The Best of Christmas Music

So there are a lot of Christmas tunes to choose from. Here are some of my favorite choices.CDS

Relient K-Let It Snow, Let it Reindeer (Gotee/Capitol)
This has gotta be my favorite Christmas CD. With a mix of some great light hearted moments (“Santa Clause is Thumbing…” “I’m Getting Nuttin’ For Christmas”), the remakes of Christmas favorites (I love the new rendition of “Sleigh Ride”, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”) and of course the worshipful moments (the beautifully composed “I Celebrate the Day” and Narnia inspired “In Like a Lion”). Aside from the new track “Boxing Day” which has some strong lyrics but is kind of a downer, this album is pretty solid from beginning to end.

Jars of Clay-Christmas Song (Gray Matters)
Although it’s got some pretty bizarre moments (“Winter Skin”, “Hibernation Day”), Jars of Clay has put together a pretty nice collection of songs. Their renditions of “Wonderful Christmastime” and “I Heard the Bells” add a great touch to a couple of classic and their selection of original material (especially standout track “Love Came Down at Christmas”) are just more reasons to pick this up.

Kevin Max-Holy Night (Infinity)
Kevin Max’s unique voice adds a great touch to a collection of traditional Christmas hymns. “Silent Night” “The First Noel” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”…This collection has all the Christmas classic that one would want. The cool thing is that he doesn’t do much to change the songs, they are pretty traditionally arranged, but that timeless qualities are what make this album so great.

Happy Christmas Vol. 1-4 (Tooth and Nail)
Always great and fun. Check ‘em out.

I’ve also gotten pretty addicted to downloading Christmas songs this year, here are 10 that I would highly recommend.

Carol of the Bells by Thrice- Their rendition is probably my favorite. Such a great song only made better by a great band.

If You Were Born Today by Jimmy Eat World-Although it’s a pretty dismal little tune, the words hit hard and are definitely thought provoking.

Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer by Family Force 5-There’s a few Christmas songs you can find out there by these guys, but this one is them at their holiday best.

What’s This? By Fall Out Boy-This great cover of a Nightmare Before Christmas classic was executed perfectly here.

Forget December by Something Corporate-Such a great song is you have a breakup before Christmas, but regardless, it’s just dang catchy.

Noel by Eve 6-This rock out version of this song is so obnoxious, but I can’t help but like it.
Better Days by Goo Goo Dolls-From their Let Love In album, this song is beautifully written and perfectly reflects our hearts at this time of year (and possibly brings a message that should last year round)

The Hanukah Song by Adam Sandler-Yeah, I’m not Jewish, but this song is always funny.

The Lights and Buzz by Jacks Mannequin-Ah, Christmas in California. It sounds like it could have been a b-side for Everything in Transit but with that great holiday cheer.

O Holy Night by Brand New-such a great rendition by a such a solid band. Something everyone should add to their Christmas list.

Oh, and for the music lovers out there, my picks for the Top Albums of 2007 will be posted on December 13th. Don't miss a few fun music posts before then.