My All Time Christmas Song

Christmas music “expert” here!  Retired choir director and audiophile have to disparate recommendations:

Christmas Cocktails Vol.1 and Vol.2. A scream!  Two disc compilations of Capital Records best. Gotta hear Les Brown and his Band of Renown’s version of The Nutcracker Suite.  Beautifully remastered and available on LP as well as CD.  Includes a recipe for a proper Hot Toddy 😋.

”Christmas With the Harvard Glee Club”, John F. Adams, Director.  This LP from 1979 on the Musical Heritage label is a stunning collection of deep-catalog seasonal music for men’s chorus.  Never available on anything other than the original LP, it’s only a few bucks on the usual auction sites.  Worth noting that another LP from this series earned a place on Harry Pearson’s Super Disc List. 

James Taylor at Christmas - Baby, It's Cold Outside. The whole album is good.

This Christmas - Donny Hathaway (R.I.P.)

Thoughts on a line from 'Do You Hear What I Hear':

A child, a child, shivers in the cold

Let us bring him silver and gold

Let us bring him silver and gold...

How about bringing the kid a blanket??!!

This one 

Ignore the MQA

https://tidal.com/track/165535571?u

Jesu Parvule - by The Singer's Unlimited on Christmas - 1972

Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) - by Amy Grant on Home for Christmas - 1992

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", produced by Phil Spector, sung by Darlene Love.

https://youtu.be/4EvZOXEoJ84?si=VFjz4cbqi_YIFod1

Growing up it was Bing Crosby and Mario Lanza which I still play to this day so anything from their Christmas albums.

"Christmas Must be Tonight" The Band

Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? (Official Video) [4K]

Another great Christmas song:  "A Christmas Song" by Jethro Tull:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCxCaK83pOo

Just listened to Celine Dion singing 'O Holy Night.' Wow!

Not a song per se but Handel’s Messiah.  It reminds me of my childhood and hearing my parents playing it.  It would come out every Christmas and get played through the entire four record set.  I just came back from hearing it performed by the NSO at the Kennedy Center.  It was amazingly well done.

I’m partial to the classics.

Bob Rivers’ “Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire” is one of my perennial favorites.

Ho-ho-ho.

O Holy Night by The Coors

"Carol of the Bells", especially the jazz combo version by David Benoit. Also "Please Come Home for Christmas" by Charles Brown. I have his original vinyl stereo LP. It was famously redone by Eagles, but lost it's bluesy vibe.

"Christmas in Paradise" Mary Gauthier 

If anyone is still following...

Old Toy Trains written by Roger Miller and covered by Nana Mouskouri (she has released over 200 albums in at least thirteen languages) is simply wonderful.

@bdp24 - this was always one of my favorites.  Letterman/Darlene Love: Christmas, Baby Please Come Home

https://youtu.be/3I_TcmOxarw?si=jnKtm1DPoXDBzJmN

Thanks @bdgregory, I hadn't seen this performance before. What a voice!

Thank you everyone for your responses, they’ve truly enhanced my holiday playlist 👍 Wishing you all the Best of The Season 🎄🕎🎉🍾🥂👍 🎶🔊👂