This is really a great post. There is nothing I hate more than these contemporary Christmas albums that people put out every year.

Although I once scored a coup on Ebay by finding a copy of the New Kids Christmas album at a used store for 50 cents and unloaded it on some former teen fan of the group for over 20 bucks, but that is beside the point.

I especially can't handle the Barbra Streisand Christmas album and her version of Jingle Bells on crack. It sucks. And my family plays it every year because they think it is "neat." Blech.

You are also right about the classic Christmas albums. The best are still Frank Sinatra, or Bing Crosby. Traditional stylings by true classics.

you do curmudgeon well, Matt

if you're including songs written in the last 60 years or so, I'd include Nat's "Christmas Song," "Baby it's Cold Outside" (probably Dean Martin's), "Santa Baby" (Eartha Kitt), "Merry Xmas (I Don't Want to Fight") (Ramones), Elvis's "Blue Christmas," Eurythmics' "Winter Wonderland"

And how many Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums are there now? Three? Four? Chip Davis ought to be ashamed!

I used to buy one or two Christmas albums every year, but I finally got sick of it last year. I just don't get it.

But my sister (and many, many others, I see from the charts) bought Clay Aiken's Christmas CD. Sigh.

is Clay the Jim Nabors of our time?

Clay is defnitely bordering on Jim Nabors at this point. Howard played a couple of bars from one of his Christmas songs this morning. I had to pull over to clean up the blood that was pouring out of my ears.

It can't get much worse than Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime." Damn, I hate that song.

This is why the only contemporary Christmas album I have every enjoyed was the goofy yet palatable Reggae Christmas. Or was it Rasta Christmas. Whatever it was, it was all on the offbeats and had that Jamaican accent on the vox. Totally sweet.

I love that record too, Craig! The beats are what almost always keep reggae from being too sappy

This is an incredibly well thought out, original, and insightful piece of music journalism. Your mastery of the obvious is enlightening, and thought provoking! My only dissapointment is that you did not include the Ramones' classic "Merry Christmas, I dont wanna fight tonight" in your list of exceptions. That beautiful song never fails to help bring together the warring factions of my family together under the misteltoe to share in the spirit and the the joy of the birth of our lord, The Jesus Christ. However, I was quite pleased to see your inclusion of Josh Groban on your list. His soothing, honey coated larynx is a succor to my very soul!

Bricky my friend, note comment #2

Try "Christmas with Jorma Kaukonen" (Relix Records, 1996) for a mellow treat without all the glitz, over-production, and rehashed tripe. He covers What Child is This and Silent Night, but the rest is original work. As usual, Jorma's guitar work is wonderful.

Some of you might enjoy the compilation
that just recently came out called:
"John Waters Christmas".It's full of the
most bizarre, funny, surreal & rocking
Xmas tunes.Tiny Tim's version of the old
staple "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"
is SO friggin' weird and funny it has to
heard to be believed. If you're a fan of
JW's films you'll likely enjoy this CD.
If you're not,then be forewarned.

Also:I dig Rudy Ray Moore's "This Ain't
No White Christmas".It's XXX and full of
bits like "P*ssy For Christmas" and all
kinds of other typical Rudy Ray stuff.
Definitely on the adult end of things.

And you can't go wrong with the Stax CD
"It's A Soulful Christmas" or the James
Brown & Booker T. & The MG's X-mas discs
either. Reggae X mas music fans should
grab up the Yellowman disc "Yellowman Is
Coming To Town". X mas goes Dancehall.

For pure class you can't beat Bing,Dino
and Frank but these above discs will add
some spice to your Xmas mix.

Correction: The Yellowman Xmas disc is
called "A Very,Very Yellow Xmas" and not
"Yellowman Is Coming...". I'm playing it
right now much to girlfriends dismay.
My mistake.Sorry about the wrong info.