A Caroling We Go

Bing Crosby’s great and all, but this year put a twist on your Christmas music playlist. Instead of throwing a boring Christmas party, pick a unique theme: Spin Sufjan Stevens and serve gluten-free Christmas cookies to your hipster friends; blast holiday music from around the world and have guests share how Christmas is celebrated in their countries of origin; get your Bible study together to celebrate the commercialism of Christianity with the superstars of religious music. Below are some suggestions in various genres, but feel free to create your own playlists. Whether you like Motown, Clay Aiken, or ska music, there’s a Christmas album for you.

Country Christmas
+ All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan, Kenny Chesney
+ Merry Christmas Strait to You, George Strait
+ Christmas in America, Kenny Rogers
+ Home for Christmas, Dolly Parton

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
+ Christmas Time Again, Lynyrd Skynyrd
+ The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, Jethro Tull
+ Merry Axemas, Vol. 2: More Guitars for Christmas

Dance of the Sugar Plums
+ Home for Christmas, ‘N Sync
+ 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of 98 Degrees, 98°
+ 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of Hanson, Hanson
+ 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of New Edition, New Edition
+ Merry, Merry Christmas, New Kids on the Block

Feliz Navidad
+ A Classic Irish Christmas, Irish Tenor Trio
+ Celtic Christmas, Vol. 5: The Millennium Edition
+ Latin Jazz Christmas
+ Halelu Songs of Christmas from Hawaii
+ Christmas in the Caribbean: Holiday Songs Performed on Steel Drums
+ Putumayo Presents: Christmas Around the World
+ Merry Cajun Christmas
+ Kreesmas Collection, Jimmy “Super Greek” Santis

Oh Come All Ye Faithful
+ WOW Christmas [Red]
+ WOW Christmas [Green]
+ Christmas with Yolanda Adams, Yolanda Adams
+ Home for Christmas, Amy Grant
+ The Christmas Collection, Michael W. Smith
+ Christmas, Jaci Velasquez
+ Christmas the Season of Love, 4Him
+ All I Really Want for Christmas, Steven Curtis Chapman
+ Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas, Kirk Franklin & The Family
+ A Mary Mary Christmas, Mary Mary

Hipster Holidays
+ Songs for Christmas, Sufjan Stevens
+ Ultimate Christmas Collection, Johnny Cash
+ An NPR Jazz Christmas with Marian McPartland and Friends, Vol. 3
+ 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of Loretta Lynn, Loretta Lynn
+ One More Drifter in the Snow, Aimee Man
+ Maybe This Christmas, Bright Eyes, Phantom Planet, Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, et al.

My Two Front Teeth: Children’s Christmas
+ A Charlie Brown Christmas, Vince Guaraldi
+ Christmas With the Chipmunks, The Chipmunks
+ The Muppets Green and Red Christmas, The Muppets
+ Veggie Tales: A Very Veggie Christmas, Veggie Tales
+ Disney’s Princess Christmas Album, Disney
+ Strawberry Shortcake: A Berry Merry Christmas
+ Elmo Saves Christmas, Sesame Street

Maids-a-Milking
+ Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey
+ Christmas Through Your Eyes, Gloria Estefan
+ 8 Days of Christmas, Destiny’s Child
+ Rejoyce: The Christmas Album, Jessica Simpson
+ My Kind of Christmas, Christina Aguilera

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
+ A Christmas Gift of Love, Barry Manilow
+ Snowfall, Tony Bennett
+ The Christmas Album, Neil Diamond
+ Christmas Songs by Sinatra, Frank Sinatra
+ Christmas Peace, Elvis Presley

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
+ Music from the O.C.: Mix 3 - Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah
+ Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas, Vonda Shepard
+ Touched by an Angel: The Christmas Album
+ Another Rosie Christmas, Rosie O’Donnell
+ Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Orchestra, Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band
+ The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings, Gene Autry
+ The Regis Philbin Christmas Album, Regis Philbin
+ Christmas with Perry Como, Perry Como
+ How Cool Is That Christmas, Rachael Ray
+ Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics, South Park
+ Christmas on the Ponderosa, Bonanza Original TV Cast

Then One Foggy Christmas Eve: 60s
+ Jingle Bell Rock: An Oldies Rock and Roll Christmas
+ Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Jimi Hendrix
+ Merry Christmas From the Beach Boys, The Beach Boys
+ 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of the Jackson 5, The Jackson 5