Christmas season is not Christmas without the music to set the mood. Besides the traditional songs, there are other categories you might want to consider, such as classical, country, [[bluegrass music |bluegrass, and rock styles. This page lists ten top album choices, some of which are collections and others are from well-received works from individual artists.

All of the categories mentioned above are included in this list of the Best Christmas music. There are recent albums and classic albums. As a bonus, there are other ways on this page to find other top music releases that foster the holiday mood, including links, blogs and news sections. Other top music choices are listed in the Fast Facts section as well.

Classical Christmas Music:

1. My Christmas by Andrea Bocelli. This album by Bocelli, who holds a Guinness World record for simultaneously holding the first 3 positions on the United States classical album chart in 1999, features many traditional songs that are made better by his rich, distinctive voice, including White Christmas, 'Oh Holy Night, Silent Night and What Child Is This.
2. The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet by Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker suite is a must hear for every holiday season.
3. A Christmas Festival by Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops. A large orchestral production of familiar songs that is, as usual, performed excellently by this famous orchestra.
4. Christmas with the Westminster Choir by the Westminister Choir of Rider College in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. A performace by one of the premier choirs in the United States.
5. A Festival of Carols in Brass by The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble. For brass lovers, this album is a treat. The performances are fluid, smooth and inspiring.

Country and Bluegrass Christmas Music:

1. Country Heat Christmas If you like country music, then this series is one you should have. A total of three albums have been made in this series by current top country singers. You will find traditional songs sung in the style of country as well as original compositions on these albums.
2. White Christmas by Martina McBride. A very popular album that is its third release. The arrangements are traditional and easy to sing along with. There are a total of 19 songs, including one where there is a duet with Dean MartinBaby It's Cold Outside a moving take ofHark the Heralds Angels Sing and a peppy, playful version ofJingle Bells
3. Bluegrass and White Snow by Patty Loveless. If you want to have something different, but very good, buy this album. There are 13 tracks, including traditional songs with an Appalachian twist such asAway in the Manger andSilent Night, as well as some original songs. There are eight classic hymns.
4. A Christmas Present by Merle Haggard. This is perhaps the best country Christmas release of all time by a male singer. These are all originals by this artist, offering an blue-collar viewpoint on the holiday seasons that is insightful.

Traditional Oldies and Collections:

1. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. This album was released in 1963, just two years before his death. The captivating, characteristic smooth baritone voice of Nat King Cole has been a traditional favorite for Christmas holiday music for many years for a reason.
2. The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas. Released in 2001, this 2-CD treasury is a multi-genre collection of some of the best releases of music for Christmas, featuring Bing Crosby's White Christmas, Alabama's 12 Days of Christmas, and Ella Fitzgerald singing Jingle Bells There are 24 tracks in all. If you don't have a basic collection of the classics, this is probably the best there is.
3. Gregorian Christmas Chants by Capella Gregoriana. See the featured video below to listen to one of the tracks on this CD.

Ancient Christian Songs for Advent:

1. On Yoolis Night by Anonymous 4. English plainchant, songs, motets and carols from the medieval period sung by the four female members of this group. Enchanting, graceful and gentle voices mark this album as one of the best within this genre.
2. Gregorian Christmas by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos. This order of Benedictine monks have previously published successful albums containing monophonic chants and medieval plainsong. They have a wide following. This is a very high quality recording.

Other Types:

1. Merry Axemas A collection from various guitar artists, rock and classical guitar that has many interesting and spell-binding instrumental arrangements that put a new twist on traditional favorites. There have been two different CDs released in this series.
2. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller. Release in 1984, this was the first of their platinum Christmas releases. This group combines the styles of classical and light jazz to make compositions that are smooth and pleasant to the ear.
3. Joy to the World by Cynthia Cathcart. An instrumental performance on the ancient wire-strung harp of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, known as a clarsach. The clarsach produces a sound that is bell-like with a beautiful resonance. Cynthia has a studio near Washington, D.C. One of her songs is a featured video on this page. http://www.cynthiacathcart.net/

http://www.singers.com/choral/earlymusicchristmas.html http://www.classicsandjazz.co.uk/plink/Andrea+Bocelli http://www.godweb.org/christmasmusicclassical.php http://oldies.about.com/od/buyersguides/tp/toptenxmascds.htm http://www.last.fm/music/Various+Artists/Country+Heat+Christmas http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/christmasalbums.htm

Amazon top 5:

1. Remembering Christmas by David Benoit
2. A Fresh Aire Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller
3. Christmas in the Aire by Mannheim Steamroller
4. Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller
5. The Christmas Album by Manhattan Transfer http://www.amazon.com/Best-Christmas-Music/lm/1B5OOQQKKRSPN

MTV picks (12/09):

1. Fairytale of New York by the Pogues
2. Christmas at the Zoo by Flaming Lips
3. All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/12/01/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas/