My Favorite Holiday Albums!

I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS! LOVE. Most wonderful time of the year! The lights and shimmer create warmth against an otherwise dark night (or evening really...gets dark at 4pm ugh). The music is cheery and hopeful. And those who are not too caught up in the business of it all, can hopefully find time to take it all in and to let their hearts be merry and bright. While I'm a sucker for holiday tunes, I'll be the first to admit that there are a few songs that make me want to shoot myself. For instance, "Christmas Shoes" about a kid's mom dying and meeting Jesus. Real uplifting, no. Especially when sung by a dying cat. Terrible! I prefer my cats alive!


My top holiday albums/artists are as followed:


1. The Rat Pack Christmas to me is the BEST Christmas album ever. I love those crooners, bet your ass I do. Beautiful, timeless sound and kickass personalities. Can't beat it. A few years back I saw some Rat Pack impersonators at BB Kings and it was one of my favorite "concerts" ever. Deano was quite the character, let me say.


2. Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas. Holy mackerel what an album! It's upbeat, jazzy and relaxing all at the same time. Win, win win!!!


3. Perry Como! Love this guy. I used to dance like mad to his holiday tape. "There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays"=Pas de bourree crazy style. Shimmy, shimmy ya!


4. Andy Williams because it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!


5. To satisfy my 90s pop self: the *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey albums. I'd be embarrassed but they're too damn good. I remember pre-ordering the *NSYNC album. That was quite the phase.


6. "Feliz Navidad" but pretty much only the original version. Gracias Jose Feliciano. Good lookin' out.


7. I'm a large fan of Paul McCartney's "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time". The bells are truly delightful.


8. His pal John did a nice job with "Happy Xmas" as well. 


9.Anything classic- Louis Prima, Gene Autry, Bing (though I heard he was a dick to his family), James Brown, Stevie Wonder.


10. Jackson Five Christmas Album. I was quite stoked to receive it as well as the Thriller disc from Santa back in the day. Good times, great oldies. Shimmy shimmy ya.


11. And of course: "Christmas in Hollis" (Run DMC), "Merry Mutha*** Christmas" (Eazy E), and "Santa's Rap" (Treacherous Three ft. Doug E Fresh) because the holidays mean hip hop you don't stop.


So if you're sick of the same ol' on the radio, check out these tunes and feel the merry and bold of the season! What!