure?

Joy To The World is Faith Hill's latest album, a Christmas album. It is comprised of classic songs that play on the themes of Santa Claus and the holiday's religious foundation plus two brand-new songs. Ms. Hill said, "I had a very clear vision for the type of Christmas album that I wanted to make, indicative of the big-band orchestras of the '40s and '50s, with a full complement of horns, strings, woodwinds, percussion and chorales." This album is now available in a single CD format or as a CD and DVD Deluxe Edition. The limited edition CD and DVD 2-disc set includes a CD with 11 holiday songs plus a DVD "Live At XM" featuring: Wild One, Red Umbrella, Stronger, This Kiss, Cry, Breathe, Piece Of My Heart and exclusive interviews with Faith.

Click here to buy Faith Hill's Joy To The World from Amazon

Amy Grant already has three top Christmas CDs that have sold over six million copies, but she has created yet one more record with four new songs that will be released in a combined CD and digital effort.

Click here to buy
Amy Grant's The Christmas Collection CD
from Amazon

Sixpense None The Richer will be releasing their first Christmas album, The Dawn of Grace on October 14th, 2008. It includes Silent Night, Carol of the Bells and two original Christmas songs, The Last Christmas and Christmas for Two.

Click here to buy
The Dawn of Grace
from Amazon.

Harry had reservations when the record label asked him to record another CD. "My first thought was, 'Man, I thought I sang all the songs there were to sing,'" he recalls. "But I put a list together and found out that there's a whole lot more." Songs on this CD include It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Holly Jolly Christmas plus his first duet with his 11-year-old daughter called, Winter Wonderland.

Click here to buy
What A Night! A Christmas Album
from Amazon.

Packed with Christmas songs recorded by The King and contemporary country artists some of whom who were probably not even born when he died, this album is definitely an exciting choice. To read all about this new release, visit Elvis Presley Christmas Duets.

Click here to buy
Elvis Presley Christmas Duets
from Amazon.

Have you heard about Singing With Elvis Presley? It is your chance to do a duet of Blue Christmas with Elvis and send it to all your friends in an eCard! Mine was hysterical because I cannot sing. Surely yours will be better!

Country music performer George Strait released a holiday album entitled Classic Christmas on October 7th. It will have ten traditional songs, his favorites. "I hope these songs bring back good memories for my fans like they have for me."

Click here to buy
Classic Christmas
from Amazon.

Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters are producing a Christmas record that will include some traditional songs 'hillbillied' up and three brand-new Christmas songs.

Click here to buy Christmas Cheer from Amazon

Thornton says of these songs: "One of them is called "Slower Than Christmas." It's about a guy-you know everybody talks about Christmas and Christmas Day as such an amazing time-and this guy's talking about how Christmas is the slowest day of the year 'cause he's in this horrible dysfunctional family. It's kind of like a "Bad Santa" Christmas song I guess you'd say. And then there's another one we have called "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" that's about a guy in jail. The other one's about a kid who wonders why every year at Christmas it just so happens that all these things happen with his parents and Santa doesn't show up either. And then by the end of the song you realize he's figured it out-he knows that mom and dad's troubles are the reason that he doesn't get anything-that they are Santa. So they're all sad, basically (laughs)."

'Al Jarreau Christmas' is the first Christmas album that this seven-time Grammy winning vocalist has released. It features his take on 12 classics including The Christmas Song, Come All Ye Faithful and White Christmas. I think it looks beautiful!

Click here to buy
Al Jarreau's Christmas
from Amazon.

Long a favourite Christmas album, this CD is fairly hard-to-find as it has been discontinued by the manufacturer. It tells the story of a magical Chistmas on the American frontier. The celebration included Paul Bunyan, Daniel Boone and Johnny Appleseed. This story is told and sung by Bing Crosby with the Golden Orchestra and Chorus.

Click here to buy
A Christmas Story
told and sung by Bing Crosby
from the private sellers on Amazon.
This album is somewhat hard to find and
the price reflects that fact.

Looking for a great lineup of Christmas music? How about this one, recommended by Real Simple magazine? You will be all set for your holiday entertaining and no one will think they are at the mall or in an elevator!

Click here to buy Emmylou Harris' Christmas Album
Light of the Stable from Amazon

Emmylou Harris is a beautiful singer for whom the slower Christmas songs work best and take on new life. She is joined on this album by Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young.

Click here to buy
Elvis Presley's Christmas Peace
from Amazon

Christmas Peace is a 2003 release which includes two CDs for a total of 40 tunes. One is holiday classics and the other is hymns.

Click here to buy
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
from Amazon

Wonderful collection of Christmas tunes recorded in 1960, the songs on this album have been called everything from sultry to sweet and cozy and even old favorites sound great when they're delivered by a jazz performer like Fitzgerald.

Click here to buy
Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas
from Amazon

One of 2002's best Christmas albums with wonderful harmony and acoustic instrumentation, it features unexpected arrangements and beautiful sounds made with fiddles, dobro, guitars and singing. Great choice as a gift.

Click here to buy
Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas
from Amazon

Take a time trip back to the days of your childhood! You will enjoy Guaraldi's piano playing. It will be an enchanting addition to your Christmas music collection.

Click here to buy
James Brown's Funky Christmas
from Amazon

Brown pours his heart out in Merry Christmas Baby and Please Come Home but there are also a number of original songs on this album that make it fantastic. It includes songs from the seasonal albums that Brown released in 1966, 1968 and 1970.

Click here to buy
The Bells of Dublin
from Amazon

The Chieftains are joined by Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull, Rickie Lee Jones, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and Nanci Griffith. This album has a wonderful Irish feel sometimes altered to suit the guest artists. A very enjoyable album.

Click here to buy
Frank Sinatra's A Jolly Christmas
from Amazon

This digitally remastered version includes many of your favorite Frank Sinatra Christmas songs.

Click here to buy
Harry Connick Jr. - Harry for the Holidays DVD & CD
from Amazon

This page was honored to be chosen a third place winner in the Holiday Gifts portion of the Squidoo Home for The Holidays Contest, 2008.