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Crosswalk's Favorite Christmas Albums

Crosswalk's Favorite Christmas Albums
Our favorite Christmas albums

Christmas music truly helps define the season. I have always been a huge fan of all Christmas music. The hymns and the standards will always be my favorite. I wanted to put together the Crosswalk.com staffs list of their favorite Christmas albums. To us, these are must haves. So check your list and compare it to ours and make sure youre in the Christmas music loop.

Matthew Turner-Crosswalk.com Music Editor

{{Point of Grace}} ==A Christmas Story==

I am not a {{Point of Grace}} fan. I think they are talented vocalists and entertainers, but wouldnt necessarily be the first in line to buy their album. When I heard they were coming out with a new Christmas album last year, I was a bit skeptical, but decided to give it a try. I think this album is one of the best holiday albums ever made. Its fun yet it never loses the spirit of the season. POG has included many of the standards, the old hymns, but it is the new songs that make this album great. I am always a bit leery of new Christmas songs, yet some of these songs have the capability of being classics. My two favorite songs on the album are One King and Not Too Far From Bethlehem.

Cheryl Johnston-Crosswalk.com Front Page Editor

The Drifters Christmas Album

Im not a huge fan of doo wop, but I happened upon The Drifters Christmas Album in a bin of cheap Christmas CDs a couple of years ago and Id have to say its currently my favorite Christmas CD. I love this album because classics like O Holy Night and Silent Night are sing-along friendly. The artists have stylized White Christmas and O Come All Ye Faithful without making the songs unrecognizable. I've found that even my friends who are most resistant to the silliness of doo wop start singing aloud when I play this CD. The Drifters have a powerful, sincere, comfortable sound I enjoy at Christmas.

Lori Johnston-Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

Various Artists ==The New Young Messiah==

This beautiful Christmas album coincided with a national holiday tour featuring the artists several years ago. With wonderful instrumentals, the album features the voices of {{Steven Curtis Chapman}}, {{BeBe & CeCe Winans}}, {{Wayne Watson}}, {{Larnelle Harris}}, {{Sandi Patty}} and the {{Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir}}. My favorite songs on this album are BeBe & CeCe's For Unto Us a Child Is Born, and Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain, with {{Twila Paris}} and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Parts of the CD honestly give me goose bumps because the songs have such strength in telling the story of our Savior.

Turner Miles-Sales and Marketing

Harry Connick , Jr. When My Heart Finds Christmas

This CD is probably my personal favorite Christmas album. Theres something about the sound of the big band horns that really puts me in the mood to nestle up next to a fire and watch the snow come down. Not to mention, his velvety voice makes me think of Old Blue Eyes himself. This album takes me to New York City in a horse-drawn carriage with visions of ice skaters sliding through Rockefeller Plaza. Harrys voice is truly showcased during track #9, What Child Is This? This album is great to pop in for your annual Christmas Party while the guests mingle, sipping eggnog.

Olivia Johnson-Chat and Forums Assistant

{{Steven Curtis Chapman}} ==The Music of Christmas==

With both traditional and original tunes, {{Steven Curtis Chapman}}s ==The Music Of Christmas== (1995) album is a must-have in any Christmas album collection. The inspirational sound and lyrics Chapman is known for will be sure to boost you into the Christmas spirit and bring to life the warmth of the holidays. The powerful messages ring of the truth and love of Christ Jesus and encourage the heart. With some rhythms upbeat and some soft, there is sure to be a selection that will satisfy your mood. So, check it out this Christmas. And, by the way, it also makes a fabulous gift!

Chrissy Doherty-Customer Service Associate

{{Amy Grant}} ==A Christmas Album==

How can you go wrong with an old classic? When I pull out all my Christmas albums (the day after Thanksgiving!), the first one to go in the CD player is {{Amy Grant}}'s original ==A Christmas Album==. Combining her great voice with a good mix of traditional and original holiday songs, Amy manages to convey both a sacred and a "down-home" spirit through this album. My personal favorite is her rendition of Little Town, a more upbeat, pop style of the old hymn. Heirlooms also brings to mind both family and tradition, keys to truly enjoying the Christmas season. Although it may not be the most trendy Christmas CD available, this CD is a classic that will always be first off my shelf for Christmas!

Steve McGarvey-Editor for the Crosswalk.com Home School and Family Channels

Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas with the Chipmunks
Ah, Christmas. The site of colorful lights. The smells of yummy cookies and fresh-cut fir trees. The sounds of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Christmas just would not be Christmas without the high-pitched crooning of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. These singing rodents have entertained generations of wide-eyed children through the years. Their classic Christmas fanfare is the perfect addition to any Christmas connoisseur's holiday music collection. Who can forget their soulful rendition of Silver Bells? What twenty-something doesn't have fond memories of Alvin's uncooperative antics during the live recording of We Wish You A Merry Christmas? It's all here and much, much more. Nine classic Christmas favorites and one of the first original tunes that made them famous (The Chipmunk Song). All are guaranteed to melt the Scrooge in any yuletide curmudgeon. Will Alvin ever get that hula hoop? How about his two front teeth? Will Dave ever get those silly chipmunks to behave? We may never know. But "Christmas, Christmas time is here ..." and another generation of children can ponder the question. Merry Christmas and an 'oogie' New Year!

Patty Rude-Crosswalk.com Copy Editor

Celine Dion These Are Special Times

Celine Dions Christmas album, These Are Special Times, has been out for a couple of years now, but its still one of the first albums I look for when the holiday season arrives. Its not simply a collection of Christmas standards sung by a popular singer. These Are Special Times embodies the joyous spirit of Christmas, the blessings of family and friendships and reverence for the real reason for the season. Its tough for many singers to carry off O Holy Night or Ave Maria without sounding like theyre trying to be somebody else, but Celine sings these classics as if they were written for her. The pop ballad Another Year Has Gone By has become one of my favorite Christmas-themed love songs, and Dont Save It All For Christmas Day and These Are The Special Times remind me to celebrate my relationships with friends and family. It seems that when Celine prepared for this album, she went beyond the pop-singer requirement to put out a holiday album and really thought about what Christmas means to her. Though The Prayer (the much-played duet with Andrea Bocelli) and Brahms Lullaby arent primarily about Christmas, they fit naturally into the holiday theme. Listen to this album while youre trimming the tree, wrapping gifts or sitting down to Christmas dinner for a little help in celebrating your special times.

Click here for A Christmas Story of Sorts.