[jfreeman373]

I LOVE CHARLIE BROWN! 

[krikor]

James Brown - "Funky Christmas"
Blue Hawaiians - "Christmas on Big Island"
Putumayo Presents - "New Orleans Christmas"

The Blind Boys of Alabama - "Go Tell it on the Mountain"
(featuring Solomon Burke, Tom Waits, Michael Franti, Chrissie Hynde, Richard Thompson, Aaron Neville, George Clinton, Robert Randolph, Mavis Staples and more)

[Scott F.]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Johnny Mathis



A few others I grew up listening to were;
Nat King Cole
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Perry Como
Andy Williams
March Of The Toys - The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin


Some of my current favs are;

Verve Presents: Very Best of Christmas Jazz


Jimmy Buffett - Christmas Island


...and Christmas would be incomplete without Weird Al doing Christmas at Ground Zero

[slinco]

Another vote for Bruce Cockburn's "Christmas". Simply a great record.

[ted_b]

Nothin' against Jimmy Buffett, but that album cover is LAME!!     

[Bigfish]

My wife and I bought 'Christmas Song' by Manheim Steamroller today and it is the best of the Manheim Steamroller Christmas Albums.  I guess my favorite Christmas Album is 'Holiday' by Russ Freeman.

Ken

[sabes]

"Home for Christmas" - Anne Sofie Von Otter

[Oceanfront]

CHICAGO's  What's it gonna be,  Santa ?

[BradJudy]

I usually pull out Bing Crosby, but a couple of my favorite Christmas CDs are two free ones that KBCO (local radio station) sent me with a variety of artists.  Unfortunately they aren't available online to my knowledge.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Aimee Mann's One More Drifter in the Snow, which received several nods in an identical thread on the AV123 forum.  It might not be upbeat like many of the options here, but it's still well done. 

[ecramer]

Dark Noel, Vol. 1 various

[finsup]

OK, coming to this party late so I'd be lyin' if I did not say my favorites weren't already mentioned:

• Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas
• The Judds, Christmas Time With the Judds

So, here are are two runners-up that are getting time in the Christmas rotation:



The duet with K.T. Oslin on Baby It's Cold Outside is one of the sexiest renditions of this song I have heard and his duet with Expose on Jingle Bells makes this othewise somewhat so-so album an annual favorite.

And...


Beautifully performed.  Emotional.

[iGrant]

Santa's Party. I made it

www.notemuseum.com/musicians/santa2007/MP3/

[Scottdazzle]

No contest... Bruce Cockburn's Christmas cd is the one!

I also like John Fahey's instrumentals a lot.