Andrew's Favorite Holiday Albums Ever, Updated

 

I am such a Christmas nerd. Winter solstice, too. 

I love learning about all the interfaith connections for all the winter holiday traditions & theologies, especially for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Listening to & dancing to & obsessing over contemporary music also combine as my excessive super nerd hobby. So no surprise that from mid-November through-the-end-of-every-year, it’s Christmas albums & mixtapes, all-day all- the-time. 

This of course is also the season for Best-of-the-year lists, so my annual headphone-habits are over-the-top around now. It was 8 years ago in 2016, I made a list of my favorite Christmas albums. I decided this Christmas Eve to add more! So this is my best-of-Christmas music, ever.

I hope someone, anyone, will go discover some new seasonal music thanks to these lists.

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, happy listening. 

The Newer list

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - American Noel (2008)

Darryl Purpose - The Gift of the Magi (2002)

Jennifer Knapp & Margaret Becker - The Hymns of Christmas (2012)

Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra - Song of Solstice (2010)

Sister Sinjin - Incarnation (2016)

A Winter Union - Sooner After Solstice (2023)

Blackmore’s Night - Winter Carols (2017)

Buddy Greene - December’s Song (2013)

Jason Harrod - Christmas Hymns (2010)

The Soil & Seed Project - Vol. 8 Advent Christmas Epiphany (2023)

The older list! 

Josh Garrels - The Light Came Down (2016)

Beta Radio - The Songs The Season Brings, Vols. 1-4 (2015) 

Anthony Hamilton - Home For The Holidays (2014)

Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong  (2006) and Wonderland (2016) 

Kathy Mattea - Good News (1993) and Joy for Christmas Day (2003)

Elizabeth Mitchell - The Sounding Joy (2013)

Odetta - Christmas Spirituals (1960) 

Staple Singers - 25th Day of December (1962)

John Denver - Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975)

Bruce Cockburn - Christmas (1993)

Sandra McCracken - Christmas (2019)
The McCrary Sisters - A Very McCrary Christmas (2019)
Wilder Adkins - Nativity (2009)

Massive compilation of these albums - 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7jf5y0A6PEVzOynPtpXIlg?si=cf73e83655284b89