It can be tough to define "good" Christmas music.

Oh sure, the bad stuff is easy to pinpoint, but how does one actually go about proclaiming something as subjective as an individual Christmas song "good"? Everyone has different tastes, and, musically, Christmas is very different for each individual who celebrates the holiday. After all, everyone's got a different idea of the ideal Christmas soundtrack dancing like visions of sugarplums in their heads. For me, Christmas isn't Christmas without Bing Crosby's White Christmas album. For my wife, it's got to be Manheim Steamroller's Christmas. But maybe you're into something different.

The question is: how diverse are your tastes?

The folks behind the "NOW" CDs have put together three two-disc compilations, all titled "NOW That's What I Call Christmas!" From the track listings (each two-disc set contains 36 "classic songs from Christmases past and present"), it would appear to the casual observer that these discs contain the biggest and most popular Christmas songs in the public consciousness, but are they really the treasure troves of "good" Christmas music they appear to be?

Here's a listing of what each CD set offers:

NOW That's What I Call Christmas!
Disc 1
1. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) - Nat King Cole
2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas - Frank Sinatra
5. Winter Wonderland - Tony Bennett
6. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin
8. (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays - Perry Como
9. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Johnny Mathis
10. A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
12. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy
13. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
14. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
15. Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys
16. Merry Christmas Darling - Carpenters
17. Christmas Collage - Kathy Mattea
18. Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth - David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Disc 2
1. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Bruce Springsteen
3. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
4. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
5. Our Love Is Like A Holiday - Michael Bolton
6. (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus - Harry Connick, Jr.
7. Jingle Bells - Diana Krall
8. Away In A Manger - Mannheim Steamroller
9. Deck The Halls - Ottmar Liebert
10. Love On Layaway - Gloria Estefan
11. Don't Save It All For Christmas Day - Celine Dion
12. This Christmas - Joe
13. Special Gift - The Isley Brothers
14. All We Need Is Love (Christmas In The Yard) - The Big Yard Family
15. My Only Wish (This Year) - Britney Spears
16. You Don't Have To Be Alone (On Christmas) - *NSYNC
17. O Come All Ye Faithful - Luther Vandross
18. Silent Night - Boyz II Men

NOW That's What I Call Christmas! 2
Disc 1
1. Opera of the Bells - Destiny's Child
2. O Come, All Ye Faithful - Stacie Orrico
3. I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You - *NSYNC
4. Santa Baby - Kylie Minogue
5. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - B2K
6. Step into Christmas - Elton John
7. Jingle Bells - Jimmy Buffett
8. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
9. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Vince Gill
10. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Aaron Neville
11. Last Christmas - Wham!
12. Christmas Through Your Eyes - Gloria Estefan
13. Christmas Wrapping - Waitresses
14. A Christmas to Remember - Amy Grant
15. Silent Night - Charlotte Church
16. Please Come Home for Christmas - Luther Vandross
17. O Holy Night - Celine Dion
18. Peace - Norah Jones
Disc 2
1. Winter Wonderland - Louis Armstrong
2. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Barbara Streisand
3. Silver Bells - Johnny Mathis
4. The Little Drummer Boy - Lou Rawls
5. Happy Holiday - Peggy Lee
6. The Christmas Blues - Dean Martin
7. Run, Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
8. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Tom Jones
9. Feliz Navidad (Live) - José Feliciano
10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Burl Ives
11. The First Noel - Andy Williams
12. I Know What I Want for Christmas - George Strait
13. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Yolanda Adams
14. Kentucky Homemade Christmas - Kenny Rogers
15. Go Tell It on the Mountain - Andy Griffith
16. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) - Luciano Pavarotti
17. (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays - Barry Manilow
18. Auld Lang Syne - Guy Lombardo

NOW That's What I Call Christmas! 3
Disc 1
1. O Come All Ye Faithful - Nat King Cole
2. Jingle Bells - Frank Sinatra
3. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin
4. My Favorite Things - Tony Bennett
5. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams
6. Silver Bells - Bing Crosby
7. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - Johnny Mathis
8. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - Elvis Presley
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
10. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Ella Fitzgerald
11. Frosty The Snowman - Gene Autry
12. The Little Drummer Boy - Peggy Lee
13. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Burl Ives
14. Winter Wonderland - Louis Armstrong
15. Blue Christmas - Johnny Cash
16. Jingle Bell Rock - Brenda Lee
17. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - The Chipmunks
Disc 2
1. You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft
2. Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys
3. Noel - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
4. Up On The Housetop - The Jackson 5
5. O Holy Night - Al Green
6. Christmas Time Is Here - Dianne Reeves
7. Christmas Is My Favorite Time Of Year - Kenny Rogers
8. Shimmy Down The Chimney (Fill Up My Stocking) - Alison Krauss
9. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Cyndi Lauper
10. Feliz Navidad - Celine Dion
11. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Gloria Estefan
12. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jessica Simpson
13. Merry Christmas, Baby - Christina Aguilera
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) - Mariah Carey
15. Santa Baby - Pussycat Dolls
16. Home - Ne-Yo
17. It Just Don't Feel Like Xmas (Without You) - Rihanna
18. Christmas Wish - Stacie Orrico
19. 12 Days Of Christmas - Relient K