For example you could say The Tabernacle Quire or you could say July Andrews...
Anything by Andy Williams. Also the classics by Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Perry Como etc.
Josh Groban’s is pretty good, as far as fairly new ones go. I haven’t looked at any this year.
For something slightly different: Groups like Mannheim Steamroller or Trans-Siberian Orchestra provide Christmas instrumentals.
Anything by John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers.
Johnny Matthis
Johnny Matthis
http://www.tropicalglen.com/Jukebox/Christmas/ChristmasChoice.html
http://www.lala.com/#artist/Christmas_Music
Them and Bing.
I heard about five minutes of Christmas album stuff at a restaurant last Sunday and that is it for me for the season. I can't stand the notion that every recording artist has to put out the same cookie cutter unimaginative Christmas album junk.
One of the very few worth listening to for me is the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Christmas Album. Been out for years. Beautifully arranged and sung, uniquely done, e.g. the Shepherd's Pipe Carol by John Rutter. Compared to this quality all the other stuff is cheap rote trash.
Bah humbug! :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Trilogy-3CD-DVD/dp/B0002Z7RI6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1259929396&sr=8-3
I bought this a few years ago and love it. I heard Christmas Canon on the radio and my husband called them to ask them what the name of the song was. Have been hooked ever since!
All the while I was growing up Christmas music was either this, or what was on the radio, in stores, or at church.
My parents bought a monaural edition, to suit their record player at the time. Decades later I bought a stereo edition and MP3'd it-- it will be played through my home theater from a thumbdrive. Amazin', ain't it?
Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride", in various versions, is just about THE favorite non-religious Christmas song, in my book.
_City on a Hill — It’s Christmas Time_ - City on a Hill
_A Christmas Collection_ - Flute Forte
_A Guitar for Christmas_ - Liona Boyd
_Winter Dreams_ - R. Carlos Nakai
_Christmas Offerings_ - Third Day
_Christmas: From the Realms of Glory_ - Bebo Norman
_A Ransomed Christmas_ - Tom Ransom
Mannheim Steamroller stuff
Moyra Brennan stuff
The albums above are ones that I pretty much love all the songs on, and some of them have my all time favorite Christmas songs.
There are also some specific songs that I absolutely love to hear, but where I either haven’t heard the whole album (i.e., individ. mp3 purchase, have only heard it on the radio) or where I only liked one or two songs on the album...
Indiv. songs _not_ on the albums above:
Breath of Heaven - Sara Groves
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Kim Hill
Silent Night - Joe Sun
Merry Christmas - Michelle Tumes (Her EP album is good overall, just didn’t include above because it’s an EP album)
O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Aaron Shust
Christmas Canon - Trans Siberian Orchestra
green pastures Christmas music favorites, abridged...
James Taylor's album is awesome.
Beach Boys xmas album is an all-time classic.
I like traditional Christmas music sung in a traditional way. I have ten or twelve CDs of just that.
I also love Diana Krall’s Christmas album and “Six String Santa” by Joe Pass.
David Nevue’s “O Come Emmanuel” is excellent.
Several years back I bought a Christmas jazz double CD in the discount rack at Best Buy and it’s outstanding.