Christmas treeWelcome! You've stumbled upon a page of my notes for a dramatic expansion of my website, Hip Christmas - holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. Feel free to take a look around, but please keep in mind that they are just notes for a work-in-progress. If you find the information useful, please visit the main website and support my work by clicking through to Amazon and iTunes. If you have any suggestions or corrections, please contact me by email.

Safety Harbor Kids Holiday Collection (2009)
- star-studded collection benefits orphans & homeless children; CD sold exclusively at Southern California Best Buy stores

  1. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Sheila E.)
  2. Sleigh Ride (Bryan Senatore)
  3. Mele Kalikimaka (Andy Vargas)
  4. Silver and Gold (Jackson Browne & Inara George)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Valerie Davis)
  6. A Christmas Compromise (Inara George)
  7. The Holidaze (Sara Melson)
    - released in 2012 as a stand-alone single (B009Y8JQLS)
  8. Little Drummer Boy (Andy Vargas)
  9. Feliz Navidad (Chicoa)
  10. Silent Night (Amelia Spicer)
  11. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Bird York)
  12. Very Merry Christmas (Robbyn Kirmsse)
  13. Through A Childs Eyes (Peabo Bryson & Paige O'Hare)
  14. Snow Covered Christmas (Jimmy Webb)
  15. Silver Bells (Valerie Davis)
  16. Jingle Bell Rock (Teresa James)
  17. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Paul Barrere)
  18. Let The Bells Ring (Breakestra)
  19. Winter Wonderland (Billy Idol)

Sampler Claus: A Columbia Stocking Stuffer (Columbia, 1992)
- first of a long, if sporadic, series of promotional samplers

  1. Holiday Greeting (Michael Bolton)
  2. White Christmas (Michael Bolton)
  3. O Holy Night (Neil Diamond)
  4. Merry Christmas Baby ( Bruce Springsteen)
  5. Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern) (Miles Davis with Bob Dorough, 1962)
  6. Holiday Greeting (Joe Public)
  7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Shawn Colvin)
  8. Winter Wonderland (Harry Connick Jr.)
  9. All I Have To Give (George Lamond)
  10. Holiday Greeting (Grover Washington Jr.)
  11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (T Bone Burnett)
  12. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Wynton Marsalis)
  13. Holiday Greeting (Tony Bennett)
  14. medley (Tony Bennett)
  15. A Christmas Love Song (Manhattan Transfer)
  16. Christmas Time Is Here (Surface)
  17. Holiday Greeting (Kenny Loggins)
  18. Wear A Smile At Christmas (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
  19. Deck The Halls (Herbie Hancock)
  20. Jingle Bells (Duke Ellington)
  21. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Frank Sinatra)
  22. Holiday Greeting (Eddie Money)
  23. Peace In Our Time (Eddie Money)

Return of Sampler Claus (Columbia, 1993)

  1. When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick, Jr.)
  2. Joy To The World/Mary Had a Baby (Bruce Cockburn)
  3. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  4. It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time) (Fishbone)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Aretha Franklin)
  6. Jingle Bell Rock (Neil Diamond)
  7. Christmas in My Soul (Laura Nyro)
  8. White Christmas (Michael Bolton)
  9. Christmas Dreaming (A Little Early This Year) (Frank Sinatra)
  10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Shawn Colvin)
  11. Pretty Paper (Roy Orbison, 1963)
  12. My Favorite Things (Dave Brubeck)
  13. Christmas Wish (NRBQ, 1980)
  14. Christmas in September (Darden Smith)
  15. The Decree (Art Garfunkel)
  16. Blue Christmas (Willie Nelson, 1979)
  17. White Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  18. Christmas Tree (Russell Malone)
  19. Peace in the Valley (Johnny Cash)
  20. Winterlude (Bob Dylan)
  21. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Art Carney)

Return of Sampler Claus: Hits from the North Pole (Columbia, 1994) B002Z64PEY
- this is a different edition than the one above - different tracks, different artwork
- note that someone was having a little bit too much fun, assigning the sampler the catalog number of 6666...

  1. Joy To The World (Neil Diamond)
  2. Winter Wonderland (Neil Diamond)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Shawn Colvin)
  4. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (T Bone Burnett)
  5. I Saw Three Ships (Bruce Cockburn)
  6. Mary Had A Baby (Bruce Cockburn)
  7. Silent Night (Nancy Wilson and Kimiko Itoh)
  8. Go Tell It On The Mountain(Kirk Whalum)
  9. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  10. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Tony Bennett)
  11. O Holy Night (Mariah Carey)
  12. When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick Jr.)
  13. What Child Is This (Puff Johnson)
  14. We Three Kings (DC Talk)
  15. Silent Night (Peabo Bryson)
  16. Merry Christmas Baby (Bruce Springsteen)
  17. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen)

Sampler Claus, Vol. III (Sony, 1998)
- so, technically speaking this is the fourth volume....

  1. O Holy Night (Mariah Carey)
  2. Sleigh Ride (Harry Connick Jr.)
  3. White Christmas (Kenny Loggins)
  4. Silent Night (Shawn Colvin)
  5. Silver Bells (Neil Diamond)
  6. This Christmas (Jagged Edge)
  7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Wynton Marsalis)
  8. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra)
  10. If It Doesn't Snow On Christmas (Joe Pesci)
  11. Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) (Grover Washington Jr.)
  12. River (Peter White & Kenny Lattimore)
  13. The Christmas Song (Tony Bennett)
  14. Ave Maria (Barbra Streisand)
  15. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen)

Sampler Claus 2006 (Columbia, 2006)

  1. From A Distance (Christmas version) (Bette Midler)
  2. Home For The Holidays (Destiny's Child)
  3. Welcome To Our World (Chris Rice)
  4. Jesus, What A Wonderful Child (John Legend)
  5. I Really Don't Want Much For Christmas (Chris Botti featuring Eric Benet)
  6. River (James Taylor)
  7. Winter Wonderland (Harry Connick, Jr.)
  8. Merry Little Christmas (Mary Mary)
  9. Everybody Knows (Israel And New Breed)
  10. O Holy Night (Mariah Carey)
  11. Joy To The World (Neil Diamond)
  12. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen)
  13. Sleep In Heavenly Peace (Silent Night) (Barbra Streisand)
  14. Medley (Tony Bennett)
  15. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra)
  16. When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick, Jr.)
  17. Joy To The World (Mariah Carey)
  18. Christmas Time Is Here (Mercyme)
  19. Merry Christmas Baby (Bruce Springsteen)
  20. White Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  21. O Holy Night (Johnny Mathis)

Santa & Satan: One And The Same? (1994)
- alternative- and punk-leaning compilation from Dr. Dream Records

  1. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (Bitch Funky Sex Machine)
  2. Frosty The Snowman (Tiny Lights)
  3. Hooray For Santy Claus! (Swamp Zombies)
  4. Mr. Grinch (D.I)
  5. If Every Day Were Like Christmas (Joyride)
  6. Silent Night (Cisco Poison)
  7. Santa's On The Nod (The Grabbers)
  8. Blue Christmas (Welt)
  9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Tiki Tones)
  10. Feliz Navidad (Manic Hispanic)
  11. Here Comes Santa Claus (Splntr)
  12. Santa's Elves (Crash Kills Four!)

Santa, Baby! (soundtrack, 2001)
- animated film with Eartha Kitt, Vannessa Williams, Patti LaBelle

  1. Santa Baby (Eartha Solo) (Eartha Kitt)
  2. Jingle Bells (Vanessa Williams)
  3. Deck the Halls (Eartha Kitt, Patti Labelle, Vanessa Williams & Gregory Hines)
  4. Heart and Soul of Christmas (Reprise) (Patti LaBelle)
  5. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Eartha Kitt)
  6. Silent Night (Eartha Kitt, Patti Labelle, Vanessa Williams & Gregory Hines)
  7. Santa Baby (Trio Version) (Patti LaBelle, Vanessa Williams & Eartha Kitt)
  8. Every Time I See a Santa (Gregory Hines)
  9. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Eartha Kitt)
  10. Pick Me! (Eartha Kitt, Patti Labelle, Vanessa Williams & Gregory Hines)
  11. Heart and Soul of Christmas (Gregory Hines)
  12. Santa Baby (Club Mix) (Eartha Kitt)

Santa Baby: 24 Festive Favorites (Prism, 2005)
- imported collection of hip-leaning lounge favorites
- I owned this for a while, but it turned out to be just another badly mastered public domain compilation
- it actually did include dates for the tracks, but most of them turned out to be wrong...
- with the exception of the Artie Shaw track, which has never been compiled on a respectable collection, or even compiled much at all (which is weird), the presence of a number of post-war English pop stars (as noted below) is it's only real distinction, and, for me, and, that's not necesarily a point in it's favor... That said, I kept copies of all of the tracks I didn't have elsewhere for reference's sake when I someday (may, eventually) review the album...
- having said all that, the Lita Roza song is certainly unusual - it's a song neither well known nor widely covered - and it doesn't totally suck... it resembles (probably on purpose) "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page, both in its musical approach and its theme of lost love...
- the label appears to have taken a number of these from Songs Of Christmas Past (London Records, UK, 1986)

  1. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  2. Frosty the Snowman (Nat King Cole, 1950)
  3. Sleigh Ride (Bing Crosby, 1952)
  4. Winter Wonderland (Perry Como, 1946)
  5. The Merry Christmas Polka (Andrews Sisters, 1949)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Frank Sinatra, 1947)
  7. St. Nicholas Waltz (Lita Roza, 1953)
    - b-side of London single "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot"
  8. Santo Natale (Merry Christmas) (David Whitfield, 1954)
    - Decca single b/w "Adeste Fideles" (below)
  9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Billy Cotton & His Band, 1953)
    - Decca single b/w "The Queen's Highway"
    - vocals by the Mills Girls and the Bandits
  10. Jingle Bells (Artie Shaw & His Orchestra, 1950)
    - Decca single b/w "White Christmas"
    - vocal chorus by the Chickering Four
  11. The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (Nat King Cole, 1953)
  12. Snow (from "White Christmas") (Bing Crosby, 1954)
  13. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra, 1947)
  14. Happy Holiday (Bing Crosby, 1942)
  15. Blue Christmas (Ernest Tubb, 1949)
  16. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry, 1949)
  17. Silver Bells (Margaret Whiting, 1950)
  18. Little Jack Frost Get Lost (Bing Crosby, 1952)
  19. Away In a Manger (Anne Shelton, 1948)
    - Decca single b/w "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)"
  20. Adeste Fideles (David Whitfield, 1954)
    - b-side of Decca single "Santo Natale (Merry Christmas)" (above)
  21. Ave Maria (Mario Lanza, 1955)
  22. Christmas In Killarney (Bing Crosby, 1951)
  23. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Les Brown featuring Doris Day, 1946)
  24. White Christmas (from "White Christmas") (Bing Crosby, 1954)

A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas (2003)
- benefits the Pediatric AIDS Foundation
- mostly newly recorded with a few tracks pulled from earlier sources

  1. Christmas in Hollis (The A.K.A.'s, 2003)
  2. Forget December (Something Corporate, 2002)
  3. December is For Cynics (The Matches, 2003)
  4. I Won't Be Home For Christmas (Blink 182, 1998)
  5. Feed The World (Do They Know It's Christmas) (Far featuring Chino Moreno, 2003)
  6. Yule Shoot Your Eye Out (Fall Out Boy, 2003)
  7. Christmas Night Of The Zombies (MXPX, 2003)
  8. X12 Days of XXXMASX (From First To Last, 2003)
  9. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Matchbook Romance, 2003)
  10. Ex-Miss (New Found Glory, 2001)
  11. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (Acceptance, 2003)
  12. Christmas Time Is Here (Gatsby's American Dream, 2003)
  13. Sleigh Bells and Wine (Jason Gleason of Further Seems Forever, 2003)
  14. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (InMemory, 2003)
  15. This Time Of Year (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2001)
  16. I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Clause (Standstill, 2003)
  17. A Cradle In Bethlehem (The Beautiful Mistake, 2003)
  18. Icicles (Punchline, 2003)
  19. Mookie's Last Christmas (Saosin, 2003)
  20. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (The Red West, 2003)
  21. Santa's Got a Mullet (Nerf Herder, 2000)
    - hidden track following four silent tracks...

A Santa Cause 2: It's A Punk Rock Christmas (2006)
- benefits Cure Autism Now
- unlike the first volume, these tracks appear to be all newly recorded

  1. All I Want for Christmas (Dave Melillo)
  2. New Years Day (Tyler Read)
  3. Holly Jolly Christmas (The Format )
  4. Feliz Navidad (It Dies Today)
  5. It's Cold Out There (Spitalfield)
  6. Joey Had a Smoke (Meg & Dia)
    - if this song has anything to do with Christmas, I was not able to discern what...
  7. Stay (Down to Earth Approach)
  8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Daphne Loves Derby)
  9. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (Hot Rod Circuit)
    - sometimes listed as "The War is Not Over," but it's definitely a cover of the John Lennon song
  10. A Wonderful Christmas Time (June)
  11. Christmas on the Coast (A Change of Pace)
  12. Last Christmas (The Finals)
  13. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Far-Less)
  14. Gary The Green Nosed Reindeer (MC Lars)
  15. O' Holy Night (Umbrellas)
  16. O' Come Emanuel (Haste the Day)
  17. Not Giving In (Rediscover)
  18. Christmas in Ohio (Brandtson)
  19. Father Christmas (Action Action)
  20. Cities Made of Snow (Brazil)
  21. Blue Christmas (Flee the Seen)
  22. Tell Me Is It Christmas (Gone By Daylight)

A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas (2007)
- 2-CD set compiling above two albums, but omitting most of the liner notes and annotation...
- benefits Cure Autism Now
- first volume is included without change, including Nerf Herder's hidden track, so it actually has 45 tracks - not 44 as stated on the cover...
- the second volume is changed significantly
- overall, it has two more tracks and a completely different running order
- specifically, it omits two tracks (by the Umbrellas and Flee the Seen) from the previous stand-alone edition while adding four new tracks (by Agent Sparks, Sugarcult, As Tall As Lions, and Scary Kids Scaring Kids)

  1. Christmas in Hollis (The A.K.A.'s, 2003)
  2. Forget December (Something Corporate, 2002)
  3. December is For Cynics (The Matches, 2003)
  4. I Won't Be Home For Christmas (Blink 182, 1998)
  5. Feed The World (Do They Know It's Christmas) (Far featuring Chino Moreno, 2003)
  6. Yule Shoot Your Eye Out (Fall Out Boy, 2003)
  7. Christmas Night Of The Zombies (MXPX, 2003)
  8. X12 Days of XXXMASX (From First To Last, 2003)
  9. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Matchbook Romance, 2003)
  10. Ex-Miss (New Found Glory, 2001)
  11. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (Acceptance, 2003)
  12. Christmas Time Is Here (Gatsby's American Dream, 2003)
  13. Sleigh Bells and Wine (Jason Gleason of Further Seems Forever, 2003)
  14. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (InMemory, 2003)
  15. This Time Of Year (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2001)
  16. I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Clause (Standstill, 2003)
  17. A Cradle In Bethlehem (The Beautiful Mistake, 2003)
  18. Icicles (Punchline, 2003)
  19. Mookie's Last Christmas (Saosin, 2003)
  20. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (The Red West, 2003)
  21. Santa's Got a Mullet (Nerf Herder, 2000)
    ---
  22. Last Christmas (The Finals, 2006)
  23. Feliz Navidad (It Dies Today, 2006)
  24. Joey Had a Smoke (Meg & Dia, 2006)
  25. Christmas on the Coast (A Change of Pace, 2006)
  26. New Years Day (Tyler Read, 2006)
  27. All I Want for Christmas (Dave Melillo, 2006)
  28. A Wonderful Christmas Time (June, 2006)
  29. Gary The Green Nosed Reindeer (MC Lars, 2006)
  30. Not Giving In (Rediscover, 2006)
  31. Pitter Patter On The Rooftop Surprise (Agent Sparks, 2007)
  32. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (Hot Rod Circuit, 2006)
  33. O' Come Emanuel (Haste the Day, 2006)
  34. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Daphne Loves Derby, 2006)
  35. Holly Jolly Christmas (The Format, 2006)
  36. It's Cold Out There (Spitalfield, 2006)
  37. Tell Me Is It Christmas (Gone By Daylight, 2006)
  38. Stay (Down to Earth Approach, 2006)
  39. Cities Made of Snow (Brazil, 2006)
  40. Christmas in Ohio (Brandtson, 2006)
  41. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Far-Less, 2006)
  42. Father Christmas (Action Action, 2006)
  43. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Sugarcult, 2007)
  44. Christmas Song (As Tall As Lions, 2007)
  45. What A Wonderful World (Scary Kids Scaring Kids, 2007)

A Santa Causes: It's A Pop Rock Christmas (2012)
- not a typo... it says "Causes"
- Japanese release on the Twilight label continuing the "Santa Cause" series (above)

  1. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Quietdrive)
  2. Last Christmas (New Breed)
  3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Cash Cash)
  4. Christmas Eve (Lost)
  5. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Alex Goot)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Five New Old)
  7. Happy Ｘmas (War Is Over) (Cartel)
  8. Winter Song (Swanky Dank)
  9. Shake Up Christmas (Larzz)
    - Train cover
  10. Wonderful Christmastime (Holiday Parade)
  11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Runner Runner)
  12. Frosty The Snowman (sfpr)
  13. Christmas In Hollis (Saprize)
  14. Merry Christmas Happy Holidays (Stereo Skyline)
    - N'Sync cover
  15. Here Comes Santa Claus (My Last December)
  16. Christmas Time Is Here (Hawthorne Heights)
  17. We Wish You A Merry Christmas(Fat Prop)
  18. Winter Wonderland (The Hype Theory)
  19. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Drive Far)
  20. Silent Night (Bonaventure)

Santa Claus Blues (1988)
- 23 tracks of vintage jazz and swing from Jass Records

  1. The Santa Claus Blues (Clarence Williams' Blue Five with Louis Armstrong)
  2. Christmas Morning Blues (Victoria Spivey)
  3. Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back (Ozie Ware with Duke Ellington's Hot Five)
  4. Winter Wonderland (Ted Weems & His Orchestra, vocal by Parker Gibbs, 1934)
  5. Jingle Bells (Benny Goodman)
  6. Santa Clause Came In The Spring (Putney Dandridge and His Swing Band)
  7. What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everyone Swingin'?) (Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang)
  8. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller And His Rhythm)
  9. I Want You For Christmas (Dick Robertson)
  10. Good Morning Blues (I Want To See Santa Claus) (Count Basle)
  11. Ev'ry Day's A Holiday (Al Bowlly)
  12. Meet Me Under The Mistletoe (Dick Robertson)
  13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Woody Herman)
  14. Happy New Year, Baby (Johnny Otts)
  15. Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney (Ella Fitzgerald)
  16. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Lionel Hampton)
  17. Merry Christmas, Baby (Lionel Hampton)
  18. The Christmas Song (Jack Teagarden)
  19. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong With The Commanders)
  20. Zat You, Santa Claus (Louis Armstrong with The Commanders)
  21. Christmas In New Orleans (Louis Armstrong with The Commanders)
  22. Christmas Night In Harlem (Louis Armstrong with Benny Carter's Orchestra)
  23. The Night Before Christmas-A Poem (Louis Armstrong)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/Frosty The Snowman (soundtrack, 2002)
- two Rankin & Bass animated TV specials, 1970 & 1969 respectively

- see entry under "Frosty"

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town: A Family Christmas (Compass, 2007)

- see Compass Productions -

Santa Claus Is Rockin' and Swinging (2009)
- I think these dates are, in some cases, very loose guesses... beware...

Disc 1- Merry Christmas Baby

  1. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  2. Merry Christmas Baby (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  3. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  4. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms, 1957)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Connie Francis, 1958)
  6. Sleigh Bell Rock (Three Aces & A Joker, 1960)
  7. White Christmas (The Drifters, 1954)
  8. I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (Brenda Lee, 1956)
  9. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Mabel Scott, 1948)
  10. Santa Bring My Baby Back (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  11. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  12. Christmas Boogie (Sugar Chile Robinson, 1951)
  13. Rock & Roll Christmas (Cordell Jackson, 1957)
  14. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  15. Christy Christmas (Brenda Lee, 1956)
  16. Hey Santa Claus (The Moonglows, 1953)
  17. Santa Claus Boogie (The Voices, 1955)
  18. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  19. Papa Noel (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  20. I Want Elvis For Christmas (The Holly Twins, 1956)

Disc 2 - Here Comes Santa Claus

  1. Rock 'n' Rudolph (The Uniques, 1963)
  2. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley, 1958)
  3. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong, 1952)
  4. Frosty The Snowman (Gene Autry, 1950)
  5. The 12 Days Of Christmas (Connie Francis, 1958)
  6. The Rockin' Tree (Marguerita Trina, 1958)
  7. Happy New Year Baby (Johnny Otis, 1956)
  8. White Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1958)
  9. I Saw Mommy Kissin' Santa Claus (Blake Shadman, 1958)
  10. Santa To The Moon (Sonny Cole, 1958)
  11. North Pole Rock (Cathy Sharpe, 1956)
    - Bear Family says 1959...
  12. Reindeer Rock (The Sportsmen, 1957)
  13. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Elvis Presley, 1958)
  14. Ring Those Christmas Bells (Peggy Lee, 1957)
  15. Santa Claus Won't Come This Year (Charlie Stewart, 1957)
  16. The First Noel (Connie Francis, 1958)
  17. Jingle Rock (The Orbits, 1957)
  18. Silent Night (Elvis Presley, 1958)
  19. I Just Go Nuts At Christmas (Yorgi Yorgesson, 1949)
  20. I Want To Spend Christmas With Elvis (Marlene Paula, 1956)

Santa Claus: The Movie (soundtrack, 1985)
- starring Dudley Moore, David Huddleston, and John Lithgow, produced by Alexander Salkind
- film score by Henry Mancini, including some songs in collaboration with lyricist Leslie Bricusse
- performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra with vocals by the Ambrosian Children’s Choir, Aled Jones, and Sheena Easton
- limited edition 3-CD reissue offered by www.screenarchives.com (2009) featuring the complete score (tracks 1-34), extras (outtakes and alternarte versions, tracks 35-51), and the 1985 album (tracks 52-64)

  1. Main Title: Every Christmas Eve / Santa’s Theme
  2. North Star/ Arrival of the Elves
  3. Santa’s New Home
  4. The Magic Workshop
  5. Reindeer Stable
  6. Making Toys (film version)
  7. Season’s Greetings
  8. The Ancient One
  9. Santa Claus / First Sleigh Ride / Christmas Rhapsody
  10. Naughty or Nice (does not appear in the film)
  11. Into the XXTH Century
  12. It’s Christmas Again
  13. March of the Elves
  14. Table Scraps
  15. A New Sleigh Ride / Santa Meets Joe
  16. Sleigh Ride Over Manhattan
  17. Cornelia’s Home
  18. Bad Toys
  19. Sad Patch
  20. Vanishing Elf
  21. No Free Toys
  22. Present for Joe
  23. Patch, Natch!
  24. Patchmobile / Patch Versus Santa
  25. Lollipop Flight
  26. Stronger Formula
  27. The World Is Different
  28. A New Doll
  29. Eavesdropping
    ---
  30. Letter From Cornelia
  31. Elf Portrait
  32. Flight From Police
  33. To the North Pole / Super Duper Looper / Reunited Again
  34. End Titles: Thank You, Santa (does not appear in the film)
  35. Every Christmas Eve (Alternate Lyrics)
  36. Making Toys (Children’s Choir)
  37. Making Toys (Carousel Version)
  38. Making Toys (Men’s Choir)
  39. Making Toys (Instrumental Alternate)
  40. Patch Versus Santa (Alternate)
  41. To the North Pole (Alternate)
  42. Thank You, Santa (Alternate Vocal)
  43. Every Christmas Eve (Instrumental Version)
  44. It’s Christmas Again (Instrumental Version)
  45. It’s Christmas Again (Christmas Bells)
  46. Chopin’s Waltz (Source)
  47. Patch, Natch! (Instrumental Version)
  48. Thank You, Santa (Instrumental Version)
  49. Patch Toys (Percussion Insert)
  50. Christmas Jingles (Rehearsal)
  51. Making Toys (TV Spot)
    ---
  52. Main Title: Every Christmas Eve / Santa’s Theme (vocal by Aled Jones)
  53. Arrival of the Elves
  54. Making Toys (vocal by the Ambrosian Children’s Choir)
  55. Christmas Rhapsody
  56. It’s Christmas Again (vocal by the Ambrosian Children’s Choir)
  57. March of the Elves
  58. Patch, Natch! (vocal by the Ambrosian Children’s Choir)
  59. It’s Christmas All Over the World (Sheena Easton)
  60. Shouldn’t Do That
    - doesn't appear on some versions I've seen...
  61. Sleigh Ride Over Manhattan
  62. Sad Patch
  63. Patch Versus Santa
  64. Thank You, Santa (vocal by the Ambrosian Children’s Choir)

The Santa Clause (soundtrack, 1995)
- except as noted, all tracks are incidental music by Michael Convertino
- by the time it got to MP3, the Yello and Drifters cuts had been excised ...

  1. Jingle Bells (Yello)
  2. White Christmas (Drifters)
  3. Let's Go
  4. Believing Is Seeing
  5. Sash Completes The Ensemble
  6. Flight
  7. Weighless
  8. Away to the Window
  9. The Bells of Christmas (Loreena McKennitt)
  10. Listen
  11. Goodnight, Goodnight... Don't Forget the Fire Extinguisher
  12. Visitation
  13. Rose Suchak Ladder
  14. List
  15. Elves with Attitude
  16. Someone In Wrapping
  17. Near Capture
  18. Comfort and Joy
  19. Not Over Any Oceans
  20. Christmas Will Return (Brenda Russell & Howard Hewitt)
    - written by Jimmy Webb

The Santa Clause II (soundtrack, 2002)
- a mixture of new and relatively classic tunes, with score by George S. Clinton

  1. Everybody Loves Christmas (Eddie Money & Ronnie Spector)
  2. Santa Claus Lane (Hilary Duff)
  3. Santa's Got a Brand New Bag (SheDaisy)
  4. Jingle Bells (Brian Setzer)
  5. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  6. Zat You Santa Claus (Louis Armstrong)
  7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)
  8. Blue Holiday (Shirelles)
  9. Unwritten Christmas (Unwritten Law with Sum 41)
  10. I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (Brenda Lee)
  11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Steve Tyrell)
  12. North Pole (score) (George S. Clinton)

Santaclaustrophobia (Popllama cassette, 1983)
- not so much a various artists collection as a collective recording including members of such Seattle bands as the Fastbacks and Young Fresh Fellows
- the tapes and covers are clearly handmade, and I suspect it was made mostly for the artists involved and/or label runner Conrad Uno's friends and family
- unlike "Astray In The Manger" (1982), this one specifies who sings and plays on the individual tracks, albeit in teeny tiny type...
- the first Green Monkey compilation includes a couple of these tracks (*) and a couple from "Astray In The Manger"; it credits them all to the "Popllama AllStars"

  1. Fine Fine Christmas Time
  2. Christmas Star *
  3. (I Think I'll Put) His Love On My List
  4. Wrapped Up In Christmas *
  5. Christmas Takes A Holiday
  6. Christmas In My Heart
  7. Daddy-O St. Nick
  8. Another Christmas, Another Ghost
  9. Yuletide Me Over
  10. It Won't Be Christmas (If I Can't Have You)
  11. Too Many Santas
  12. Santaclaustrophobia
  13. St. Nick's A Dick
  14. 12 Guitars Of Christmas

Santa Swings (Louisiana Red Hot, 1999)
- hot wax from 1930's and 40's
- I owned this CD for 20 years before I really read the liner notes and realized it was digitally enhanced into "surround sound"...
- I am chagrined to admit that I think it's because I mixed up the Robert Parker credited on the cover with Robert Palmer, the music writer (not, I hasten to add, Robert Palmer, the singer)...
- Robert Parker (who died in 2004, not too long after compiling this CD) was an Australian sound engineer, jazz expert and broadcaster who developed a system for transferring recordings to digital media, eliminating noise, and adding stereo imaging
- Parker was best known for his radio show, Jazz Classics in Digital Stereo, and he issued a lengthy series of compact discs under that name - though not this one...
- I'm something of a purist, and I have come to dislike noise reduction - at least in the hands of amateurs - but there's an argument to be made that Parker was revealing the music, not altering it; case in point, his rendering of Dick Robertson's "I Want You for Christmas" is revelatory compared to Jass' transfer on "Santa Claus Blues"; it's cleaner and clearer, revealing details about the recording previosuly unheard
- my main complaint is the vocals are inevitably placed farther back in the mix and, therefore, generally less audible; hard to say if that was on purpose, or due to the unwise addition of some reverb, or merely an artifact the process, but it is genuinely inauthentic...
- overall, more enjoyable, less annoying than I thought - certainly not as egregious as, say, colorizing black and white movies...
- concerning Glenn Miller's "Jingle Bells" - the verse about Mexico (sung by Ernie Caceres) is from the original, unedited session (available on "Santa Swings"). At some point, someone came along and excised the entire verse, reducing the length of the track by about 22 seconds. This is the version more widely compiled, including on "The Most Fabulous Christmas Album Ever!" For the edited version, RCA juiced up the master tape, too, making it sound much brighter and present - which led me to think at first it was a different session altogether.

  1. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller)
  2. Jingle Bells (Glenn Miller Orchestra featuring Tex Beneke and Ernie Caceres)
  3. At the Christmas Ball (Bessie Smith)
  4. Santa Claus Blues (The Red Onion Jazz Babies featuring Louis Armstrong)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Ted Weems & His Orchestra, vocal by Parker Gibbs, 1934)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, vocals by Cliff Weston and Edythe Wright)
  7. Jingle Bells (Benny Goodman & His Orchestra)
  8. Christmas Night in Harlem (Paul Whiteman Orchestra featuring Johnny Mercer and Jack Teagarden)
  9. Every Day's a Holiday (Al Bowlly)
  10. White Christmas (Charlie Spivak Orchestra, vocal by Garry Stevens)
  11. I Want You for Christmas (Dick Robertson)
  12. Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
  13. Gin for Christmas (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra)
  14. Good Morning Blues (Count Basie Orchestra, vocal by Jimmy Rushing)
  15. Jingle Bells (Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters)
  16. All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth (Spike Jones, vocal by George Rock)

Santa Swings... The Windup: A Stocking Full Of Shellac Dust (2023)
- part of Bear Family's larger Season's Greetings series

Start of a review: The first installment of Bear Family's holiday series, Big City Christmas (2016), cherry-picked digitally remastered Christmas tracks from Bear Family's vast, legally-licensed catalog of enormous boxed sets. It made a couple dozen really rare tracks accessible and affordable to working class collectors like you and me. Slowly, however, Bear Family began dipping into Europe's deep well of public domain recordings to fill out subsequent volumes. Within a few years, I began telling readers that what began as a goldmine had devolved into the world's best-curated public domain compilations.

Starting this year, I'm not even sure I'd say that. There are still some gems - and the liner notes and annotation remain solid - but the track selection has some glaring issues. Right off the bat, they repeat a track from an earlier installment: Louis Prima's "What Will Santa Claus Say" previously appeared on Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas (2018). Then, they repeat two titles, "And The Angels Sing" and "I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music," within the current volume. Most annoyingly, a very high percentage of these songs - including both of the aforementioned - are definitively not Christmas songs. A few, like Louis Armstrong's "Snow Ball," allude to winter weather. Others are just plain ol' gospel songs. Some, like Stuff Smith's "Robins And Roses," don't even get that far. The liner notes have the nerve to describe that track as "uplifting... just like the Spirit of Christmas!" I mean, come on! By that definition, what isn't a Christmas song?

Lots of the tracks on Santa Swings are transfered from noisy, worn 78's. Welcome to the public domain. More egregiously, at least one of the recordings is arguably defective. I was surprised when Don Redman's "Auld Lang Syne" smoothly faded out like a modern recording - that was something that almost never happened in the early days of recording. Suspicious, I spent a few minutes sleuthing the interwebs and quickly discovered that Bear Family's master fades significantly before the end of the record when Redman's arrangement comes to a full stop.

So, well curated? Nope. A pretty package and a hefty track list - both Bear Family trademarks - don't matter a lot when a whole lot when some of those tracks are just crap they scammed of the internet. There's still some value here and, admittedly, most of these songs exist nowhere else in my rather large collection. But if, like me, your time, space, and discretionary spending have their limits, Bear Family collections like Santa Swings are no longer a worthy investment.

Santa's Bag: An All-Star Jazz Christmas (1994)
- new recordings from distinguished roster of Telarc Records

  1. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Ray Brown Trio featuring Benny Green)
  2. Good King Wenceslas (Mel Torme)
  3. Away In A Manger (George Shearing)
  4. Silver Bells (Jimmy McGriff & the Hank Crawford Quartet)
  5. Christmas Blues (Joe Williams)
  6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Jeanie Bryson & Kenny Barron)
  7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Dave Brubeck)
  8. Jingle Bells (Travelin' Light) (Frank Vignola)
  9. White Christmas (Bobby Short)
  10. O Tannenbaum (Jim Hall)
  11. Blue Christmas (Michele Hendricks)
  12. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Hilton Ruiz)
  13. It's The Time Of Year (Louie Bellson Big Band)

Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party (Tramp, 2011) B005SZ1NGM
- as of 2022, all were available in CD, vinyl, and download in Bandcamp, while the Amazon listings were kind of a mess...
- I wrote to the label (info@tramprecords.com) after the first volume came out and asked the following four questions, to which they responded with a generic press release, the text of which follows the track listing and was later used as release notes on Bandcamp; while there's some great stuff on all four volumes (each more obscure than the preceding), these types of problems persisted and the questions remained unanswered...
1) What about dates of the recordings? The people who buy your sort of records want to know historical details!
2) Why only 13 tracks? That's awfully short.
3) Did you have access to the master tapes for the long, uninterrupted versions of the Vernon Garrett and Count Sidney tracks? Were they already that way, or did you create the long versions in the studio? I have the Count Sidney 45-rpm single and, of course, it splits the two halves across the two sides of the record. If you did create them of your own volition - good job! I cannot spot the edit. However, that would be messin' with history, and I'd caution you to refrain from that.
4) What's the deal the Buchanan & Goodman track? I love that record, but it can hardly be considered funk or soul. Regardless, why on earth would you not include the second half? I mean, the track actually ends with the phrase "Turn the record over and find out!"

Release notes: Christmas compilations are often cheesy, smooth selections of bland, overplayed seasonal pabulum. Even announced with "funky" or "groovy", it often leaves listeners disappointed. So were producers Jan Kohlmeyer and Tobias Kirmayer. First, they were bugged out by the all-filler-no-killer compilations. The second and more important reason was that of the considerable number of proper "rare groove" tunes recorded and released in the 1960s and `70s, many languished in obscurity. The pair started a collaboration to create a funky-soul Xmas Compilation.

The project started in 2010 when Jan illustrated the diversity of more than 50 Christmas tunes in the field of Jazz, Funk and Soul to Tobias Kirmayer of Tramp Records, Germany. Although some of the titles had already been compiled, there were exceptional songs that grabbed their attention. Major record companies owned a handful of the initially pre-selected songs. The Majors refused or ignored Jan and Tobias's repeated requests for licensing. Where other labels would have given up in despair, Jan and Tobias were determined to move forward with the project independently.

Again, this story underlines the philosophy of Tramp Records: Tobias always tries to present an exciting track listing of so far unheard songs. This Xmas Compilation stands in line with that. All songs are from mostly little-to-unknown artists who have yet to make it to a world-wide audience. Despite the fact that these terrific songs never topped the charts the quality of this compilation easily shakes hands with famous Christmas records of major artists like James Brown or Lou Rawls. Ladies and gentlemen, sing along, shake your hips and dance because: Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party is goin' on.

Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party, Vol. 2 (Tramp, 2013) B00F434IME

  1. Deck The Halls (Little Jimmy Thomas)
  2. Christmas Is A Drag (Jimmy Jones & His Versatiles)
  3. A Letter For Christmas (The Salem Travelers)
  4. Snow (Like The Snow) (Tina Roberts)
  5. Jingle Bells Cha Cha (Pearl Bailey)
  6. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (The Beginning Of The End)
  7. Snowmans Stomp (Steve Gray)
  8. What The World Needs For Christmas (Meditation Singers)
  9. Jingle Bells (Part 1) (Rev. T.L. Barrett featuring the Youth For Christ Choir)
  10. Jingle Bells (Part 2) (Rev. T.L. Barrett featuring the Youth For Christ Choir)
  11. Santafly (Martin Mull featuring the Sondra Baskin Glee Club)
  12. Santa Claus, Jr. (Jim Cagle)
  13. Merry Christmas Baby (Short Stuff)
  14. Black Christmas (Don Smith)
  15. Xmas Commercial Blues (Nancy Lee featuring Al Johnson & Soul-Jers)
  16. Lonely Christmas Tears (Bobby Allen & Exceptions)

Release notes: To be honest, Christmas music on earthly radio seems to be the worst in the Milky Way. Just imagine an alien picking up our radio waves on his journey through the galaxy – what would he think of our conception of Christmas music? Having such an impression of our cultural heritage, would he land on planet earth at all? Being extraordinarily tolerant and broad-minded, Paul did - and luckily, I got to meet him.

Paul admits – unlike other extraterrestrials – that the human race might be able to survive on its own. This makes me appreciate him more than other aliens. And when it comes to exceptional musical taste, Paul and I have even more in common. In the past centuries, Paul has celebrated innumerable Christmas seasons across the universe. Of all things, this year it is planet earth that has something seasonal to offer - something the galaxy has never seen before. Yuletide nerd Jan Kohlmeyer has put together an amazing collection of hip-shaking Christmas songs. Despite Paul's advanced age and wealth of experience, he has never encountered such an impressive selection. Not in the entire universe.

Asking Paul about this compilation puts a big smile on his face: Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 2 is simply intergalactic! There is no better instruction manual for decorating the Christmas tree (Little Jimmy Thomas - Deck the Halls). It is a most righteous accompaniment to seeing the first snowflakes dancing through the air (Tina Roberts – Snow). Galactic garden gnomes will surely have a fling to Pearl Bailey's Jingle Bells Cha Cha Cha, and all Martians will be snapping their fingers to Gee Whiz, it's Christmas. At his 874th anniversary this December, Paul's grandad will get up and boogie to Martin Mull's Santafly just like Christopher Walken did in Weapon of Choice. Fortunately, Paul realised how crackbrained it is to celebrate Christmas without his beloved (Jimmy Jones & his Versatiles – Christmas is a drag without you baby), so he split to be back home in time and left me to pass on this farewell: Merry Christmas everybody!

Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 3 (Tramp, 2015) B016P57308

  1. Sock It to 'Em Santa (Joe Shinall)
  2. Happy Birthday Jesus (Sam Sweetsinger Bell)
  3. Xmas Time Is Here Again (Cleveland Robinson)
  4. Christmas Letters (Carol Ford)
  5. Merry Christmas (Velle Scott)
    - omitted from online version, at least in Bandcamp
  6. Dear Santa (Syng McGowan & the Fanettes)
    - omitted from online version, at least in Bandcamp
  7. Santa Soul (Rocki Lane and the Gross Group)
  8. Peace on Earth (Excaliburs)
  9. Holiday for Drums (The Individuals)
  10. Soul Santa (Funk Machine)
  11. Black (Soul) Christmas (Timi Terrific & the Redheads)
  12. Disco Claus (The Bionic I)
  13. Funky Santa Claus (White Chimney)
  14. Santa's New Bag (Rudi and the Rain Dearz)
  15. Just a Sad Xmas (The Soul Duo)

Release notes: What sets one compilation album apart from the others? What makes a record label special? These are questions that keep us up at night here at Tramp and you are holding in your hands one of our 50 full-length answers. It's true that within the soul and funk scene rarity and obscurity commands attention but it's the quality and performance that keeps a selection on heavy rotation. Speaking of Tramp, and in particular of this final volume in the Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party (SF&SCP) compilation trilogy, Sean Delany and Jan Kohlmeyer did an incredible job compiling these tunes. They spared no pains digging up the rarest of the rare, and the best of the best Christmas funk you have (n)ever heard (and which has not been compiled anywhere else). Even with your impeccable music taste and your unlimited record-buying budget you will have a hard time getting your hands on most of these gems. What brings you all the money if something you want is never offered? For us it's the quality that counts and that's why you will find such artists as Sam Sweetsinger Bell, Joe Shinall, Cleveland Robinson, and Carol Ford to name a few on this album. Of course the rest of the tunes are no exception either.

It fits like a glove that this third volume of SF&SCP is simultaneously the 50th Tramp Records album released. Since we are proudly independent and are not forced to act in the economic sense, and, like you, are music fanatics and die-hard record collectors, we at Tramp Records are still digging after more than ten hard-working years! It started out just for fun and it's our fans worldwide that encourage us to keep bringing the heat. As long as there is music out there that has the power to drop our jaws to the floor we will still be here - and, like Santa himself, we will work year-round to continue to deliver our funky Christmas miracles directly to your turntable. Merry Christmas!

Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol​s. ​1​-​3 (Tramp, 2018)
- do I really care about this? unique cover art, but otherwise adds little to the conversation...
- digital reissue of above three volumes on Bandcamp only, where the separate volumes were also posted
- the track listing is short three songs, all from the third volume - "Merry Christmas" by Velle Scott, "Dear Santa" by Syng McGowan, and "Just a Sad Xmas" by the Soul Duo - though, oddly, the online version of the third volume is only missing the first two...
- it also includes Buchanan & Goodman's "Santa And The Satellite," which is omitted from the online version of the first volume...

  1. Christmas Day (Detroit Junior, 1960)
  2. You Won't Have To Wait Till Christmas (Lee Rogers, 1965)
  3. Santa's Got A Brand New Bag (Gary Walker, 1965)
  4. Merry Christmas Baby (part 1) (Vernon Garrett with Sir Stan & The Counts, 1969)
  5. Merry Christmas Baby (part 2) (Vernon Garrett with Sir Stan & The Counts, 1969)
  6. Soul Christmas (part 1) (Count Sidney & His Dukes, 1967)
  7. Soul Christmas (parts 2) (Count Sidney & His Dukes, 1967)
  8. Black Christmas (Rose Graham, circa 1970)
  9. Stone Soul Christmas (Binky Griptite, 2006)
  10. Holiday Baby (Fat Daddy, circa 1964)
  11. Christmas Present Blues (Jimmy Reed, 1970)
  12. Santa And The Satellite (Pt. 1) (Buchanan & Goodman with Paul Sherman, 1957)
  13. Xmas Done Got Funky (Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System, 1977)
  14. Deck The Halls (Little Jimmy Thomas)
  15. Christmas Is A Drag (Jimmy Jones & His Versatiles)
  16. A Letter For Christmas (The Salem Travelers)
  17. Snow (Like The Snow) (Tina Roberts)
  18. Jingle Bells Cha Cha (Pearl Bailey)
  19. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (The Beginning Of The End)
  20. Snowmans Stomp (Steve Gray)
  21. What The World Needs For Christmas (Meditation Singers)
  22. Jingle Bells (Part 1) (Rev. T.L. Barrett featuring the Youth For Christ Choir)
  23. Jingle Bells (Part 2) (Rev. T.L. Barrett featuring the Youth For Christ Choir)
  24. Santafly (Martin Mull featuring the Sondra Baskin Glee Club)
  25. Santa Claus, Jr. (Jim Cagle)
  26. Merry Christmas Baby (Short Stuff)
  27. Black Christmas (Don Smith)
  28. Xmas Commercial Blues (Nancy Lee featuring Al Johnson & Soul-Jers)
  29. Lonely Christmas Tears (Bobby Allen & Exceptions)
  30. Sock It to 'Em Santa (Joe Shinall)
  31. Happy Birthday Jesus (Sam Sweetsinger Bell)
  32. Xmas Time Is Here Again (Cleveland Robinson)
  33. Christmas Letters (Carol Ford)
  34. Santa Soul (Rocki Lane and the Gross Group)
  35. Peace on Earth (Excaliburs)
  36. Holiday for Drums (The Individuals)
  37. Soul Santa (Part 1) (Funk Machine)
  38. Soul Santa (Part 1) (Funk Machine)
  39. Black (Soul) Christmas (Timi Terrific & the Redheads)
  40. Disco Claus (The Bionic I)
  41. Funky Santa Claus (White Chimney)
  42. Santa's New Bag (Rudi and the Rain Dearz)

Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party, Vol. 4 (Tramp, 2022) B0BG5X6YVT
- the series was supposedly over-and-done, but it popped up again without much explanation
- once again, way too short for a CD, and - with the exception of the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel lead-off track - very obscure

  1. Ain't No Chimneys in the Project (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, 2009)
  2. It's Xmas Time (Wayne Champion)
  3. All I Want for Christmas Is a Go-Go Girl (Bey Ireland)
  4. Christmas Strutt (Hot & Sassy)
  5. It Feels Like Christmas (Bill Deal featuring Pure Pleasure)
  6. Santa Claus (I Want To Thank You) (Ray Williams & The Space Men)
  7. Christmas Is (Ruth Harley)
  8. The Year Around Christmas (Sam Applebaum)
  9. Christmas Time Again, Parts 1 & 2 (Tiny Powell)
  10. I Won't Be Home for Christmas (Major Handy & The Louisiana Blues Band)
  11. Christmas Presents (Bobby Peterson)
  12. Xmas Party (Eddie & The De-Havelons)
  13. Santa Baby (Ruth Harley)
  14. Everybody Is a Santa Claus (Fred Sabastian)

Release Notes: Dear Santa, we just loved "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party," Volumes 1-3 [TRLP-9013, TRLP-9027, TRLP-9050], and we have really tried to be good this year! Please bring us a whole 'nother album's worth of rare and obscure Christmas-themed funk and soul!

When the third volume of "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party" was released in 2015, everybody involved was certain that it would be the final one. For years, the curators had been looking for "Christmas Rare Grooves" until they finally realized there was nothing left to discover that would justify a fourth volume. Sure, it would have been an easy task to dig through the catalogues of major labels to come up with 40 minutes of more-or-less trivial Christmas soul music. But who on earth would want that kind of album? Since the foundation of Tramp Records in 2003, the label has gained a high reputation as one of the very few German reissue labels of obscure funk, soul, and jazz music. 99% of the songs originate from 7" singles, the small and handy standard-format of the 1960s, which, like Santa's sleigh magically circling the planet on Christmas Eve, spins at forty-five revolutions per minute on the turntable.

So, what can you expect from this, the fourth volume of a series which had ostensibly been completed with only three volumes? After some seven years of digging across the world wide web with open ears and eyes, never tiring of the hundreds of (mainly) shitty songs, hoping to find that kind of monster soul or funk track that constituted the hallmark of the previous volumes, the compilers slowly and surprisingly began to see a fourth volume taking shape. Finally, after more than two thousand days, a complete album's worth of quality tunes had been discovered and secured for release.

"Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 4" contains a highly diverse selection of obscure Christmas songs. For example, take Bey Ireland's garage-mod-rocker "All I Want For Christmas Is A Go-Go Girl," is something to get you go-going around the tree! Do you prefer mirror-balls to tinsel? Check out Bill Deal with Pure Pleasure. Too fast? How about the dazzling-melancholic "I Won't Be Home For Christmas"? Do you prefer rap music while you wrap presents? Then your choice is going to be Hot & Sassy. Old-School-Hip Hop at its best. Every single song has a compelling reason to be included in this extraordinary selection. Not least is the opening track by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. Their contribution represents the soul sound of the 21st century. Charming soul music with sociocritical lyrics, something you rarely find in the current musical landscape.

Even though the selected tracks that the two compilers and their worker elves proudly present on "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 4" are unbelievable, they are very real and will be the surprise gift from Santa this season that can be enjoyed year-round! It took seven years to complete, but believe us when we say it was well worth the wait. Merry Christmas, everybody! credits

Santa's Got A GTO: Rodney On The ROQ's Fav X-mas Songs (1997)
- compiled by Los Angeles modern rock DJ Rodney Bingenheimer

  1. Santa's Got A GTO (Ramonas, 1991)
  2. Like A Snowflake (Ride, 1991)
  3. Frosty The Snowman (Frosted, 1997)
  4. Ski Party (Wondermints, 1997)
  5. Christmas Crush (Home Grown, 1997)
  6. Santa's Sack (The Diaboliks, 1997)
  7. Runaway Christman (Pencil Test, 1997)
  8. Mary X-Mas (Nina Hagen, 1997)
  9. Christmas Time (The Boss Martians, 1997)
  10. Super Sunny Christmas (Redd Kross, 1991)
  11. Deck The Halls (Geolyn, 1997)
  12. I Don't Believe In Santa (Methadone Cocktail, circa 1993)
  13. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Jigsaw Seen, 1989)
  14. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Sleepington, 1997)
  15. 'Til Next Hanukkah (Velouria, 1997)
  16. Christmas Here (Wednesday Week, 1984)
  17. Last Christmas (Sugarfree, 1997)
  18. Santa Doesn't Come To Little Jewish Children's Houses (Yid Kids, 1987)
  19. The Christmas Angel (Cranes, 1997)
  20. Silent Night (Olivia Barash, 1997)
  21. The Characters Visit Rodney (The Characters With Rodney Bingenheimer, 1987)

Santa's Got Mojo: An Electro-Fi Christmas Blues Celebration (2002)

  1. Don't Plan No Party This Christmas (Mel Brown And The Homewreckers)
  2. The Twelve Blue Days Of Christmas (Jack Dekeyzer)
  3. White Christmas (Curley Bridges)
  4. Thank You, Santa Claus (Mark Hummel)
  5. Country Christmas Blues (Rick Fines)
  6. One Day Till Christmas (Willie "Big Eyes" Smith)
  7. Tonight Feels Like Christmas (Fathead)
  8. We Need A Fire (Morgan Davis)
  9. Check It Out, Santa (Snooky Pryor)
  10. Goin' Home For Christmas (Alabama Red)
  11. Winter Wonderland (Mel Brown & The Homewreckers)
  12. The Lonely Shepherd (Chris Whiteley)

Santa's Got Mojo 2: An Electro-Fi Christmas Blues Celebration (2012)
- sequel to 2002 Electro-Fi Records disc

  1. Be My Santa Claus (Shakura S'Aida)
  2. Let's Have a Christmas Party (Fathead)
  3. Bluesy Christmas (Diana Braithwaite, Chris Whitley)
  4. Lonesome Christmas (Finis Tasby, Enrico Crivellaro)
  5. Hot Cider Cinnamon (Harrison Kennedy)
  6. Christmas Blues (Paul Oscher)
  7. Hallelujah in the Mall J(ulian Fauth)
  8. Fat Santa (Fruteland Jackson)
  9. Anticipation (Morgan Davis)
  10. Santa's Drunk (Fathead)
  11. Christmas Comes But Once a Year (Johnny Laws)
  12. Merry Christmas Baby (Mel Brown And The Homewreckers)

Santa's Greatest Hits (Hip-O, 1999)
- credible stab at compiling the most popular Christmas songs

  1. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  2. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
  3. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry)
  4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jimmy Boyd, 1953)
  6. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
  7. Feliz Navidad (José Feliciano)
  8. The Chipmunk Song (The Chipmunks)
  9. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  10. Sleigh Ride (Ella Fitzgerald)
  11. The Little Drummer Boy (Harry Simeone Chorale)
  12. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Mel Tormé)
  13. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  14. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)

Santa's Greatest Hits (Varese, 2002)
- songs about Santa compiled from vintage radio broadcasts

  1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra)
  2. 'Zat You Santa Claus? (Louis Armstrong)
  3. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  4. What Will Santa Claus Say (Louis Prima & His Orchestra)
  5. A Rootin' Tootin' Santa Claus (Tex Beneke with The Glenn Miller Orchestra)
  6. Saving My Love For Santa (Joan Ryan)
  7. Ol' Santa Claus (Dinah Washington)
  8. Santa Claus, Santa Claus (Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five)
  9. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra)
  10. I'm Sending A Letter To Santa Claus (Phyllis Robbins)
  11. Ride On Santa Ride On (Stan Kenton & His Orchestra with June Christy)
  12. I Want To See Santa Claus (Good Mornin' Blues) (Count Basie & His Orchestra)
  13. The Christmas Song (Peggy Lee)
  14. The Night Before Christmas (Jo Stafford)
  15. Life Is Too Short Not to Believe In Santa Claus (Rod McKuen & Bob Gentry)
  16. Santa's Christmas Band (Four Friends featuring Lil' Dwight)

Santamental Journey: Pop Vocal Christmas Classics (1995)
- Rhino compiles easy listening favorites from 40's through 60's

  1. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  2. There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays (Perry Como)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  4. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Desmond)
  5. Jingle Bells (Jack Jones)
  6. Blue Christmas (Billy Eckstine)
  7. Christmas And You (Joni James)
  8. The Christmas Song (The Drifters)
  9. Here Comes Santa Claus (Doris Day)
  10. The Little Drummer Boy (The Harry Simeone Chorale and Orchestra)
  11. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  12. You're All I Want For Christmas (Al Martino)
  13. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Jo Stafford)
  14. Frosty The Snowman (Jimmy Durante)
  15. Suzy Snowflake (Rosemary Clooney)
  16. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Dick Haymes and Les Paul Trio)

Savoy Christmas Blues (Savoy 17271, 2003) B0000AGWKS
- see "Christmas Blues: The Savoy Christmas Album"

Scrooge (soundtrack, 1970)
- Leslie Bricusse's musical based on Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" starring Albert Finney and Alec Guiness

  1. Overture (orchestra)
  2. A Christmas Carol (choir)
  3. Christmas Children (David Collings & the Cratchit children)
  4. I Hate People (Albert Finney)
  5. Father Christmas (Urchins)
  6. See the Phantoms (Alec Guinness)
  7. December the Twenty-Fifth (Laurence Naismith, Kay Walsh & cast)
  8. Happiness (Suzanne Neve)
  9. You... You (Albert Finney)
  10. I Like Life (Kenneth More & Albert Finney)
  11. The Beautiful Day (Richard Beaumont
  12. Happiness (reprise) (Suzanne Neve)
  13. Thank You Very Much (Anton Rodgers & cast)
  14. I'll Begin Again (Albert Finney
  15. Like Life (reprise) (Albert Finney)
  16. Father Christmas (reprise)/Thank You Very Much (reprise) (Albert Finney & cast)
  17. A Christmas Carol (Reprise) (Albert Finney & choir)

Scrooge's Rock n' Roll Christmas (soundtrack, 1983)
- TV special starring Jack Elam with numerous 60's rockers; also issued by Radio Shack as Christmas Party

  1. Carol Of The Bells (The Ensemble)
  2. White Christmas (Merilee Rush)
  3. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Three Dog Night)
  4. Jingle Bells (Paul Revere & The Riders)
  5. The Christmas Song (Paul Revere & The Riders)
  6. Do You Hear What I Hear (Michael Love & Mary MacGregor)
  7. Jingle Bell Rock (Michael Love & Dean Torrence)
  8. Sleigh Ride (The Association)
  9. Home For The Holidays (The Association)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Bobby Goldsboro)
  11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Michael Love)
  12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (The Ensemble)

Scrooged (soundtrack, 1988)
- Richard Donner film starring Bill Murray

  1. Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Annie Lennox & Al Green)
  2. A Wonderful Life (Mark Lennon)
  3. Sweetest Thing (New Voices Of Freedom & Adrianne McDonald)
  4. The Love You Take (Dan Hartman & Denise Lopez)
  5. Get Up 'N' Dance (Kool Moe Dee)
  6. We Three Kings of Orient Are (Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, and David Sanborn)
  7. Christmas Must Be Tonight (Robbie Robertson)
  8. Brown Eyed Girl (Buster Poindexter)
  9. The Christmas Song (Natalie Cole)

A Season Of Soul: A Classic R&B Christmas (Compass, 2007)

- see Compass Productions -

Season's Greetings (RCA, 1986) B000008EA4
- taken from RCA's "Country Christmas" series, 1982-1985, except as noted
- though typical of the period, this mere 10-track CD is a real blown opportunity to consolidate the mostly newly-recorded material on that LP series, each of which ran a whopping eight tracks...

  1. Hard Candy Christmas (Dolly Parton, 1983)
  2. Santa Claus (I Still Believe in You) (Alabama, 1985)
    - from their album "Christmas"
  3. Light of the Stable (The Judds, 1984)
  4. Silent Night, Holy Night (Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings, 1984)
  5. There's A New Kid In Town (Michael Johnson, 1986)
    - best I can tell, a new recording that appears only on this album...
  6. Rockin' Little Christmas (Deborah Allen, 1984)
  7. Santa Are You Coming to Atlanta (Pake McEntire, 1985)
  8. It's Christmas (Ronnie Milsap, 1984)
  9. White Christmas (Earl Thomas Conley, 1983)
  10. A Christmas Letter (Keith Whitley, 1985)

Season's Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas (soundtrack, 2011)
- companion to the popular musical about the Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons who, indeed, recorded a Christmas album called "Seasons Greetings" in 1962 (later reissued as Christmas Album)

  1. Joy To The World/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Ryan Molloy)
  2. Winter Wonderland (Rick Faugno)
  3. Little Drummer Boy (Joseph Leo Bwarie)
  4. Santa Medley: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/Here Comes Santa Claus/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (John Lloyd Young)
  5. O Holy Night/Rise Up Shepherd (Jersey Boys Ensemble featuring Mark Ivey, with soloists Michael Ingersoll and Tituss Burgess)
  6. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Bobby Fox)
  7. Jingle Bell Rock (Joseph Leo Bwarie)
  8. A King Is Born (Jarrod Spector)
  9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (John Lloyd Young)
  10. White Christmas (Ryan Molloy)
  11. I ll Be Home For Christmas (Jarrod Spector)
  12. Angels From The Realms Of Glory (Bobby Fox)
  13. Silver Bells/Silent Night (Travis Cloer)
  14. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Rick Faugno)
  15. Breath Of Heaven/We Three Kings (Travis Cloer)
  16. Carol Of The Bells/Angels We Have Heard On High
  17. Auld Lang Syne (Jersey Boys Ensemble featuring Joseph Leo Bwarie, Travis Cloer, Rick Faugno, Bobby Fox, Ryan Molloy, Jarrod Spector, John Lloyd Young and Erik Bates)

Season's Greetings: The Millennium Collection (2000)

  1. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  2. Jingle Bells (Ella Fitzgerald)
  3. Christmastime Is Here (Vince Guaraldi)
  4. Misteltoe & Me (Isaac Hayes)
  5. Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown)
  6. Night Before Christmas Song (Spike Jones)
  7. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Sammy Kershaw)
  8. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong & The Commanders)
  9. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Johnny Mathis & David Foster)
  10. Sometimes You Have To Work On Xmas (Harvey Danger)
  11. Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981)
    ---
  12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  13. The Christmas Song (Mel Torme)
  14. I Saw Three Ships (Bruce Cockburn)
  15. When You Love Someone (It's Christmas Everyday) (Gladys Knight & Pips, 1986)
  16. Mary's Boy Child (Tom Jones, David Foster)
  17. Nothing But A Child (Steve Earle)
  18. Hey Santa (Chuck Leavell)
  19. I Told Santa Claus (Roomful Of Blues)
  20. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  21. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Jackson 5, 1970)
  22. Give Love On Christmas Day (Johnny Gill)
  23. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
    ---
  24. O Come All Ye Faithful (Sounds Of Blackness)
  25. Louisiana Christmas Day (Aaron Neville)
  26. Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas (Staple Singers)
  27. Ring Those Bells (Peggy Lee)
  28. Santa Claus Is Watching You (Ray Stevens)
  29. At Christmas (Hanson)
  30. Merry Christmas Baby (James Brown)
  31. Christmas Eve (Billy Eckstine)
  32. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Desmond)
  33. Baby's First Christmas (Connie Francis)
  34. Dear Santa (Jason McCoy)
  35. Christmas Is Coming (Payola$)

Season's Greetings 2: The Millennium Collection (2001)
- above two Canadian 3-CD sets culled from Universal Music catalog

  1. Make It Christmas Day (Jann Arden)
  2. Please Come Home For Christmas (Aaron Neville)
  3. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)
  4. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Louis Armstrong)
  6. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  7. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
  8. Frosty The Snowman (Jimmy Durante)
  9. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams)
  10. Do You Heart What I Hear (Do Re Mi Children's Chorus)
  11. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson)
    ---
  12. Silver Bells (Diana Ross & The Supremes)
  13. Merry Christmas Baby (Charles Brown)
  14. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Temptations)
  15. Christmas Love (Rotary Connection featuring Minnie Riperton)
  16. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men)
  17. Give Love On Christmas Day (New Edition)
  18. This Christmas (Dru Hill)
  19. Special Gift (Isley Brothers)
  20. White Christmas (Stephanie Mills)
  21. Silent Night (Dinah Washington)
  22. Christmas In The City (Marvin Gaye)
    ---
  23. Mele Kalikimaka (Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters)
  24. Little Drummer Boy (Harry Simeone Chorale)
  25. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Frankie Avalon)
  26. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Mills Brothers, 1949)
  27. Here Comes Santa Claus (Bobby Helms)
  28. Nothing But A Child (Kathy Mattea, 1993)
  29. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Bruce Cockburn)
  30. Hey Santa Claus (Moonglows)
  31. Blue Christmas (Platters)
  32. This Time Of Year (Brook Benton)
  33. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Ella Fitzgerald)

Season's Greetings: The Millennium Collection (2001)
- American version of above two issued by Universal's Hip-O label; above three part of Universal's 20th Century Masters series

  1. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  2. Winter Wonderland (Louis Armstrong)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  4. Little Drummer Boy (Harry Simeone Chorale)
  5. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson)
  6. Frosty The Snowman (Jimmy Durante)
  7. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Do Re Mi Children's Chorus)
  8. This Time Of The Year (Brook Benton, 1959)
  9. The Christmas Song (Mel Torme)
  10. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
  11. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Ella Fitzgerald)
  12. Silent Night (Dinah Washington)
    ---
  13. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  14. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
  15. Merry Christmas Baby (Chuck Berry)
  16. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  17. Blue Christmas (The Platters)
  18. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Jackson 5)
  19. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (The Temptations)
  20. Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981)
  21. Christmas Time (Bryan Adams)
  22. Nothing But A Child (Kathy Mattea, 1993)
  23. A Christmas To Remember (Amy Grant)
  24. It Won't Be The Same This Year (Vince Gill)
    ---
  25. Silent Night (The Temptations)
  26. Christmas In The City (Instrumental) (Marvin Gaye)
  27. White Christmas (Stephanie Mills)
  28. Give Love On Christmas Day (New Edition)
  29. Please Come Home For Christmas (Aaron Neville)
  30. When You Love Someone (It's Christmas Everyday) (Gladys Knight & The Pips, 1986)
  31. The Christmas Song (The Supremes)
  32. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Brian McKnight)
  33. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men)
  34. Special Gift (The Isley Brothers)
  35. All I Want For Christmas (Angela Winbush)
  36. This Christmas (Dru Hill)

Season's Greetings From... (Capitol, 1961)

  1. I Like A Sleighride (Peggy Lee)
  2. O Holy Night (Nat King Cole)
  3. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Dean Martin, 1959)
  4. Christmas Heart (June Christy)
  5. The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Stan Kenton)
  6. White Christmas (Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians)
  7. Go Where I Send Thee (Kingston Trio)
  8. Adested Fideles (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
  9. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians)
  10. The Birthday Of A King (Gordon MacRae)
  11. The First Noel (Eddie Dunstedter)
  12. Silent Night (Dinah Shore)

Season's Greetings From Nashville (2001)
- 17-track collection of country classics from Sony's vaults

  1. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry)
  2. Jingle Bells (George Jones)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Merle Haggard)
  4. White Christmas (Mickey Gilley)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Willie Nelson)
  6. Oh Holy Night (Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, 1982)
  7. Let It Snow, Let It Snow. Let It Snow (Chet Atkins)
  8. Away In A Manger (Johnny Cash)
  9. Goin' Home For Christmas (Merle Haggard)
  10. Jingle Bell Rock (Mickey Gilley)
  11. Joy To the World (George Jones)
  12. Blue Christmas (Willie Nelson, 1979)
  13. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/What Child Is This?/O Come All Ye Faithful (medley) (Larry Gatlin, The Gatlin Brothers, 1982)
  14. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson)
  15. The Christmas Song (Chet Atkins)
  16. Deck The Halls (Slim Whitman)
  17. Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry)

Season's Greetings From Warner/Chappell Music (promotional, 1998)
- great CD sent to business associates by music publishing giant

  1. Merry Christmas, Baby (Ike & Tina Turner)
  2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Leon Redbone)
  3. Christmas Ain't Christmas (The O'Jays)
  4. Winter Wonderland (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
  5. Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern) (Miles Davis with Bob Dorough, 1962)
  6. Jingle Bell Rock (Buddy Miles)
  7. Frosty The Snowman (Jan & Dean)
  8. Toyland (R.E.M.)
  9. Santa Claus, Santa Claus (James Brown)
  10. Christmas Waltz (Frank Sinatra)
  11. This Christmas (Boys Choir Of Harlem)
  12. Bells Of St. Mary's (Aaron Neville)
  13. Jingle Bell Jamboree (Keb' Mo')

Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 1 (2000)
- above four cool, mostly instrumental surf 'n' garage rock from Double Crown Records
- this volume reissued with bonus tracks in 2006
- Originally released back in 2000, this collection of yuletide tunes performed by surf n' garage bands from throughout the world sold out within a few months of it's original release. 6 years later, in 2006, the time seemed right to reissue it - with bonus tracks! We added three tunes that we're sure you'll enjoy. It has cover art by Johnny Bartlett and 19 great tunes (14 instros/5 vocals).

  1. Sleigh Ride (Jon & The Nightriders)
  2. It's Christmas Time (The Boss Martians)
  3. Mistletoe Twist (The Neptunas)
  4. Sigue Sigue X-mas (Girl Trouble)
  5. Carol Of The Bells (Death Valley)
  6. Silent Night (Los Mel-Tones)
  7. We Wish You A Merry Xmas (The Aqualads)
    - not on their later Christmas album...
  8. Santa Claus Go To The Ghetto (Frigg A Go Go)
  9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Del Noah & The Finks)
  10. Rocknuts (The Lunatics)
  11. Living Doll (The Firebirds)
  12. Scrooge (The Heatscores)
  13. Christmas Is A Drag (The Tacoma Four)
  14. Hang On Rudolph (The Ebineezer Scrooge Appreciation Society)
  15. Little Drummer Boy (The Bonesharks)
  16. Christmas Island (The Space Cossacks)
    - 2006 bonus tracks -
  17. Jingle Bells (The Bitch Boys)
  18. We Three Kings (Urban Surf Kings)
  19. Santa Claus Goes Surfin' (The Surfites)

Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 2 (2007)
- For Volume 2 Double Crown has gathered 20 songs from bands located all over the globe - sending their best wishes for the holiday season straight to your hi-fi! There's a nice mix of surf instrumentals, poppy vocal tunes, some rockabilly and even a holiday hot-rod tune! Cover art by Johnny Bartlett.

  1. Carol Of The Bells (Pollo Del Mar)
  2. Drums For Christmas (The Pete Curry Orchestra)
  3. Sleigh Ride In Fresno (The Neptunes)
  4. Snowman (The Icicles)
  5. Leise Rieselt Der Schnee (The Incredible Mr. Smith)
  6. Jingle Bell Rock (Surfin' Santa With Meshugga Beach Party)
  7. Little Drummer Boy (The Dusty Watson Complex)
  8. I Want A Monkey For Christmas (The Barbary Coasters)
  9. Saint Nick's Aa Fueler (The Surfites)
  10. Deck The Halls (Glasgow Tiki Shakers)
  11. Silent Night (Big Boy Pete)
  12. Rudolph's Secret (Speedball Jr.)
  13. Come All Ye Faithful (The Pyronauts)
  14. It's Christmas In The Islands (Full Load Of King)
  15. Happy X-mas (War Is Over) (Frankie & The Poolboys)
  16. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Urban Surf Kings)
  17. Deck The Halls (Joe's Ocean)
  18. Sleigh Ride (Surfin' Santa With Meshugga Beach Party)
  19. Christmas Time For Fun (The Daytonas)
  20. Auld Lang Syne (Frankie & The Poolboys)

Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 3 (2010)
- It wasn't the original plan – who would have thought the world needed 3 volumes of Christmas and holiday music done surf style? Well, they have been among our most popular releases, so who are we to say no? This volume has songs from all over the world, including The Surfites (Sweden), The Mobsmen (Norway), Burt Rocket (Iceland/Norway), The Razorblades (Germany), The Urban Surf Kings (Canada), and of course, the United States. While mostly surf/instro, there are a few songs that veer into frat rock, swing and exotica, to mix things up a bit. After all, you can't just drink eggnog and eat fruitcake during the holidays – a little spiced wine and cranberry sauce is good for a little variety.

  1. Morgen Kinder Wirds Was Geben (The Razorblades)
  2. Good King Wenceslas (The Excelsiors)
  3. We Three Kings (The Frankie Handwax Experience)
  4. Greensleeves (King of Hawaii)
  5. Moguls (Urban Surf Kings)
  6. Så Går Vi Rundt Om En Enebærbusk (The Mobsmen)
  7. Secret Santa (The Barbary Coasters)
  8. Staffan Var En Stalledrang (The Surfites)
  9. Santa's Hot Rod (Burt Rocket)
  10. This is Santa Claus (Bad Boy Mix) (The Balboas)
  11. Alle Jahre Wieder (The Incredible Mr. Smith)
  12. Sausage & Sauerkraut For Santa (The Polkaholics)
  13. Jingle Bells (Tiki Joe's Ocean, 2009)
    - from their album "Christmas With Tiki Joe's Ocean"
  14. We'll Be Home With Bells On (O.J. Watson & The Ludlow Ramblers)
  15. We Three Kings (Thee Swank Bastards)
  16. Old Anxiety (Peter Curry & Dick Chiclet)

Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 4 (2016)
- People have bugged us the past few years, even in the middle of the summer, asking when the next volume of our Seasonal Favorites series would be out. Well, the agonizing wait is over - it's here, just in time for Christmas 2016! This may be our best one yet, with new recordings from The Beagles, Black Flamingos, The Ogres, Twang-O-Matics, Urban Surf Kings, The Other Timelines, The TomorrowMen, Tiki Joe's Ocean and more. Plus, it's got some past faves from Martin Cilia, Los Straitjackets, The Barbary Coasters and others. Mostly holiday surf/instro tunes, but there are a few vocals to really get you in the spirit of the season. 15 instros and 5 vocals, with cover art as always from the incomparable Johnny Bartlett!

  1. Christmas In July (Martin Cilia, 2015)
  2. Groovy Old St Nick (Los Straitjackets, 2009)
  3. Snoopy's Christmas (The Beagles, 2016)
  4. Hot Rod Hannukah (Meshugga Beach Party, 2011)
    - title song from their Halakahiki Records album; the album appears to be mostly instrumental, but this track is a vocal...
  5. How The Gurch Stole Christmas (Black Flamingos, 2016)
  6. Lump Of Coal (The Barbary Coasters, 2008)
  7. Staffan var en stalledräng (Twang-O-Matics, 2016)
  8. I Saw Three Ships (Mr. Rebel version) (Urban Surf Kings, 2016)
  9. Nutty Sweet (Fronkensteen, 2016)
  10. Angels We Have Heard On High (Aqualads, 2011)
  11. Xmas Is A Bust (The Ogres, 2016)
  12. Santa Claus Is Coming To Surf (The TakeOffs, 2011)
    - originally released as free download on SoundCloud
  13. Access Christmas Special (The Other Timelines, 2016)
  14. X-Mas Palm Tree (The Kanaloas, 2016)
    - from their Double Crown album "Surf a Go Go!" released earlier the same year
    - first recorded for a Spanish EP called It's Christmas Time (Torquay Records, 2010)
  15. Ye Merry Gentlemen (The Falcons, 2004)
  16. Crazy AceMas (Crazy Aces, 2014)
    - originally released as free download on SoundCloud
  17. Friends (At Christmas Time) (The Tomorrow Men with E-Rock, 2016)
  18. Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy (Travelers Of Tyme, 2010)
    - from their EP Christmas Tyme Is Here, released though Bandcamp
    - all three tracks (of which "Dance" is easily the best) later apeared on Singles Collection 2011-2015" (2015)
  19. Jingle Bells (Tiki Joe's Ocean, 2016)
    - from their album "Christmas With Tiki Joe's Ocean Vol. 2," released the same year
  20. Johnny Got a Japanese Guitar for Christmas (Whoa Nellie! Vera & Johnny, 2014)
    - first released as a YouTube video

Seasonal Favorites Vol. 5 (Double Crown, 2019)
- CD-only release sold exclusively through the label's website
- It's hard to believe we've released four discs of Christmas and holiday tunes - well here's number FIVE! It's another great collection of holiday chestnuts, sure to warm your heart and get your toes a tappin'. We've gathered a fine collection of surf, instro, rockabilly and garage rock tunes, with a near equal mix of vocals and instros (the instros slightly out-number the vocals though). Many of the tunes are unreleased or exclusive to this disc, and the cover art was created by Scott Sugiuchi of Hidden Volume Records.

  1. The Doltones: Twistin' Reindeers
  2. Frankie & The Pool Boys: Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight)
    - also released as a digital single
  3. The Hang-Ten Hangmen: (Christmas) Boogaloo
  4. The Razorblades: Frohliche Weihnachten Uberall
  5. The Ogres: Santa's Got It In For Me
  6. Cannibal Mosquitos: Go!Go!Go! Jingle Bells!
  7. Black Flamingos: A Hint Of Nutmeg
  8. The Bad Detectives: Cadillac Under My Christmas Tree
  9. Blackball Bandits: Yuletide Ride
    - one of two songs on their single A Very Blackball Christmas
  10. The Incredible Mr. Smith: Merry Xmas Everybody
  11. Los Venturas: The Balls Of Saint Rudolph
  12. The Elfish Presleys: Santa Was A Rockin
  13. The Supraphonics: Santa! I Know Him!
  14. The Pat Winn Combo: Christmas In Decembers
  15. The Twang-O-Matics: No Tennes Tusen Julelys
    - from their EP Hark Now!
  16. Mr Smith & The Jazz Police: Let's Throw Presents & Burn The Christmas Tree
  17. MFC Chicken: Auld Lang Surf

Sentimental Christmas (Big Eye, 2001) B00005NNGI
- like their other notable collection, "Country Christmas Hits," this one has a generous, slightly out-of-the-ordinary collection of tracks; not certain in either case, however, that it merits a review

  1. White Christmas (Doris Day)
  2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (Bing Crosby)
  3. The First Noel (Dinah Shore)
  4. Silent Night (Bing Crosby)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Lew Stone & His Orchestra)
  6. Christmas Island (The Andrews Sisters)
  7. Jingle Bells (Bing Crosby)
  8. O Come O Ye Faithful (Dick Haymes)
  9. Christmas Bells at Eventide (Gracie Fields)
  10. Toyland (Anita Ellis)
  11. Savoy Christmas Medley (New Mayfair Dance Orchestra)
  12. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  13. The Fairy on the Christmas Tree (The Fairy on the Christmas Tree)
  14. Little Town of Bethlehem (Dick Haymes)
  15. I'll Walk Alone (Dinah Shore)
  16. Joy To The World (Kate Smith)
  17. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  18. The Christmas Song (Peggy Lee)
  19. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  20. Auld Lang Syne (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians)
  21. Christmas Greeting (Orson Welles)

Sequel's Sixties Christmas (1998)
- British reissue label compiles mistly British rock & pop stars, mostly from the Pye family of labels, including Marble Arch and Piccadilly
- in 2020, Sanctuary put this out for download simply titled Sixties Christmas; it quickly disappeared from the American Amazon, but it remained available in the UK

  1. Jingle Bells (Bob Wallis & His Storyville Jazzmen, 1960) Pye Jazz NJ 2039
  2. The Holly And The Ivy League (The Ivy League, 1965) Piccadilly NEP 34 046
  3. The Happiest Christmas (Petula Clark, 1969) Columbia CSS 1033
  4. Virgin Mary (Lonnie Donegan, 1960) Pye 7N 15 315
  5. White Christmas (Emile Ford, 1960) Pye 7N 15 314
  6. The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Morecambe & Wise, 1967) Pye 7N 17 436
  7. The Daddy Christmas Song (Nita Rosi, 1966) Pye 7N 35 354
  8. Let It Snow On Christmas Day (Bryan Taylor, 1961) Pye 7N 35 018
  9. Once In Royal David's City (The Ivy League, 1965) Piccadilly NEP 34 046
  10. All Things Bright And Beautiful (Joe Brown & The Breakaways, 1962) Pye 7N 35 082
  11. Footprints In The Snow (Dyon Parker, 1968) Marble Arch MAL 0787
  12. The Christmas Song (Butch Moore & The Capitol Showband, 1965) Pye NEP 24 235
  13. Good King Wenceslas (The Ivy League, 1965) Piccadilly NEP 34 046
  14. Christmas Land (Wally Whyton, 1962) Piccadilly 7N 35 089
  15. The Holly And The Ivy (Joe Brown & The Breakaways, 1963) Piccadilly NEP 34 026
  16. Must Be Santa (Joan Regan, 1960) Pye 7N 15 303
  17. Great Christmas Pudding Song (Leslie Crowther, 1968) Pye NSPL 18 247
  18. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Joe Brown & The Breakaways, 1963) Piccadilly NEP 34 026
  19. Will Santa Come To My Shanty Town (Joan Regan, 1960) Pye 7N 15 303
  20. Miss Hooligan's Christmas Cake (Clinton Ford, 1968) Marble Arch MAL 1106
  21. Bingle Jells (Morecambe & Wise, 1967) Pye 7N 17 436
  22. Swingin' Sleigh Ride (Joe 'Mr Piano' Henderson, 1960) Pye 7N 15 309
  23. The Donkey's Tale (Bryan Taylor, 1961) Pye 7N 35 018
  24. An Old Christmas Card (Gerry & The Ohio, 1966) Pye 7N 17 234
  25. Santa's Sleigh Ride (Rudolph's Reindeer, 1967) Pye 7N 17 446
  26. Born In Bethlehem (Lonnie Donegan, 1962) Pye NSPL 18 073
  27. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Butch Moore & The Capitol Showband, 1965) Pye NEP 24 235
  28. This Is Christmas (Petula Clark, 1969) Sequel NEMCD 945
    - from her album "Merry Christmas/Joyeux Noel" (1997) which compiled various seasonal and religious tracks
  29. Hark! The Herald Angles Sing (Black Dyke Mills Band, 1968) Pye NSPL 18 259
  30. Silent Night (The Viscounts, 1962) Pye 7N 15 479

Sesame Street: Merry Christmas from Sesame Street (soundtrack, 1975) B004PGNOEY
- not positive, but I think this was issued as a discreet album - not the soundtrack of a show

  1. Sesame Street Christmas Overture (Sesame Street Festival Orchestra)
  2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (full cast)
  3. Medley: Deck the Halls/Jingle Bells/White Christmas/Winter Wonderland (full cast)
  4. I Hate Christmas (Oscar the Grouch)
  5. A Christmas Story (Mr. Hooper, Bert, and Ernie)
  6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ernie & Bert)
  7. The Twelve Days of Christmas (full cast)
  8. Medley: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas/Silver Bells/The Christmas Song/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (full cast)
  9. The Night Before Christmas On Sesame Street (David)
  10. Saludo (Maria & Luis)
  11. Arrurru (Maria & Luis)
  12. All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) (The Count)
  13. A Christmas Pageant (Bert, Ernie, Prairie Dawn, Harry, Grover, and Cookie Monster)
  14. Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year) (Susan, Gordon, Big Bird, Luis, Hoots the Owl, Bob, Prairie Dawn, and Ernie)
  15. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Reprise) (full cast)

Sesame Street: Christmas Eve On Sesame Street (soundtrack, 1978) B005QE5KAU
- PBS TV special
- won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program (1979)
- the soundtrack album was not issued until 1980, and it's only ever been digitally reissued as an MP3 download
- some of these songs appeared in "Merry Christmas from Sesame Street" (1975)
- another, "A True Blue Miracle," shows up in "A Sesame Street Christmas" (1996) sung by new characters

  1. A True Blue Miracle
  2. Keep Christmas With You All Through The Year
  3. A Christmas Story (part one)
  4. A Christmas Story (part two)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
  6. Keep Christmas With You All Through The Year (reprise)

Sesame Street: A Special Sesame Street Christmas (soundtrack, 1978) B00936A1TW
- CBS TV special, though I do not think an album (or any other consumer version) was issued at the time....
- nominated for an Emmy, but the general consensus is that "Christmas Eve On Sesame Street" is far superior
- reissued by Legendary Entertainment (2012) as CD, DVD, and CD/DVD combo pack
- interestingly, this special was aired the very same year as "Christmas Eve On Sesame Street" (above)
- from The Second Disc: Special Sesame Street Christmas has been much-maligned over the years, but Legendary's new release should allow you to decide its merits for yourself. It had the misfortune of airing the same year of 1978 as Children's Television Workshop's Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. While that beloved special has lived on, A Special Christmas has been largely relegated to the dustbin of time – until now. CTW turned over the rights to Sesame Street for this one special to Bob Banner, who enlisted an eclectic array of stars to join Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and Barkley on the CBS network. No other Muppets appeared, and only Mr. Hooper (Will Lee), David (Northern Calloway), Bob (Bob McGrath) and Maria (Sonia Manzano) were retained from the regular cast at the time. Among the celebrities visiting Sesame Street: Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Dick Smothers, Henry Fonda, Anne Murray, Ethel Merman, and Michael Jackson! There's plenty of music, including Murray serenading Big Bird with her hit "You Needed Me," Merman belting "Tomorrow" from Annie, and a medley with Uggams' "Sleigh Ride," Merman's "Winter Wonderland," and full-cast renditions of "Jingle Bells" and "I Saw Three Ships." It's all loosely based on A Christmas Carol, but the special lacked the heart of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, which featured Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt among the Muppet performers. Lee, Calloway, McGrath and Manzano all appeared in that special, as well, as did Carroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar. Still, A Special Sesame Street Christmas received an Emmy Award nomination. Special features on the DVD include a "Rappin' with Oscar" "Bonus Dance Remix" with Oscar and Michael Jackson.

  1. It's the Thought That Counts (Leslie Uggams & cast)
  2. Christmas Blech (Leslie Uggams)
  3. Six Days of Christmas (Oscar the Grouch)
  4. You Needed Me (Anne Murray)
  5. Oscar Remembers (Leslie Uggams & Oscar the Grouch)
  6. Yakety Yak (Oscar the Grouch)
  7. Look at That Face (Leslie Uggams)
  8. Christmas Morning (full cast featuring Henry Fonda and Imogene Coca)
  9. Tomorrow (Ethel Merman)
  10. If Just One Person (Leslie Uggams)
  11. Christmas Medley (full cast)
  12. Your Imagination (Michael Jackson and DJ Oscar)
  13. Angels We Have Heard on High (The Merry Mistletoes)
  14. We Three Kings (The Merry Mistletoes)
  15. Jingle Bells (full cast)

Sesame Street: A Sesame Street Christmas (soundtrack, Sony Wonder, 1996) B00000DSMS
- revised, somewhat bowdlerized version of 1975 album
- removes certain characters who are no longer on the show (and/or the actors died...) and adds new characters (e.g. Elmo), sometimes voicing the parts of the dearly departed...
- removes four songs ("A Christmas Story," " The Night Before Christmas On Sesame Street," "Saludo," and "Arrurru,") but adds one new song ("A True Blue Miracle")

  1. Sesame Street Christmas Overture (Sesame Street Festival Orchestra)
  2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (full cast)
  3. Medley: Deck the Halls/Jingle Bells/White Christmas/Winter Wonderland (full cast)
  4. I Hate Christmas (Oscar the Grouch)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ernie & Bert)
  6. The Twelve Days of Christmas (full cast)
  7. A True Blue Miracle (Hoots the Owl, Bob, Elmo)
  8. Medley: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas/Silver Bells/The Christmas Song/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (full cast)
  9. All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) (The Count)
  10. A Christmas Pageant (Bert, Ernie, Prairie Dawn, Harry, Grover, and Cookie Monster)
  11. Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year) (Susan, Gordon, Big Bird, Luis, Hoots the Owl, Bob, Prairie Dawn, and Ernie)
  12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Reprise) (full cast)

Seven Swans (WIAIWYA, 2011)
- barely an album, more of a website freebie (and quickly deleted when the season was over), "Seven Swans" is from the same people who gave us the very cool compilations 50,000,000 Elves Fans Can't Be Wrong (2002), Christmastime, Approximately (2010), Stars (2018) and 24 (2021)
- I didn't discover it until 24 came out, first, because it shared the Jeff Mellin track and, second, because that track, and that track alone, was available on Bandcamp; but the label was kind enough to point me to a Soundcloud playlist where the album had been preserved...
- turned out, though, that all of the tracks were part of a larger project at Fika Records that, to preserve my sanity, I may have to pretend doesn't exist; note that it says it is an "Advent calendar" of free songs from 2011, but at 53 tracks, it's bigger than two complete calendars (most mark December 1-24, but that can vary); I suspect that the project kept up another year or so, and they just dumped everything into one pot, but it's impossible to say...
- and so, after all that, I downloaded the "Seven Swans" tracks form the Fika advent calendar so that I could have a CD quality copy of the files - just like I do with the other WIAIWYA albums...

  1. David Tattersall - Yes! Jesus Loves Me
  2. Jeff Mellin - Ain't That A Rockin' All Night
  3. World Of Fox - Xmas Wrappin'
  4. The Werewandas - I Love You Santa Claus
  5. Meow Meow - This Christmas
  6. Coming Soon - Last Christmas
  7. Clemence Freschard - Bad Year

70 oz. Of Christmas (1993)

  1. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) (Vienna Boys Choir & London Symphony Orchestra)
  2. March Of The Kings & Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Robert Merrill)
  3. Silent Night (Diahann Carroll)
  4. Jingle Bells (Jack Dorsey & His Orchestra)
  5. Angels We Have Heard On High (Robert Goulet & Carol Lawrence)
  6. Here Comes Santa Claus (Doris Day)
  7. O Come Little Children (Ambrosian Singers)
  8. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On A Open Fire (Mel Torme)
  9. Away In A Manger (Julie Andrews)
  10. Angels From The Realms Of Glory (Percy Faith & His Orchestra)
  11. The Secret Of Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  12. O Tannebaum (Marilyn Horne & The Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
  13. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Jerry Vale)
  14. Sleigh Ride (Jo Stafford)
  15. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
  16. Winter Wonderland (Tony Bennett)
  17. Good Christian Men, Rejoice (London Symphony Orchestra)
  18. Toyland (Sally Ann Howes)
  19. O Holy Night (Liberace)
  20. Snow (Rosemary Clooney)
  21. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Andy Williams)
  22. Jolly Old St Nicholas (Fireside Singers)
  23. Silver Bells (Patti Page)
  24. Joy To The World (Ray Conniff)
  25. The First Noel (John Davidson)
  26. What Child Is This? (Vikki Carr)
  27. Carol of The Bells (Vienna Boys Choir & London Symphony)

70 oz. Of Country Christmas (1993)
- above two part of extensive "70 oz. of Gold" budget reissue series on Compose Records, a division of Peter Pan Industries (PPI)
- both however, are licensed through Sony Music Special Products

  1. O Come All Ye Faithful (George Jones)
  2. Away In A Manger (Tanya Tucker)
  3. The Babe Of Heav'nly Birth (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  4. Mr. Mistletoe (Lynn Anderson)
  5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Charlie Rich)
  6. Star Of The East (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  7. What Child Is This (Jody Miller)
  8. Sweet Little Jesus Boy (Ed Bruce)
  9. The First Noel (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  10. The Ballad Of The Harp Weaver (Johnny Cash)
  11. Cherry Tree Carol (Jody Miller)
  12. Jingle Bells (George Jones)
  13. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  14. Silent Night (Tanya Tucker)
  15. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Marty Robbins)
  16. O Holy Night (Charlie Rich)
  17. A Whistle And A Whisker Away (Lynn Anderson)
  18. Hark! The Herald Angle Sing (Marty Robbins)
  19. While Shepherd's Watched Their Flocks (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  20. Silver Bells (Tanya Tucker)
  21. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry)
  22. Gentle Sheperd (Tammy Wynette)
  23. Little Drummer Boy (Ray Price)
  24. Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem (Chuck Wagon Gang)
  25. Joy To The World (George Jones)
  26. Christmas Roses (Grandpa Jones)

A Sexy Christmas (2008)
- bedroom-friendly pop and R&B from Time-Life

  1. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Vanessa Williams and Bobby Caldwell, 1996)
  2. Please Come Home for Christmas (Aaron Neville)
  3. Snowflakes Of Love (Toni Braxton)
  4. Wishes (Kenny G)
  5. The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody) (Brenda White-King and Luther Vandross)
  6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Gloria Estefan)
  7. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Dean Martin)
  8. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt with Henri Rene and His Orchestra)
  9. I Love The Winter Weather/I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Tony Bennett)
  10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Diana Krall featuring the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra)
  11. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  12. Merry Christmas, Baby (Christina Aguilera featuring Dr. John)

Share The Wonder (Childen's Records CR-1004, 1993) B009IAMLXC
- one of the many Children's Miracle Network series (see "The Stars Come Out For Christmas" for details)
- this album, produced by Michael Lloyd, is heavily recycled from the Lloyd-produced "Christmas Album" series, though a few of the tracks are new
- while it is clearly the fourth release by the label and is also produced by Michael Lloyd, it would appear to be a separate, stand-alone release
- it took me many years to discover the existence of this album, initially through websites associated with Freddy Cannon and Spinal Tap, who contribute two of the handful of new tracks; I then confirmed it with this archived press release, and only then did I find it in Amazon...
- I integrated this into the main website, but I may not want to go any further - it was produced for the Nordtrom department store chain, and there are a bunch more, most of which would contribute nothing unique to the site...

  1. Everyday Should Be Christmas (The Lettermen & Carol Connors, 1993)
    - This is the Carol Connors (née Annette Kleinbard) who was a member of the Teddy Bears and who sang lead on "To Know Him Is To Love Him." She subsequently became something of a fixture in the Hollywood scene, mainly as a songwriter including songs as diverse as "Gonna Fly Now" from "Rocky," the Rip Chords' 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra," and the 1980 Billy Preston/Syreeta Wright duet "With You I'm Born Again." She cowrote this song which previously appeared in three different versions on each of the respective volumes of the "Christmas Album" series.
  2. Al Hanissim (Cantor Nathan Lam & The National Symphony Of Israel, 1993)
  3. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Dwight Yoakam, 1987)
  4. The First Noel (Bill Medley, 1991)
  5. Christmas Medley (Roger Williams, 1990)
    - I can only assume this is the same as the medley from the previous CMN albums, "Silver Bells/Greensleeves/Deck The Halls"
  6. We Three Kings (Spinal Tap, 1993)
  7. Away In A Manger (Henry Mancini, 1991)
  8. Little Drummer Boy (Hank Williams Jr., 1981)
  9. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson, 1979)
  10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Johnny Tillotson, Freddy Cannon, and Brian Hyland, 1993)
  11. Winter Wonderland (Lou Rawls, 1991)
  12. O Holy Night (Dionne Warwick, 1991)
  13. Silent Night (Melissa Manchester, 1990)
  14. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Belinda Carlisle, 1990)
  15. Deck The Halls (Neil Sedaka, 1993)
  16. Special Christmas Collection (The Sound Of Sunshine Chorus of Sweet Adelines International, 1993)
  17. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (James Earl Jones & Magic Johnson, 1991)
  18. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Tony Orlando, 1991)
  19. Away In A Manger (Billy Davis, Jr. with Marilyn McCoo, Freda Payne, Daryl Coley and The Waters, 1990)
  20. Angels We Have Heard On High (Merry Clayton, 1992)
  21. Prayer For Peace (Cantor Nathan Lam & The National Symphony Of Israel, 1993)
  22. Ave Maria (Barry Manilow, 1990)
  23. Wondeful Christmastime (Paul McCartney, 1979)
  24. A Christmas Reading (Jimmy Stewart, 1990)

Shimmy Down the Chimney: A Country Christmas (Capitol, 2004)
- mostly contemporary tunes including Alison Krauss title song - the only all-new recording included, I believe
- that said, this is a somewhat unusual compilation for Nashville - at 18 tracks, it's longer than normal, and it's cross-licensed, mixing mostly Capitol content with a few other major labels...

  1. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Dwight Yoakam)
  2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Jo Dee Messina)
  3. Silver Bells (The Judds)
  4. Christmas Rock (Toby Keith)
  5. The Christmas Song (Trace Adkins)
  6. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Glen Campbell)
  7. Shimmy Down the Chimney (Fill Up My Stocking) (Alison Krauss)
  8. Christmas In Your Arms (Steve Wariner)
  9. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson)
  10. What Child Is This? (Tanya Tucker)
  11. Jingle Bells (Merle Haggard)
  12. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  13. Deck The Halls (SheDaisy)
  14. White Christmas (Kenny Rogers)
  15. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Dolly Parton)
  16. Call Collect On Christmas (Del McCoury)
  17. Carol Of The Bells (Deana Carter)
  18. O Holy Night (John Berry, 1995)

Simply The Best Christmas (Warner, 1997) B000026HHF
- 2-CD, 39-track EU collection both traditional & contemporary
- track lengths can be found here
- confusingly, there are numereous, even-more-generic albums with this title...
- the most common one actually might be related; it's a European classical compilation called "Simply The Best Christmas Album" on Erato (B00005MJ0G), a division of Atlantic, which is a division of Warner

  1. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  2. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  4. Mary's Boy Child (Harry Belafonte, 1956)
  5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Perry Como, 1959)
    - second version, confirmed by track length...
  6. Jingle Bells (Jim Reeves, 1962)
  7. The First Noel (Andy Williams)
  8. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Johny Cash)
  9. Christmas Alphabet (Dickie Valentine)
  10. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Dean Martin, 1959)
  11. Holly And The Ivy (Alex De Grassi)
  12. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Perry Como)
  13. Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride (Kenny Rodgers & Dolly Parton)
  14. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Willie Nelson)
  15. In The Bleak Midwinter (Pierce Pettis)
  16. All Alone On Christmas (Darlene Love)
  17. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Doris Day)
  18. I Believe (Robson & Jerome, 1995)
    - not a Christmas song...
  19. I Believe In Father Christmas (Greg Lake, 1975)
  20. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)
  21. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  22. Winter Wonderland (Al Green)
  23. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  24. Frosty The Snowman (Jackson 5)
  25. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Diana Ross & The Supremes)
  26. Joy To The World (The 4 Seasons)
  27. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (The Beverly Sisters)
  28. Let It Snow Let It Snow (Doris Day)
  29. When You Wish Upon A Star (Linda Ronstadt)
  30. O Come All Ye Faithful (Amy Grant)
  31. Away In A Manger (Take 6)
  32. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Kiri Te Kanawa)
  33. We Three Kings (Winchester Cathedral Choir)
  34. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night (The Choir)
  35. Walking In The Air (Aled Jones, 1985)
  36. Coventry Carol (Elaine Paige)
  37. Ave Maria (Jose Carreras)
  38. Oiche Chiun (Silent Night) (Enya)
  39. Amazing Grace (Judy Collins, 1970)

Singers And Songwriters: Christmas (Time-Life, 2003)
- 2-CD, 30-song European version
- part of an extensive series
- of the three versions (see below), this is the only on which the graphic theme matches the rest of the series

  1. Away In A Manger (John Denver)
  2. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Carly Simon)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Michael Bolton)
  4. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Emmylou Harris)
  5. Silver Bells (Judds)
  6. First Noel (America)
  7. Feels Like Christmas (Cyndi Lauper)
  8. Driving Home For Christmas (Chris Rea, 1988)
  9. Christmas Song (Linda Ronstadt)
  10. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson)
  11. Home for Christmas (Kate Bush, 1993)
  12. Christmas is My Favorite Time of the Year (Kenny Rogers)
  13. Do You Hear What I Hear (Martina McBride)
  14. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Bruce Cockburn)
  15. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Bellamy Brothers, 1996)
    ---
  16. White Christmas (Air Supply)
  17. O Come All Ye Faithful (Art Garfunkel)
  18. There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays (Olivia Newton John)
  19. A Winter's Tale (David Essex, 1982)
  20. Under the Christmas Tree (Albert Hammond)
  21. Christmas Time is Here (Melissa Manchester)
  22. It Dosen't Have To Be That Way (Jim Croce)
  23. We Three Kings (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1997)
  24. Merry Christmas Baby (Phoebe Snow)
  25. Coventry Carol (Kenny Loggins)
  26. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  27. Mary's Boy Child (Jose Feliciano)
  28. Winter Wonderland (Jo Dee Messina)
  29. Same Old Lang Syne (Dan Fogelberg)
  30. Silent Night (Anne Murray)

Singers & Songwriters: Christmas Songs (Time-Life, 2003)
- American version with different cover than above
- 2-CD, 24-track version sold by Time-Life
- same front cover as below

  1. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  2. What Child Is This? (Dan Fogelberg)
  3. Silent Night (Emmylou Harris)
  4. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Jesse Colin Young)
  5. Cherry Tree Carol (Judy Collins)
  6. Mary's Little Boy Child (Jose Feliciano)
  7. Please Come Home For Chirstmas (Aaron Neville)
  8. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Carly Simon)
  9. Silver Bells (The Judds)
  10. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson)
  11. The First Noel (America)
  12. O Come All Ye Faithful (Art Garfunkel)
    ---
  13. Away In A Manger (John Denver)
  14. The Christmas Song (Linda Ronstadt)
  15. Christmas Time Is Here (Melissa Manchester)
  16. Coventry Carol (Kenny Loggins)
  17. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff, 1989)
  18. It Doesn't Have To Be That Way (Jim Croce)
  19. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Crystal Gayle, 1986)
  20. White Christmas (Air Supply)
  21. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Don McLean)
  22. We Three Kings (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1997)
  23. The Little Drummer Boy (Joan Baez)
  24. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Jerry Jeff Walker)

Singers & Songwriters: Christmas Songs (Sony/Legacy, 2003)
- 1-CD, 18-song version sold in stores and through most online retailers
- same cover as 2-CD, 24-track version (above) sold by Time-Life
- track listing is a subset of that package

  1. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  2. What Child Is This? (Dan Fogelberg)
  3. Silent Night (Emmylou Harris)
  4. Cherry Tree Carol (Judy Collins)
  5. Mary's Little Boy Child (Jose Feliciano)
  6. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Carly Simon)
  7. Silver Bells (The Judds)
  8. Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson)
  9. The First Noel (America)
  10. O Come All Ye Faithful (Art Garfunkel)
  11. Away In A Manger (John Denver)
  12. The Christmas Song (Linda Ronstadt)
  13. Christmas Time Is Here (Melissa Manchester)
  14. Coventry Carol (Kenny Loggins)
  15. It Doesn't Have To Be That Way (Jim Croce)
  16. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Crystal Gayle, 1986)
  17. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Don McLean)
  18. The Little Drummer Boy (Joan Baez)

16 Biggest Hits: Christmas (2001, B00005R62P)

  1. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry)
  2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Marty Robbins)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Merle Haggard)
  4. Bells Are Ringing (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
  5. O Come All Ye Faithful (Johnny Cash)
  6. Warm & Fuzzy (Billy Gilman)
  7. Frosty The Snowman (Willie Nelson)
  8. O Holy Night (Shelby Lynne)
  9. Christmas Time Down South (Charlie Daniels)
  10. The Christmas Song (Joe Diffie)
  11. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Ricochet)
  12. Joy To The World (George Jones)
  13. White Christmas (Ricky Van Shelton)
  14. It Could Happen Again (Collin Raye)
  15. Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus (Larry Gatlin & Gatlin Brothers)
  16. Merry Christmas From The Family (Montgomery Gentry)

16 Biggest Hits, Vol. 2: Country Christmas (2004, B00049QOFW)

  1. Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry)
  2. They Shinned Up Rudolph's Nose (Johnny Horton)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Dolly Parton)
  4. Leroy The Redneck Reindeer (Joe Diffie)
  5. Jingle Bell Rock (Sweethearts Of The Rodeo)
  6. Winter Wonderland (Collin Raye)
  7. White Christmas (Merle Haggard)
  8. The Christmas Song (Chet Atkins)
  9. Merry Christmas To You From Me (Marty Robbins)
  10. Pretty Paper (Roy Orbison)
  11. Blue Christmas (Johnny Cash)
  12. Please Come Home For Christmas (Ricky Van Shelton)
  13. Merry Christmas Darling (Tammy Cochran)
  14. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Doug Stone)
  15. Greatest Christmas Gift (George Jones & Tammy Wynette)
  16. The Christmas Guest (Grandpa Jones)

16 Most Requested Songs: Christmas (1992, B003U8G64I)

  1. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry)
  2. Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane) (Doris Day)
  3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jimmy Boyd
  4. Winter Wonderland (Rosemary Clooney)
  5. Frosty the Snowman (Gene Autry)
  6. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  7. Silver Bells (Ray Coniff Singers)
  8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Robert Goulet)
  9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Patti Page)
  10. The Twelve Days of Christmas (Mitch Miller & The Gang)
  11. Sleigh Ride (Andy Williams)
  12. We Need a Little Christmas (Angela Lansbury)
  13. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (Mel Tormé)
  14. White Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  15. Silent Night, Holy Night (Julie Andrews)
  16. Joy to the World! (Mahalia Jackson)

VA / Ski Jump: 31 Ice Cubes For Your Après Ski Party (2022) B09MV2DH4J
- winter-themed edition of Bear Family Records' extensive Season's Greetings series; tracks span 1939 to 1973

  1. Winter Weather (Benny Goodman & His Orchestra with Peggy Lee & Art Lund)
  2. Frosty The Snowman (Nat 'King' Cole & The Singing Pussy Cats)
  3. Snow Deer Stomp (Spade Cooley & His Dance Band)
  4. Schlittenpferde (Sleigh Horses) (Erhard Bauschke & sein Tanzorchester)
  5. Immer Wenn es Schneit (Toni Sailer)
  6. Ski Jump (Frederic Curzon & The New Concert Orchestra)
  7. Snowflakes (Cliff Bruner)
  8. The Winter Song (Tex Williams & Trio)
  9. Snowbound (Sarah Vaughan)
  10. Bob Sleigh (Frederic Curzon & The New Concert Orchestra)
  11. Snowbound (The Del Vikings)
  12. Wintertime (The Belmonts)
  13. Froze (The Omegas featuring Earl Sinks)
  14. Snowball (Faron Young)
  15. Roses In The Snow (The Kim Sisters)
  16. The White Snows Of Winter (The KIngston Trio)
  17. The Great Snowman (Bob Luman)
  18. Footprints In The Snow (Marty Robbins)
  19. Winter Time Bobby (Chandler & The Escorts)
  20. Cold North Wind (Lonnie Dee)
  21. Some Night In Alaska (The Cheers)
  22. Midnight Sun (Bobby Christian & His Orchestra)
  23. Snowbird (Hank Snow)
  24. Winter Time Blues (Lightnin' Slim)
  25. Frosty (Albert Collins)
  26. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé)
  27. The Blizzard (Jim Reeves)
  28. Blossoms In The Snow (The Skyliners)
  29. Snowdeer (Carl Smith)
  30. Looks Like A Cold Cold Winter (Georgia Gibbs)
  31. Faded Love And Winter Roses (Hank Williams & His Guitar)

Sleep In Heavenly Peace: A Season Of Healing (1995)
- Athens, GA benefit album that does not appear in Amazon
- proceeds benefit the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program (SANE), a non-profit group in Northeast Georgia that provides crucial services to adult and child victims of sexual assault
- http://www.athensmusic.net/store/pc/Various-Artists-br-Sleep-in-Heavenly-Peace-10p4087.htm

  1. Miracle, The Buffalo (Jean Spencer)
  2. Sing Angel Choir (Bill Mallonee [Vigilantes of Love])
  3. Nester, the Long Eared Christmas Donkey (Where’s Anita?)
  4. (I Want a Big Red) Cadillac for Christmas (The Coyotes)
  5. O Holy Night (The Priestie Boys)
  6. Musings on Greensleeves (James B. Merritt II)
  7. Choron (Milton Masciadri)
  8. River (David Ferguson [Eli])
  9. Silent Night (Caroline Aiken & Page Dukes)
  10. Here Comes Santa Claus (Redneck Greece De-lux)
  11. What a Mighty Day (The Howard Sisters)
  12. Children Go Where I Send Thee (The Warblers)
  13. Go Tell it on the Mountain (Rosa Thurmond)

Sleigh Me: A Collection of Retro Holiday Classics (promotional, 2000)
- neo-swing presented by Atomic Magazine
- I don't own this....

  1. Winter Wonderland (Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers)
  2. Jingle Bells (The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra)
  3. Christmas Time In Tinseltown (Again) (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)
  4. Run Run Rudolph (George Gee And The Jump Jive & Wailers)
  5. Santa Is Back In Town (The Jive Aces)
  6. Sleigh Ride (Los Straitjackets)
  7. Mistletoe Mambo (Michael Andrew & Swingerhead)
  8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Dave's True Story)
  9. EggNog (Casey MacGill)
  10. We Three Kings - Michael Andrew & Swingerhead (featuring "Broccoli" Rob and Eddie Nichols)
  11. Winter Wonderland (The Ray Gelato Giants)

Sleighed: The Other Side Of Christmas (2000)
- alternative rock and novelty songs compiled by Hip-O Records

  1. You Ain't Getting Shit for Christmas (Red Peters)
  2. Away In A Manger (Plankeye)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Local H, 1997)
  4. Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It) (Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
  5. Christmas Crush (Home Grown)
  6. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (Less Than Jake)
  7. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Smithereens)
  8. Christmas with the Devil (Spinal Tap)
  9. White Christmas (Goldfinger)
  10. The Little Drum Machine Boy (Beck)
  11. Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope (Sonic Youth)
  12. I Farted on Santa's Lap (Now Christmas Is Gonna Stink for Me) (The Little Stinkers)

Slow Jams Christmas, Vol. 1 (1996)

  1. Silent Night (The Temptations)
  2. Happy Holidays To You (The Whispers)
  3. The Christmas Song (The Whispers)
  4. At Christmas Time (Luther Vandross)
  5. It's Christmas Time Again (The Christmas Song) (The Temprees)
  6. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway)
  7. The Christmas Song (Nat 'King' Cole)
  8. Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown)
  9. What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas? (The Emotions)
  10. When You've Got Love, It's Christmas All Year Long (The Stylistics)
  11. Christmas Gift (Margie Joseph)
  12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (The O'Jays)

Slow Jams Christmas, Vol. 2 (1997)

  1. My Christmas Gifts (Alexander O'Neal)
  2. A Very Special Holiday (The Whispers)
  3. This Christmas (The Whispers)
  4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Al Jarreau)
  5. Merry Christmas, Baby (Charles Brown)
  6. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Al Green)
  7. Christmas Ain't Christmas New Years Ain't New Year's Without The One You Love (The Ebonys)
  8. Christmas Love (Rotary Connection)
  9. Soul Santa (Brook Benton)
  10. Merry Christmas (Darryl Tookes)
  11. I Can Hardly Wait 'Til Christmas (The O'Jays)
  12. Auld Lang Syne (Lou Rawls)

Slow Jams Christmas, Vol. 3 (2001)
- above three part of R&B ballad series Slow Jams on Capitol Records imprint The Right Stuff

  1. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  2. Merry Christmas Baby (Chuck Berry)
  3. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Gladys Knight & The Pips)
  4. Silent Night (The Stylistics)
  5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Whispers)
  6. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Luther Vandross)
  7. White Christmas (The O'Jays)
  8. Dear Santa Claus (Bobby Womack)
  9. 'Twas Love (Patti Labelle)
  10. Every Day WIll Be Like A Holiday (The Sweet Inspirations)
  11. Silver Bells (Bebe & Cece Winans)
  12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (The Stylistics)

Slow Jams For Christmas (2007)
- Capitol updates above concept

  1. Please Come Home For Christmas (Luther Vandross)
  2. Santa Baby (Faith Evans)
  3. I Want To Come Home For Christmas (Marvin Gaye)
  4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men)
  5. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Al Green)
  6. Don't Let Me Go (Brian McKnight)
  7. This Christmas (Jagged Edge)
  8. Medley: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear/The First Noel (Babyface)
  9. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Nat King Cole)
  10. I Can Hardly Wait 'Til Christmas (The O'Jays)
  11. White Christmas (Faith Evans)
  12. Merry Christmas Darling (Vanessa Williams)
  13. Christmas Time Is Here (Dianne Reeves)
  14. This Christmas (The Whispers)
  15. Silver Bells (Cece Winans)
  16. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Nancy Wilson)
  17. Silent Night (Al Green)
  18. Dear Santa Claus (Bobby Womack)
  19. The First Noel (Lou Rawls)
  20. Christmas Forever (Freddie Jackson)

Slow Jams Jazz Christmas (2013)
- latest installment in R&B ballad series, this time on Fantasy label Original Jazz Classics
- at first glance, it's mainly OJC stuff, but there are some tracks from Telarc, too (both now owned by the Concord Music Group)

  1. The Christmas Song (Eddie Lockjaw Davis)
  2. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Gene Harris Quartet)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Scott Hamilton)
  4. Merry Christmas Baby (Don Patterson)
  5. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
  6. O Holy Night (Hank Crawford)
  7. White Christmas (Oscar Peterson)
  8. Greensleeves (Coleman Hawkins)
  9. O Tannenbaum (Dave Brubeck)
  10. Christmas Love Song (Scott Hamilton)
  11. Winter Wonderland (Jack McDuff)
  12. I'll Be Home for Christmas (reprise) (Curtis Peagler)

Smooth & Soulful Christmas, Vol. 1 (2005)
- YMC Records collection, reissued in 2006 as part of Universal's 20th Century Masters series; subsequent volumes never issued
- after the release of "20th Century Masters," the two albums seem to have been confounded with each other; "Smooth & Soulful" disappeared from the AllMusic Guide, and Amazon's website now says both albums were released in 2006; but, "Smooth & Soulful" really was released in 2005... I was there...

  1. Christmas In New York (Pointer Sisters)
  2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Patti Austin)
  3. Chirtmas Morning (Al Jarreau)
  4. Colored with Love (Natalie Cole)
  5. It came Upon a Midnight Clear (Fourplay)
  6. Christmas Spirit (Donna Summer)
  7. Christmas Fantasy (Anita Baker)
  8. Away In A Manger (Take 6)
  9. Peggy Virginia (Al Jarreau)
  10. Silent Night (Marilyn McCoo)
  11. Carol Of The Bells (Pointer Sisters)
  12. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Fourplay)

Smooth Yule (Kid's Records, 1996) B00027G4Y2
- a Children's Miracle Network benefit sold through Blockbuster
- very similar (though not identical track) listing to "An Instrumental Christmas" (Kid's Records, 1997, B000KGYHN0)
- I have no intention of doing much with this, it's just here for reference due it's tangential relationship to some things I do intend to...

  1. Dave Grusin - Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
  2. Kenny G - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
  3. John Tesh - A Song For Prima
  4. Kitaro - Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desire
  5. Ottmar Liebert - Deck The Halls
  6. Jim Brickman - Silent Night
  7. David Benoit - O Little Town Of Bethlehem
  8. Laurence Juber - Good King Wenceslas
  9. Ramsey Lewis Trio - Snowbound
  10. David Koz - Winter Wonderland
  11. Kurt Bestor - Carol Of The Bells

Kevin Eubanks - O Tannenbaum

Smooth Grooves: A Sensual Christmas (1999)
- part of Rhino Records' Smooth Grooves series of R&B ballads

  1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Jackson 5)
  2. The Mistletoe And Me (Isaac Hayes)
  3. Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas (The Staple Singers)
  4. I'll Be Your Santa Baby (Rufus Thomas)
  5. The Gift Of Giving (Bill Withers)
  6. Happy Holidays (Ohio Players)
  7. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway)
  8. Black Christmas (The Emotions)
  9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (The Impressions)
  10. Christmas Ain't Christmas, New Years Ain't New Years Without The One You Love (The O'Jays)
  11. Santa Claus Is Definitely Here To Stay (James Brown)
  12. Silent Night (Gladys Knight & The Pips)

Snoop Dogg Presents Christmas In The Dogghouse (Doggystyle, 2008) B001NY8JPA

  1. Christmas Intro (Snoop Dogg)
  2. Xmas on Soul (J. Black featuring Snoop Dogg)
  3. This Christmas (Tha Dogg Pound featuring Christ Starr)
  4. A Gift That Keeps On Giving (Damani featuring Christ Starr)
  5. A New Xmas (The Hustle Boyz featuring Uncle Chucc)
  6. I Miss Them Days (Soopafly)
  7. A Very Special Christmas (Uncle Chucc)
  8. Twas The Night Before Xmas (Damani featuring Snoop Dogg)
  9. My Little Mama Trippin On Xmas (Bad Lucc)
  10. Just Like Xmas (Half Dead and The Twinz)
  11. Look Out (Snoop Dogg featuring Kurupt, Daz Dillinger & Nate Dogg)
  12. When Was Jesus Born? (Lil Gee)
  13. Xmas Trees (Kurupti featuring Christ Star)
  14. Everyday Is Like Christmas To Me (Damani featuring Deacon)
  15. Christmas In The Hood (Daz Dillinger)
  16. The Grinch (Bad Lucc)
  17. It's Christmas Time (The Hustle Boyzi featuring Christ Star)
  18. Landy In My Egg Nog (Bad Lucc featuring Soopafly)
  19. Christmas Outro (Snoop Dogg)
  20. A Pimp's Christmas Song (Snoop Dogg featuring Bishop Magic Juan and Jake the Flake)

As of my drop-dead date (2020), Snoop Dogg had never released an all-out Christmas album under his own name, though this one came close. He had, however, released and/or participated in dizzing number of holiday-related singles and tracks. Here's a probably-less-than-comprehensive list, several of which are not in my collection because they failed to meet my lofty standards...

Regarding "'Twas The Night Before Christmas," it's more than worth noting that just one year prior, then-KROX producer Jimmy Kimmell recorded the title track of Kevin' & Bean's "Christmastime In The LBC" in the style of Snoop Dogg, under the pseudonym of "Snoop & Friends." (The track also appeared on "Family Christmas," a CD which compiled songs from earlier cassette and LP volumes in the ongoing Kevin & Bean series, as well as new tracks like the Snoop Dogg contribution.) Whether Kimmell's track provoked a response from the real Snoop Dogg isn't known - though I like to think it did - and it seemed like good, not-so-clean fun at the time. More than 20 years later, however, standards had changed, and Kimmell publicly apologized for his prodigious use of racially-charged language.

Snow - The Get Easy! Christmas Collection (2002)

  1. Sleigh Ride (The Soulful Strings, 1968)
  2. The Bell That Couldn't Jingle (Burt Bacharach, 1968)
  3. It's Christmas Time (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1970)
  4. Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto (James Brown, 1968)
  5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Ella Fitzgerald, 1960)
  6. What Christmas Means To Me (Stevie Wonder, 1967)
  7. You're All I Want For Christmas (Brook Benton, 1963)
  8. Christmas Love (The Rotary Connection, 1968)
  9. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys, 1963)
  10. Snow (Claudine Longet, 1967)
  11. Christmas Medley (The Swingle Singers, 1968)
  12. Sleigh Ride (Jack Jones, 1964)
  13. Ten Below (Chris & Peter Allen, 1967)
  14. Jing Jing A Ling (Honey & The Bees, 1969)
  15. Purple Snowflakes (Marvin Gaye, 1964)
  16. Christmas Kisses (Ray Anthony, 1961)
  17. White Christmas (Jimmy Smith, 1964)
  18. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé, 1961)
  19. Holiday For Bells (Bert Kaempfert, 1963)
  20. Black Christmas (The Emotions, 1970)
  21. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway, 1970)
  22. It's Christmas Time Once Again (Brian Hyland, 1967)
  23. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ramsey Lewis, 1968)
  24. Winter Night (Scott Walker, 1969)

Snow 2 - The Get Easy! Christmas Collection Vol. II (2004)

  1. A Time to Be Jolly (Bing Crosby, 1971)
  2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Wayne Newton, 1968)
  3. The Christmas Song (Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66, 1968)
  4. I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1970)
  5. Happy Holiday (Peggy Lee, 1965)
  6. Winter Wonderland (John Davidson, 1969)
  7. Snow (Harpers Bizarre, 1968)
  8. Little Drummer Boy (The Soulful Strings, 1968)
  9. Christmas Child (Rotary Connection, 1968)
  10. I Want to Come Home for Christmas (Marvin Gaye, 1972)
  11. Look Around You (It's Christmas Time) (Bobby Goldsboro, 1968)
  12. Cold Cold Winter (The Pixies Three, 1964)
  13. What Can I Give You This Christmas? (The Lettermen, 1966)
  14. Winter in Canada (Elisa Gabbai, 1965)
  15. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding, 1968)
  16. Sleigh Ride (The Ventures, 1965)
  17. I Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without You (Claudine Longet, 1967)
  18. Frosty the Snowman (The Candy Store, 1969)
  19. It's Christmas Time, Part 1 (James Brown, 1969)
  20. Love for Christmas (The Gems, 1964)
  21. What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas (The Emotions, 1973)
  22. Jingle Bells (José Feliciano, 1970)
  23. Christmas Is the Day (The Free Design, 1970)
  24. A Fistful of Snow (The San Sebastian Strings, 1972)

Snow 3 - The Get Easy! Christmas Collection Vol. III (2005)
- above three part of Universal German lounge/jazz/soul series

  1. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams, 1963)
  2. Sleigh Ride (Ella Fitzgerald, 1960)
  3. Here Comes Santa Claus (Wayne Newton, 1968)
  4. Goin' Home (Bobby Sherman, 1970)
  5. The Christmas Song (Gladys Knight & The Pips, 1975)
  6. I Believe in Christmas Eve (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1970)
  7. Gee Whiz It's Christmas (The Beginning of the End, 1970)
  8. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin, 1959)
  9. Ring Those Christmas Bells (Peggy Lee, 1953)
  10. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi Trio, 1965)
  11. Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas (The Staple Singers, 1970)
  12. I Remember Christmas (The Stridells, 1969)
  13. Peace at Last (Rotary Connection, 1968)
  14. Christmas Morning (Rhys O'Brien, 1967)
  15. Snowfall (The Singers Unlimited, 1973)
  16. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Temptations, 1970)
  17. Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas) (The Free Design, 1968)
  18. Frosty the Snowman (The Beach Boys, 1964)
  19. A Christmas Toast (Bing Crosby, 1971)
  20. White Christmas (The Candy Store, 1969)
  21. Soulful Christmas (James Brown, 1968)
  22. Christmas Time Is Here Again (The Flirtations, 1968)
  23. Song of Santa Claus (Papai Noel) (Luiz Henrique, 1967)
  24. Snow (Nilsson, 1970)

The Best Of Snow: A Very Special Christmas Collection (Universal, 2008) B001HVB802

  1. Snow (Claudine Longet, 1967)
  2. Sleigh Ride (Jack Jones, 1964)
  3. A Time to Be Jolly (Bing Crosby, 1971)
  4. Here Comes Santa Claus (Wayne Newton, 1968)
  5. The Christmas Song (Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, 1968)
  6. I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, 1970)
  7. Purple Snowflakes (Marvin Gaye, 1964)
  8. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé, 1961)
  9. Holiday for Bells (Bert Kaempfert, 1963)
  10. Jing Jing a Ling (Honey & the Bees, 1969)
  11. Love for Christmas (The Gems, 1964)
  12. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Temptations, 1970)
  13. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto (James Brown, 196)
  14. What Christmas Means to Me (Stevie Wonder, 1967)
  15. You're All I Want for Christmas (Brook Benton, 1963)
  16. Winter Night (Scott Walker, 1969)
  17. Song of Santa Claus (Luiz Henrique, 1967)
  18. Christmas Time Is Here Again (The Flirtations, 1968)
  19. Christmas Child (Rotary Connection, 1968)
  20. The Bell That Couldn't Jingle (Burt Bacharach, 1968)
  21. Ring Those Christmas Bells (Peggy Lee, 1953)
  22. Christmas Morning (Rhys O'Brien, 1967)
  23. White Christmas (Jimmy Smith, 1964)
  24. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ramsey Lewis, 1968)

various artists / Snow Blossoms: Lost Country Christmas Classics (Sundazed, 2022) B0BMZW8LF1
- digital-only album, no liner notes
- what little information Sundazed made available indicated that, except for Larry Cartell's "Cowboy Santa, all tracks are previously unreleased (and thus far undocumented) publishing demos and that ilk...
- they do mention, however, that Houston Roberts is an alias for Bill D. Johnson, and Sundazed told me via email that most of these tapes came from Johnson's widow...
- the Bill Davis tracks are unexceptional Hammond B3 instrumentals...

  1. Cowboy Santa (Larry Cartell, 1967)
    - Glenolden single b/w "Little Drummer Boy"
  2. Christmas Kisses (Bill D. Johnson, circa 1967)
    - very much a publishing demo...
    - Marty Robbins recorded this in 1967, which makes it our best bet
  3. Snow Blossom (Mimi Roman, circa 1967)
    - pretty much a finished song, though as much easy listening as country
    - she recorded a fair amount for Decca, Kapp, and Warner Brothers in the late 50's; these recordings were compiled by Bear Family on "I'm Ready If You Are Willing" (2012, B0087ORIEM)
    - she then recorded as Kitty Ford and Mimi Evans in the early 60's - see the Sundazed album "Pussycat" (2022, B0B1ZQ2MSV)
    - Sundazed also released an album of her mostly unreleased later 60's music called "First Of The Brooklyn Cowgirls" (2022, B0B1ZRHC54)
  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bill Davis, circa 1965)
    - unexceptional Hammond B3 instrumental - which is to say, this is very much not "Wild" Bill Davis, the jazz keyboard player...
  5. Santa In July (Houston Roberts, circa 1968)
    - pretty great song (using Santa as a metaphor), sounds like a finished track
    - but, I discovered that the song had been recorded by Cal Smith in 1969, and on the LP, the writer is given as Gene Crysler, a country songwriter of some note; in my correspondance with Sundazed, they said that's probably correct - Johnson's widow gave them a ton of tapes, and her memory wasn't so great...
  6. Truck Driver's Lament (Johnny Dollar, circa 1969)
    - Sundazed specifically calls this a demo, but it sounds like a polished single...
    - it was a #71 hit for Dollar on Chart records in early 1970, and the single (as heard on YouTube) sounds very much like the demo, plus a few overdubs and the "ass" bleeped out...
  7. I Want A Doll For Christmas (Bill D. Johnson, circa 1967)
    - very much a publishing demo...
  8. Softly The Snow Flake (Mimi Roman, circa 1967)
    - pretty much a finished song, and it sounds much more country than the title track
  9. Timmy The Little Christmas Tree (Houston Roberts, circa 1968)
    - as above, this sounds like a finished track, though it's a fairly silly novelty song
  10. Winter Wonderland (Bill Davis, circa 1965)
    - unexceptional Hammond B3 instrumental

The Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club
- this is a both blog and label that writes about Christmas singles and releases their own; the eclectic vinyl singles - a-side an original, b-side a cover - are sold through Big Cartel; the first couple of years were uniformly available for download through traditional outlets, but that broke down in 2015...; anyway, as of 2016, when I officially stopped paying attention, they were still going strong. I'm not sure what, if anything, I wanted to do with this beyond what I have done, but I wanted to get it documented in one spot before I moved on
- generally speaking, these performances are too precious for my tastes, but I purchased the Silhouettes and Garlands singles in 2013, and I listed all the a-sides for the first two years in the song index; but, I gave up in 2015 when they essentially shifted to vinyl-only, and then I gave up altogether in 2016...
- UPDATE: as of 2022, they were still at, though they hadn't posted in the blog since 2020...
- website: http://snowfla​kes-christmas-s​ingles.blogspot​.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Snowflakes.Christmas.Singles
- vinyl sold through http://snowflakes.bigcartel.com

So This Is Christmas (promotional, 1994)
- 8-track alternative rock CD from Atlantic Records
- cover art by Daniel Johnston
- very similar to "You Sleigh Me" promo released the same year
- quite a few of the tracks ended up on the formal "You Sleigh Me" CD released in 1995

  1. Silent Night (Bad Religion, 1993)
    - recorded live at the annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas show
  2. Christmas Song (Hootie & The Blowfish, 1994)
  3. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Daniel Johnston, 1994)
  4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Victoria Williams, 1993)
    - recorded live for the Canadian radio show "Hot Ticket"
  5. Blue Christmas (Collective Soul, 1994)
  6. Little Drummer Boy (Tori Amos, 1992)
    - recorded live at the Steeltown club in Baltimore, Maryland
  7. Silent Night (Evan Dando, 1994)
  8. Make It Home (Juliana Hatfield, 1994)

Something Festive (1968)
- see the "Goodrich" series

Songs For A London Winter (Croydon Municipal CR9013, 2014) (Amazon)
- presented by pop group Saint Etienne and Croydon Municipal, a label curated by group member Bob Stanley
- I am sorely tempted by this, but the music is rather decidely un-hip and very, well, English...

  1. Christmas Time in London Town (Nina and Frederik, Columbia DB 4735, 1961)
  2. Snowman’s Land (Zack Laurence, Parlophone R 4843, 1961)
  3. Winter Wonderland (King Brothers, Parlophone R 4367, 1957)
  4. It’s Christmas (Elaine and Derek, Parlophone R 4845, 1961)
  5. Winter Wail (Johnny Dankworth, Columbia DB 4751, 1961)
  6. Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind (Cleo Laine, Columbia EP SEG 7938, 1959)
  7. We Three Kings (Johnny Keating and His Z Men, Piccadilly 7N 45071, 1962)
  8. Swingin’ Sleigh Ride (Joe “Mr. Piano’ Henderson, Pye 7N 15309, 1959)
  9. Christmas Calypso (Tricia Marks, Parlophone R 4847, 1961)
  10. Christmas Island (Dickie Valentine, Decca F 10798, 1956)
  11. Lonely Pup (Adam Faith, Parlophone R 4708, 1960)
  12. Winter Starlight (Tony Osborne, HMV POP 671, 1959)
  13. Must Be Santa (Alma Cogan, HMV POP 815, 1960)
  14. Get Lost, Jack Frost (The John Barry Seven, Columbia DB 4554, 1960)
  15. Sounds Like Winter (The Echoes, Fontana 267254, 1962)
  16. Xmas Stocking (Lyn Cornell, Decca F 11301, 1960)
  17. My Christmas Prayer (Billy Fury, Decca F 11189, 1959)
  18. Blue Ice (Kenny Baker, Palette PG 9012, 1961)
  19. Little Donkey (Beverley Sisters, Decca F 11172, 1959)
  20. Snow Coach (Russ Conway, Columbia DB 4368, 1959)
  21. I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus (Embassy Singers, Embassy EP 1098, 1963)
  22. Swinging Shepherd Blues (Ted Heath, Decca F 11000, 1958)
  23. Give Us a Kiss for Christmas (Lionel Bart, Decca F 11405, 1961)
  24. Christmas Land (Wally Whyton, Piccadilly 7N 35089, 1962)

Song For A Winter's Night (Sony/BMG, 2006) B000FVQLCA
- budget-priced sampler from a variety of sources
- I owned this briefly before deciding that it was unnecessary, so if there's any question, the dates come directly from the liner notes, which failed to give many details beyond the copyright...

  1. Songs For A Winter's Night (Sarah McLachlan, 1994)
    - written by Gordon Lightfoot
    - from the 20th Century Fox production of "Miracle On 34th Street" starring Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott
  2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Gavin DeGraw, 2004)
    - from "Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Collection," a Target exclusive
  3. Silent Night (Destiny's Child, 2001)
    - from "8 Days Of Christmas"
  4. Little Drummer Girl (Alicia Keys, 1996)
    - from "12 Soulful Nights of Christmas" presented by Jermaine Dupri
    - also appears on "Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Collection" (2004)
  5. The Christmas Song (The Raveonettes, 2003)
    - b-side of "Heartbreak Stroll"
  6. Winter Wonderland (Phantom Planet, 2002)
    - from "Maybe This Christmas"
  7. Do They Know It's Christmas (Pete Yorn, 2004)
    - previously appeared on Kevin & Bean's "The Year They Recalled Santa Claus" (2003)
    - also appears on "Sweet Tracks" (2004), which is where they probably took the date...
  8. River (Rachael Yamagata, 2004)
    - from "Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Collection," a Target exclusive
  9. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Carly Simon, 2005)
    - released as a digital single
    - also bonus track on UK edition of her album, "Moonlight Serenade"
  10. Sleigh Ride (Play, 2002)
    - Swedish teen pop girl group; the song appears on their album "Play Around the Christmas Tree " (B0006IIP9Y, 2004), but was apparently released in some form before that...

Songs Of Christmas from the Alan Lomax Collection (1998)
- excerpted from historic field recordings of noted musicologist
- this probably falls into the "do I really care?" category...

  1. Entrance of Father Christmas (Symondsbury Mummers)
  2. The Twelve Days of Christmas (Bob Copper & Ron Copper)
  3. Christmas Rhyme (Ewan MacColl)
  4. The Motion Tune (Red Ants)
  5. Mari Lywd Cermony (David Thomas & Party)
  6. Midwinter Horn Solo (Unknown Dutch Player)
  7. Aguinaldo (Antonio Riurtos, Jose Arrandia, Jose Caldez & Juan Martoell)
  8. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle (Caggiano Pipers)
  9. A Warm Drink for the Baby (Seamus Ennis)
  10. Taladh an Leinibh Losa (Scottish Crofter Group)
  11. No Room at The Inn/Last Month of the Year (Vera Ward Hall)
  12. Venite Adoremus (Unidentified Priest from Abruzzi, Italy)
  13. Tan Tan (Manuela Morena)
  14. Shepherds Arise (Bob Copper & Ron Copper )
  15. La Fils Du Roi de Gloire (Trinidadian Cantique Singers)
  16. Sherburne (Sacred Harp Singers)
  17. Caramiles (Local Group from Ibiza, Spain)
  18. Exit Tune from Midnight Mass (Local Group from Ibiza, Spain)
  19. Las Doce por la Virgen (Julio Ramos Polo)
  20. Rumanian Midwinter Carol (Local Group from Hunedoara, Rumania)
  21. Singing the Travels (Tom Eveleigh)
  22. The Gower Wassail Song (Charley Bate)
  23. Mari Lywd Description and Farewell Verse (Margaretta Thomas)
  24. Walk Billy Abbot (Georgia Sea Island Singers)
  25. O Day (Georgia Sea Island Singers)
  26. Conch Shell Horn On New Year's Eve in Positano, Italy (Various Artists)
  27. New Year's Day Tarentella (Putipu Band of Capri)
  28. New Year's Song (Ponte Langarino Group)
  29. Bon Nouvelle (Trinidadian Cantique Singers)
  30. Breaking Up Christmas (Norman Edmonds)
  31. Conclusion of Symondsbury Mummer's Play (Symondsbury Mummers)

Songs Of Christmas Past (London, 1986)
- very early CD release of very English Christmas pop, all, I think, originally on the Decca label

  1. Christmas Alphabet (Dickie Valentine, 1955)
  2. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Primo Scala, 1950)
  3. Christmas And You (Dave King, 1956)
  4. Away In A Manger (Anne Shelton, 1948)
  5. Christmas Island (Dickie Valentine, 1956)
  6. I'm Sending A Letter To Santa Claus (Vera Lynn, 1939)
  7. Silent Night Holy Night (Archie Lewis, 1952)
  8. St. Nicolas Waltz (Lita Roza, 1953)
  9. Santo Natale (Merry Christmas) (David Whitfield, 1954)
  10. The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (Lita Roza, 1953)
  11. Jingle Bells (Primo Scala, 1948)
  12. White Christmas (Vera Lynn, 1942)
  13. The Christmas Song (Anne Shelton, 1948)
  14. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Billy Cotton, 1953)
  15. Little Donkey (The Beverley Sisters, 1959)
  16. Christmas In Killarney (The Four Ramblers, 1950)
  17. Merry Christmas (Anne Shelton, 1950)
  18. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) (David Whitfield, 1954)

Songs Of The Architect Presents: A Very SOTA Christmas, Vol .1 (2014)
- from the stable of an Atlanta-based music publisher

  1. Silent Night (Marshall Ruffin)
  2. Peace and Harmony (Indianapolis Jones)
  3. Deck the Halls (Alex Gordon Hi Fi)
  4. Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday (The Shadowboxers)
  5. Jolly Old St. Nicholas (The Galavanters)
  6. Christmas Island (Big Mike Geier & Larkin Poe
  7. Christmas in Cancun (Stephen Kellogg)
  8. Santa and the Tooth Fairy (The Handlebars)
  9. Angels We Have Heard on High (Alex Gordon Hi Fi featuring Marshall Ruffin)
  10. Feels Like Christmas (Michelle Malone)
    - new version of song that first appeared on "A Christmas To Remember" (Velvel, 1998)
  11. Joy To The World (Tres Lechers)
  12. Christmas Wish (Tim Smith)
  13. Auld Lang Syne (Mike Snowden)

Songs To Celebrate 25 Days Of Christmas (soundtrack, 2009)
- family-oriented ABC-TV soundtrack collection

  1. ABC Family's 25 Days Jingle (Jazzy Jazz and the Gingerbread Boys)
  2. Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You (Alexa Vega)
  3. Santa Baby (Amber Stevens)
  4. Winter Wonderland (Chelsea Williams)
  5. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Tim Davis)
  6. Santa Claus Lane (Holiday Version) (Hilary Duff)
  7. Mr. Heatmiser (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)
  8. My Christmas List (Simple Plan)
  9. What Christmas Means To Me (Hanson)
  10. The Only Gift I Need (The Strange Familiar)
  11. Put One Foot In Front Of The Other (Paul Frees)
  12. Jingle Bells (Brian Setzer)
  13. Frosty The Snowman (Jimmy Durante)
  14. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams with Robert Mersey & His Orchestra)
  15. Silver Bells (Bing Crosby featuring Trudy Erwin)
  16. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald (Frank Devol Orchestra)

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Holiday Sampler 2008 (promotional, 2008)
- not listed on website, and I don't think I should... however, it's worth mentioning in the context of these songs...
- these publishing samplers started to show up with great frequency about this time, and I purchased several before deciding it was a rabbit hole I did not want to go down...
- I kept this one as long as I could, and it was the last to go - partially because it was the first one I ever bought, but mainly because it was the only other digital copy I owned of the rare Dream So Real track "Red Lights (Merry Christmas)," issued only as the b-side of a promotional CD single of "Rough Night In Jericho," a minor 1988 radio hit...
- ultimately, I had to get rid of it, and as I was doing so, I discovered that it had an even more valuable rarity, "It's A California Christmas" by Pearl Bailey, recorded for MGM at a session on April 4, 1973, along with "Some Cats Know" and "I Ain't Here"; best I can tell, the entire session was never released...
- in fact, if "California Christmas" has EVER been officially released and/or compiled, I have not discovered where, but it appeared on Sony's 2007 publishing sampler, as well...
- it was, however, also recorded in 1973 for MGM by Jack Sheldon (whoever that is) and released as a single b/w "Twenty Years"
- even more tantilizing, the song was written by no less than Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; many years later, Leiber's widow, Corky Hale, a jazz singer, harpist, and pianist, recorded the song on her album "Have Yourself A Jazzy Little Christmas" (Beverly Hills Records, 1999, B000051Y5)
- I also kept a copy of Herbie Hancock's version of Joni Mitchell's "River" featuring Corinne Bailey Rae, which was recorded exclusively for Starbucks' 2007 sampler "Stockings By The Fire"

Soul Christmas (Atco, 1968)
- landmark of modern Christmas music
- reissued by Rhino Records in 1994 as 'Original Soul Christmas' with same cover and four bonus tracks

  1. Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter)
  2. The Christmas Song (King Curtis)
  3. White Christmas (Otis Redding)
  4. I'll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman) (Joe Tex)
  5. Silver Bells (Booker T. and The MG's)
  6. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (Carla Thomas)
  7. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  8. Presents For Christmas (Solomon Burke, 1966)
  9. Jingle Bells (Booker T. and The MG's)
  10. Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday (William Bell)
  11. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (King Curtis)
    - bonus tracks -
  12. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Carla Thomas)
  13. Christmas Time (Ray Charles)
  14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Booker T. and The MG's)

Soul Christmas (Atlantic, 1978)
- European reissue of above, with completely different cover and one additional track

  1. Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter)
  2. The Christmas Song (King Curtis)
  3. White Christmas (Otis Redding)
  4. I'll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman) (Joe Tex)
  5. Silver Bells (Booker T. and The MG's)
  6. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (Carla Thomas)
  7. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  8. Presents For Christmas (Solomon Burke, 1966)
  9. Jingle Bells (Booker T. and The MG's)
  10. Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday (William Bell)
  11. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (King Curtis)
    - extra track -
  12. Silent Night (Percy Sledge)

Soul Christmas (Atlantic, 1991)
- 20 tracks on Atlantic including many of same songs as above

  1. White Christmas (Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters)
  2. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway)
  3. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (Carla Thomas)
  4. Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter)
  5. Merry Christmas Baby (Booker T. & The MG's)
  6. Silent Night (The Impressions)
  7. May Christmas Bring You Happiness (Luther)
  8. White Christmas (Otis Redding)
  9. I'll Make Everyday Christmas (For My Woman) (Joe Tex)
  10. Silver Bells (Booker T. & The MG's)
  11. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Carla Thomas)
  12. The Christmas Song (The Drifters)
  13. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  14. Soul Santa (Brook Benton)
  15. Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday (The Sweet Inspirations)
  16. Christmas Gift (Margie Joseph)
  17. Presents For Christmas (Solomon Burke, 1966)
  18. New Year's Resolution (Otis And Carla)
  19. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (King Curtis)
  20. May Christmas Bring You Happiness (1991 Remix) (Luther)

Soul Christmas (Kent, 1976)
- vintage rhythm & blues on LP, circa 1976 (actual date is unknown)

  1. Merry Christmas Baby (Charles Brown)
  2. Christmas Celebration (B.B. King)
  3. I Wanna Spend Christmas With You (part 1) (Lowell Fulsom)
  4. I Wanna Spend Christmas With You (part 2) (Lowell Fulsom)
  5. It's Christmas (Marvin & Johnny)
  6. I Want You With Me This Christmas (Jesse Belvin)
  7. Silent Night (Floyd Dixon)
  8. God Gave Us Christmas (Oscar McLollie)
  9. Christmas Time Is Coming (Floyd Dixon)

Soul Christmas (Rhino UK, 2014)
- very similar track listing to Rhino's 1991 domestic compilation of the same name...

  1. White Christmas (the Drifters)
  2. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  3. Winter Wonderland (Booker T. & the MG's)
  4. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Cadillacs, 1956)
  5. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire) (the Drifters)
  6. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway)
  7. Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (Carla Thomas)
  8. Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday (William Bell)
  9. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (King Curtis)
  10. Silent Night (Single Version) (the Impressions)
  11. Christmas Gift (Margie Joseph)
  12. May Christmas Bring You Happiness (Luther Vandross)
  13. Christmas Wish (Percy Sledge)
  14. Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter)
  15. Presents For Christmas (Solomon Burke, 1966)
  16. Soul Santa (Brook Benton)
  17. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Booker T. & the MG's)
  18. All I Want for Christmas Is You (Carla Thomas)
  19. New Year's Resolution (Otis Redding & Carla Thomas)

Soul Train Christmas Starfest (1997)
- rhythm & blues from the 1960's through the 1990's

  1. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men)
  2. Every Year, Every Christmas (Luther Vandross)
  3. God Bless The Dreamer (Simone Hines)
  4. O Come All Ye Faithful (Az Yet)
  5. Silent Nite (Happy Holiday Mix) (En Vogue, 1991)
  6. Special Gift (The Isley Brothers)
  7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Rome)
  8. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Natalie Cole)
  9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Immature)
  10. Silver Bells (Total Commitment)
  11. This Christmas (Hang All The Mistletoe) (Patti Labelle)
  12. Someday At Christmas (Stevie Wonder)
  13. It's Christmas (All Over The World) (New Edition)
  14. Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto (James Brown)
  15. There's No Christmas Without You (Kirk Franklin And The Family)
  16. Give Love On Christmas Day (Johnny Gill)

Soulful Sounds Of Christmas (2004)
- hip hop, soul, and gospel from late 20th century on Rhino Records

  1. The Christmas (Dru Hill)
  2. Happy Holidays To You (New Edition)
  3. Snowy Nights (En Vogue)
  4. Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men)
  5. O Holy Night (Yolanda Adams)
  6. Christmas in Hollis (Run-D.M.C.)
  7. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Babyface)
  8. Comin' For X-Mas? (Usher)
  9. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Whitney Houston)
  10. Sleigh Ride (TLC)
  11. Oh Little Town of Bethleham (Take 6)
  12. Silent Night, Holy Night (Bebe and Cece Winans)
  13. Now Behold the Lamp (Kirk Franklin and the Family)
  14. Christmas Without You (Xscape)

Sounds Of Christmas (2009)
- Christmas-only label compiles rarities and new recordings for connoisseurs
- benefits William Shatner's Hollywood Charity Horseshow
- http://www.socmusic.net

  1. All I Need (Lis Soderberg, 2008)
    Lis Soderberg is a singer/songwriter from Toronto. Her song “All I Need” finished 3rd in Billboard’s World Song Contest, and you can hear it right now on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/lissoderberg. Recorded in 2008, first released on this collection in 2009.
  2. Winter Wonderland (Huey Lewis And The News, 1984)
    Huey Lewis & The News originally sent copies of “Winter Wonderland” to their fan club (they were mailed out on pretty green cassettes). This was in December of 1984. It has never been available on CD. Recorded and issued to fan club members only in 1984.  First released on this collection in 2009.
  3. Christmas Vacation (Lisa Kessler, 2009)
    Lisa Kessler is a gifted Soprano whose first CD, A New Life, has songs that continue to appear on iTunes and Amazon‘s best-seller lists. You‘ll be able to hear “Christmas Vacation” on her MySpace page soon at www.myspace.com/lisakesslervocalist. Recorded and released in 2009, on this collection and on her CD "The Magic Of Christmas." (P.S. - Lisa's also my wife)
  4. Home for Christmas (Pete Hopkins, 2008)
    Pete Hopkins is a singer/songwriter from L.A., and was recently a semifinalist in the Shure National Songwriting Contest. You can hear “Home For Christmas” on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/petehopkins. Recorded in 2008.  First released on this collection in 2009.
  5. Rock Little Reindeer (Stephen Bishop, 2002)
    Stephen Bishop has been nominated for Grammys and Oscars, and appeared in “Animal House“ and “The Blues Brothers“! He also released his own Christmas CD through his website a few years ago (it‘s now sold out). His original song “Rock Little Reindeer” has been freshly re-mixed for this compilation! Recorded and released on a limited edition CD through the artist's website (and CDBaby) in 2002.  This version was remastered and re-mixed especially for our 2009 release.
  6. O Christmas Tree (Tina Lambert, 2009)
    Tina Lambert is releasing her second Christmas CD next month, and both feature her a cappella, singing all the parts, and then mixing them together, with the result being a beautiful chorus of Tina‘s! You can hear her Christmas songs on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/tinalambertmusic. Recorded and released in 2009 on this compilation, and on her CD "Christmas In A Cappella".
  7. Christmastime on the Beach (Roy Holliday, 2008)
    Roy Holliday describes himself as “Vegas meets the beach for a unique, yet classic, blend of original Christmas music.” Check out his MySpace page to hear this song and you’ll get exactly what he means at http://www.myspace.com/royholliday. Recorded and released by Roy in 2008.
  8. The Night Before Christmas (DJ Ice Z Ice & the Fresh Elf, 2009)
    DJ Icy-Ice & the Fresh Elf are a pair of rappers that you probably know. At this time, though, we can’t reveal any other info about them. Recorded and released in 2009 on this compilation.
  9. House on Christmas Street (Judy Pancoast, 1998)
    Judy Pancoast is a singer/songwriter from New Hampshire, whose music for children and families has gotten rave reviews! You can hear her original song “House On Christmas Street” on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/judypancoast. Recorded and released by Judy in 1998.
  10. When I Hear A Christmas Song (Dennis DeYoung, 2005)
    Dennis DeYoung, former lead singer for Styx, released “When I Hear A Christmas Song” a couple years ago through his website. This marks its first national release! Recorded and released by Dennis in 2005.
  11. Love for Christmas (Annie Pattison, 2008)
    Annie Pattison is a nine-year-old singer who was recently a finalist on Calgary Junior Idol! You can hear her original song “Love For Christmas” on her website at http://www.scorecreative.com/anniesings. Recorded in 2008 and first released on this compilation in 2009.
  12. Silver Bells (Tey, 2008)
    Tey is an L.A. singer/songwriter, who was recently described by Music Connection Magazine as a “gifted songwriter and vocalist who sets herself apart with a raw sexuality and palpable soulful influence." You can hear more from Tey on her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/teypunsalan. Recorded and released by Tey in 2008.
  13. Misty Wonderland Hop (Hayseed Dixie, 2008)
    Hayseed Dixie has made a career out of their very original bluegrass interpretation of rock artists like AC/DC (a style they call Rockgrass)! Their song here is a unique blend of “Winter Wonderland” sung to the music of Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop”. You can hear samples of their other songs on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/hsdx. Recorded in 2008, first released on this compilation in 2009.
  14. Santa Claus is Back in Town (Richard Marx, 2004)
    Richard Marx has had so many hits, that he actually holds a record as he first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5 on the US charts! While he doesn’t have his Christmas song up right now, you can hear a lot of his music on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/officialrichardmarx. Recorded and part of a limited release in 2004.
  15. Good King Wenceslas (William Shatner, 1992)
    William Shatner. James T. Kirk. T.J. Hooker. Denny Crane. The Big Giant Head. The Priceline Negotiator. You know who he is. He originally recorded this song for KROQ (Kevin and the Bean), as a part of one of their annual Christmas cassettes (yes, cassettes!). This is its first appearance on CD! Recorded and part of a limited released by KROQ in L.A. in 1992. 

Sounds Of Christmas, Volume 2 (2010)
- Christmas-only label compiles rarities and new recordings for connoisseurs
- benefits Sweet Relief and the Sweet Relief Musicians' Fund
- http://www.socmusic.net

  1. I Believe In Father Christmas (Vertical Horizon, 2002)
    Vertical Horizon originally recorded this song eight or nine years ago. It appeared on a compilation very briefly that year, and then vanished. When I first began inviting, begging and pleading singers and bands to help with this compilation, Vertical Horizon were the first to respond, so fast, in fact, that I already had the song before I heard from anyone else!
    - http://www.verticalhorizon.com
    - Recorded and part of a limited release in 2002
  2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (Belinda Carlisle, 1990)
    Belinda recorded this over twenty years ago. It has shown up on a couple of collections, but is no longer available anywhere else. It was especially generous of Belinda to keep in contact as she juggled a book tour and other commitments, taking her back and forth across the Atlantic!
    - http://www.belindacarlisle.tv
    - Recorded and part of a limited release in 1991 (though she thinks it was actually recorded a couple years earlier).
  3. Christmastime Is Here (Mike Conley with the Beef Manhattans, 2009)
    Indiana singer-songwriter Mike Conley actually released a Christmas album last year (“It’s A Conley Christmas”). He was kind enough to go back into the studio with this song to give us an exclusive version.
    - http://www.myspace.com/themikeconleyband
    - Recorded and released by Mike in 2009.  This version was remastered and parts were re-recorded for this compilation.
  4. First Christmas Apart (Chase Stevens, 2007)
    Chase has been a friend for years, and I was very taken with this original song. There are plenty of songs about coming home for Christmas, and broken hearts and getting back together. There aren’t a lot that cover this territory, though. And I swear, in more than just a few places, he sounds just like Jim Croce!
    - http://www.myspace.com/rivercoyotemusic
    - Recorded in 2007, first released on this compilation in 2010.
  5. Kathy Sledge “The Christmas Waltz” - Kathy (of Sister Sledge - the youngest of the five Sledge Sisters) messaged with me while she was in Sweden. She recorded a beautiful version of this classic song (produced by Emmy award winning musical director Bill Jolly), and you can really feel her love for Christmas music when you hear her sing it!
    - http://kathysledge.com
    - Recorded in 2008, first released on this compilation in 2010.
  6. Hey Hey Santa (The Swingin’ Medallions, 2007)
    The Swingin’ Medallions are well-known for their sixties hits, including “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)” and a cover of “Hey Baby”. They are still at it, along with new members (kind of a second generation of Medallions), and put out a Christmas CD for their fans a few years ago. This song is a reworking of the original “Hey Baby” (and Bruce Channel, who wrote it and had the hit with it first, gave his seal of approval)!
    - http://www.medallions.com
    - Recorded and part of a limited release in 2007
  7. Coming Home For Christmas (Bootlegger, 2009)
    Bootlegger is a UK band that actually released this song, as well as a version of “Ding Dong Merrily On High”, last year for the Florence Nightingale Hospice. You can certainly hear some McCartney influence on this track, an original that has that fun, toe-tapping almost Beatlesque kind of feel to it.
    - http://www.myspace.com/bootleggeruk
    - Recorded and released by Bootlegger in 2009
  8. Little Drummer Boy (Deep Blue Something, 2000)
    This was recorded about ten years ago, and sent it off to radio, but never released. Todd and Toby Pipes, the brothers who formed the band, now run an award winning production company in Dallas, and were happy to lend us their unreleased song.
    - http://www.myspace.com/deepbluesomething
    - Recorded in 2000. Distributed to radio that December, but never released until this compilation in 2010.
  9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Sleeping At Last, 2007)
    In the midst of embarking on a very ambitious project called “Yearbook” (a new 3-song EP every month for a year), Sleeping At Last still made time to connect with me and deliver this terrific song previously only available to members of their fanclub.
    - http://www.sleepingatlast.com
    - Recorded in 2007 for fan club, first released on this compilation in 2010
  10. White Christmas (Dave Stewart, 2009)
    I feel like I’m saying a lot of the same things, as all of these artists are super-busy with their own projects. Dave Stewart has his Rock Fabulous Orchestra, with a new album on the way in 2011. He’s also a big part of the Stand Up To Cancer event, and he’s working with Stevie Nicks on her new album. Still, as he traveled across the U.S. and back to the U.K., he helped make sure we got his unreleased version of “White Christmas” (from his own Christmas album, which he eventually released as a free web stream in 20120)
    - http://davestewart.com
    - Recorded in 2009, first released on this compilation in 2010.
  11. Sleigh Ride (Persephone’s Bees, 2009)
    Persephone’s Bees were gigging their way across the U.S., as the band moved from San Francisco to New York, when they got their song to me. If you don’t know them, yet, you probably know their music (from national Hilton and Motorola commercials).
    - http://persephonesbees.com
    - Recorded and part of a limited release in 2007
  12. Merry Christmas, Baby (Hello Dollface, 2009)
    Colorado’s Hello Dollface offers up a heart-felt, bluesy version of this song that I think Charles Brown would like, dripping with emotion. Check out YouTube for a pretty cool cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Dyer Maker”, and you’ll be a fan, too!
    - http://www.myspace.com/hellodollfacemusic
    - Recorded in 2009, first released on this compilation in 2010
  13. Blue Christmas (Death On Two Wheels, 2008)
    Death On Two Wheels are a very busy Atlanta band, touring all over the country before heading out with Sister Hazel on The Rock Boat. They got this to me from the road, and I think it’s one of the most haunting-yet-hopeful performances I’ve ever heard.
    - http://deathontwowheels.com
    - Recorded and part of a limited release in 2008.
  14. Silent Night (Not So Silent) (The Briggs, 2009)
    The Briggs are an L.A. punk band, whose song “This Is L.A.” is played at the beginning of all the Kings and Galaxy games. They worked this all out while on tour in Germany, France and Belgium (and as they prep for the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin with Bad Religion, Devo and Weird Al)!
    - http://www.myspace.com/thebriggs
    - Recorded in 2009 and first released on this compilation in 2010
  15. The First Noel (Ball & Chain, 2009)
    Ball & Chain are a punk band in the San Fernando Valley (“Shredding the San Fernando Valley since 2005)”. They say of themselves that they’re music is punk rock, tinged with humor, always energetic and entertaining, and a barrel of fun for the whole family, to boot. Plus their lead singer was the winner on the first season of The Biggest Loser!
    - http://www.myspace.com/ballandchainband
    - Recorded and part of a limited released in 2009
  16. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Tequila Hounds, 2009)
    The Inland Empire’s Tequila Hounds are real rock and roll, almost like California’s version of Lynyrd Skynyrd. In fact, on their MySpace page, they claim Rock and Roll is their religion. In between gigs, they recorded some Christmas songs for friends and family, and gave them out as presents (last year, I believe). I wasn’t on that gift list, but with this song, we all are, now!
    - http://www.myspace.com/tequilahounds
    - Recorded in 2009 and first released on this compilation in 2010.
  17. Santa Gotta Get Some (North Pole All Stars, 2009)
    This song was recorded as a benefit for Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward, who passed away a couple months ago. The band features members of Little Feat (including Paul Barrere on lead vocals) as well as musicians who have backed Robert Cray, Eric Burden, Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Joe Cocker, the Meters, and Taj Mahal. They actually contacted me through Sweet Relief!
    - http://www.littlefeat.net/index.php?page=news&n_id=648
    - Recorded and released (to iTunes) in 2009.  First wide release (and CD release) on this compilation in 2010.

Sounds Of Christmas: Classic Rock (2000)
- 2-disc compilation from European division of Time-Life

  1. Merry Christmas Everbody (Slade)
  2. Mistletoe And Wine (Cliff Richard, 1988)
  3. I Believe In Father Christmas (Greg Lake, 1975)
  4. Mary Had a Little Boy (Snap! 1990)
  5. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys)
  6. Silent Night (Wilson Phillips)
  7. Will There Be Another Christmas (The Glitter Band)
  8. White Christmas (Darts)
  9. All Alone on Christmas (Darlene Love)
  10. A Simple Truth (Chris de Burgh)
  11. You'll Never Be Alone (Richard Marx)
  12. Winter Wonderland (Mike Berry)
  13. Christmas Through Your Eyes (Gloria Estefan)
  14. A Winter's Tale (David Essex, 1982)
  15. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Pretenders, 1987)
    ---
  16. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (Roy Wood & Wizzard, 1973)
  17. Merry Christmas Everyone (Shakin' Stevens, 1985)
  18. It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring) (Love Unlimited)
  19. Driving Home For Christmas (Chris Rea, 1988)
  20. December Will Be Magic Again (Kate Bush)
  21. This One's for the Children (New Kids on the Block)
  22. When It's Christmas Time (Worlds Apart)
  23. Christmas at Sea (Goombay Dance Band)
  24. Under the Christmas Tree (Albert Hammond)
  25. Christmas Time Again (Extreme)
  26. Christmas Day (Squeeze)
  27. Christmas Moon (Barry Blue)
  28. Silver Bells (The Supremes)
  29. Step Into Christmas (Elton John, 1973)
  30. Lonely This Christmas (Mud, 1973)

Sounds Of The Season (BNA, 1993)
- this is something of a rare bird among Christmas collections; rather than a hodge podge of recordings from disparate sources, it was produced and recorded as an album = all at once by the same producer (Richard Landis) using a stable cast of musicians at a single studio (Sound Stage Studios in Nashville)...

  1. What Child Is This (John Anderson)
  2. O Come Emmanuel (Dale Daniel)
  3. Blue Christmas (Remingtons)
  4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Lisa Stewart)
  5. Go Tell It On The Mountain (Oak Ridge Boys)
  6. Christmas Will Never Be The Same (Doug Supernaw)
  7. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Tim Ryan)
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Louise Mandrell)
  9. Little Drummer Boy (Jesse Hunter)
  10. Jingle Bell Rock (Eddie Rabbitt)
  11. Christmas At Our House (Lorrie Morgan)

Sounds Of The Season (MCA, 1988)
- pop & jazz instrumental efforts from the MCA Masters Series
- this is proably out-of-scope...

  1. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring (Acoustic Alchemy)
  2. One Bright Star (John Jarvis)
  3. Joy To The World (Caldwell Plus)
  4. The Carol Of The Bells (Giles Reaves)
  5. Away In A Manger (Jerry Douglas)
  6. Cnventry Carol (Edgar Meyer)
  7. Little Drummer (Billy Joe Walker Jr.)
  8. O Come, O Come Emannuel (Jon Goin)
  9. Los Ninos Desvelados (Robert Greenidge / Michael Utley)

Sounds Of The Season (Sony, 1997)
- 11-track pop/rock CD benefits the Children's Hearing Institute; essentially a variation of Christmas Of Hope (Columbia, 1995)

  1. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Vince Gill)
  2. Celebrate Me Home (Kenny Loggins)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen)
  4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Shawn Colvin)
  5. Blue Christmas (Willie Nelson, 1979)
  6. O Holy Night (Patti LaBelle)
  7. Ho, Ho, Ho...Who'd Be A Turkey For Christmas (Elton John)
  8. Teddi's Song (When Christmas Comes) (John Mellencamp)
  9. Merry Christmas Baby (B.B. King)
  10. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Reba McEntire, 1987)
  11. Snowfall (Tony Bennett)

Sounds Of The Season '98 (EMI, 1998)
- 11 track budget CD from EMI Music with rare and unusual tracks
- reissued by Simitar with different cover and truncated title in 1999

  1. Sleigh Ride (Spice Girls)
  2. Christmas Time (Backstreet Boys)
  3. Song for a Winter's Night (Sarah McLachlan)
  4. Santa Baby (Everclear)
  5. Christmas Time in Tinseltown Again (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)
  6. What Christmas Means to Me (Hanson)
  7. The First Noel (Brian McKnight)
  8. Good King Wenceslas (Loreena McKennitt, 2008)
  9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Meredith Brooks)
  10. The Happiest Christmas (Michael W. Smith)
  11. Carol of the Bells (Deana Carter)

Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Holiday Collection (EMI, 2003)
- the "Sounds Of The Season" series (see below) was sold exclusively at Target stores - at least, I think so; I don't think to word "Target" appears anywhere on any of these releases - but that's the only place I ever saw them sold at first, and that seems to be the common wisdom on the interwebs..
- this mostly NBC-cobranded budget series 2003-2005 was one of my early preoccupations after I started the website; from my perspective, it's become less and less relevant over the years, but a fair amount of exclusive content was included in the initial run and then, quite specifically, starting in 2006, when the series shifted to exclusive collections by individual artists - including names as big as John Legend, Taylor Swift, and Julianne Hough
- as noted, the volumes were compiled by the special markets divisions of various major labels all BMG, EMI, or Universal except for one Rhino, which was owned by Warner at that point; I'm not certain, but I think most include some cross-licensed content...
- but actually, another, different BMG-compiled series called "Holiday Sounds of the Season" (2000-2002, already listed under H) is arguably the precursor of the NBC "Sounds Of The Season" series; as is the case with this series, "Holiday Sounds" series was not cobranded with Target, but all were originally sold exclusively at the chain...
- this Discogs link captures most of the series, including the individual artist albums from 2006 and later, though I'm not sure if it's all-inclusive of the series...
- on that list, however, is an album that I might have to grudgingly include - Classic Holiday Songbook (2006), which consists mainly of modern dance remixes of vintage holiday pop, recycled, I suspect, from "Merry Mixmas" (2005) and other sources; it is definitely part of the series, even if I don't personally care for it very much...

  1. Peace (Norah Jones, 2001)
    - from her Blue Note EP "First Sessions"
  2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Coldplay, 2001)
    - recorded live on the BBC December 20, 2000
    - first released on a limited edition fan club single called Mince Pies
  3. Winter Wonderland (Liz Phair, 2003)
    - exclusive to this compilation
  4. Christmas Wish (Stacie Orrico, 2001)
    - from her Forefront EP "Christmas Wish"
  5. Santa Baby (Kylie Minogue, 2000)
    - originally released as the b-side of "Please Stay"
  6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Michael Buble, 2003)
    - from his 143/Reprise EP "Let It Snow!"
  7. O Holy Night (Josh Groban, 2002)
    - from his 143/Reprise album "In Concert"
  8. Ave Maria (Sarah Brightman, 2001)
    - from her Angel/EMI album "Classics"
  9. December Makes Me Feel This Way (Dave Koz with Kenny Loggins, 2001)
    - this version from Koz's Capitol album "A Smooth Jazz Christmas"
    - originally recorded as the title song of his 1997 Capitol holiday album, and the liner notes of "Sounds Of The Season" incorrectly identify it as coming from that album...
  10. Silent Night (Lisa Marie Presley, 2003)
    - exclusive to this compilation
  11. Merry Christmas, Baby (Bonnie Rait and Charles Brown, 1992)
    - from "A Very Special Christmas 2"
  12. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Carly Simon, 2002)
    - from her "Christmas Is Almost Here"
  13. Jingle Bells (Brian Setzer Orchestra, 2002)
    - this is the second version from "Boogie Woogie Christmas"
    - the liner notes of "Sounds Of The Season" incorrectly identify it as the first version from the "Jingle All The Way" soundtrack

Sounds Of The Season: The Country Collection (BMG, 2003)

  1. Honky Tonk Christmas (Alan Jackson)
  2. Silver Bells-Martina McBride)
  3. The Christmas Song (Trace Adkins)
  4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Vince Gill)
  5. Christmas Spirit (Diamond Rio)
  6. It Won't Be Christmas Without You (Books& Dunn)
  7. Please Come Home For Christmas (Lonestar)
  8. What Child Is This (Darren Vincent, Cody Kilby, Alison Krauss, Ronnie McCoury and Rob Ickes)
  9. Away In A Manger (Kenny Chesney)
  10. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Randy Travis, 1989)
  11. Angels Among Us ­ Alabama)
  12. Merry Christmas From The Family (Montgomery Gentry)

Sounds Of The Season: The R&B Collection (Universal, 2003)

  1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Stevie Wonder/India Arie)
  2. Special Gift (The Isley Brothers)
  3. Christmas Time Is Here (Brian McKnight)
  4. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Vanessa Williams and Bobby Caldwell, 1996)
  5. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Boyz II Men Featuring Brian McKnight)
  6. White Christmas (Aaron Neville)
  7. Ave Maria (Stevie Wonder)
  8. Silent Night (The Temptations)
  9. Noel (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)
  10. Christmas Here With You (The Four Tops Featuring Aretha Franklin)
  11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Jackson 5)
  12. O Come All Ye Faithful (Donna Summer)

Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Holiday Collection (EMI, 2004)

  1. The Happy Elf (Harry Connick, Jr.)
  2. Little Drummer Girl (Alicia Keys)
  3. Mary Did You Know (Clay Aiken)
  4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Gavin DeGraw)
  5. Comin' For X-Mas? (Usher)
  6. Oh Holy Night -- Kelly Clarkson)
  7. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Richard Marx)
  8. The River (Rachael Yamagata)
  9. Silent Night (Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama)
  10. Jolly Old St. Nicholas (Chicago)
  11. Christmas Day (Dido)
  12. My Favorite Things (Peter Cincotti)
  13. O Come All Ye Faithful (Jeremy Camp)

Sounds Of The Season: The Country Collection (Universal, 2004)

  1. Let It Snow/Winter Wonderland (Leeann Womack)
  2. Blame It On The Mistletoe (Toby Keith)
  3. Santa's On His Way (George Strait)
  4. I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus (Reba McEntire, 1999)
  5. Blue Christmas (Vince Gill)
  6. O Holy Night (Gary Allan)
  7. Frosty The Snowman (Loretta Lynn)
  8. O Come All Ye Faithful (Darryl Worley)
  9. Old Toy Trains (Joe Nichols)
  10. Silent Night (Julie Roberts)
  11. Merry Christmas (Wherever In The World You Are) (Terri Clark)
  12. The First Noel (Josh Turner)
  13. Paper Angels (Jimmy Wayne)

Sounds of the Season: The R&B Collection (Universal, 2004)

  1. Amazing Grace (Ruben Studdard)
  2. Do They Know (Boyz II Men)
  3. Christmas Morn (Chanté Moore)
  4. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jackson 5)
  6. Silent Night (Stephanie Mills)
  7. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Donna Summer)
  8. What Child is This (Kelly Price)
  9. When You Love Someone (Gladys Knight)
  10. Jingle Bells (Ella Fitzgerald)
  11. Little Drummer Boy (Stevie Wonder)
  12. What Christmas is to Me (Patti Labelle)
  13. Home for the Holidays (Brian McKnight)

Sounds Of The Season: The NBC Holiday Collection (Rhino, 2005)

  1. Better Days (Goo Goo Dolls)
  2. Silver Bells (Gavin DeGraw)
  3. New York Christmas (Rob Thomas)
  4. My Favorite Things (Rod Stewart)
  5. Mistletoe & Holly (Leigh Nash)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Ray Charles)
  7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Michael Buble)
  8. Make Someone Happy ­ Seal)
  9. Winter Wonderland (Jason Mraz)
  10. A Christmas To Remember (Amy Grant)
  11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Jimmy Sommers with Chris Botti)
  12. Gather Round (Earth, Wind & Fire)

Sounds Of The Season: The Country Collection (Universal, 2005)

  1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Brooks & Dunne)
  2. Away In A Manger (Kenny Chesney)
  3. The Angels Cried (Alan Jackson & Alison Krauss)
  4. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Third Day)
  5. O Holy Night (Martina Mcbride)
  6. 364 Days To Go (Brad Paisley)
  7. Let's Make A Little Christmas Tonight (Phil Vassar)
  8. What Child Is This? (Diamond Rio)
  9. O Come All Ye Faithful (Sara Evans)
  10. Silent Night (Andy Griggs)
  11. Little Drummer Boy (Jars Of Clay)
  12. Christmas Lights (Lonestar)

Sounds Of The Season: The NBC R&B Holiday Collection (Universal, 2005)

  1. World Christmas (R. Kelly)
  2. 8 Days Of Christmas (Destiny's Child)
  3. Refuge (When It Gets Cold Outside) (John Legend)
  4. The First Noel (Babyface)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Luther Vandross)
  6. This Christmas (Luther Vandross)
  7. Santa Baby (Macy Gray)
  8. Home For The Holidays (Brian McKnight)
  9. O Holy Night (Heather Headley)
  10. My Christmas Prayer (BeBe & Dolores Winans)
  11. Winter Wonderland (Al Green)
  12. Joy To The World (Aretha Franklin with the Fame Freedom Choir, 1994)

South Park: Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics (soundtrack, 1999)
- scatological humor from the animated Comedy Central TV show

  1. Mr. Hankey The Christmas Poo (Early '50s recording by Cowboy Timmy)
  2. Merry Fucking Christmas (Mr. Garrison, The 3rd Grade Teacher)
  3. O Holy Night (Eric Cartman)
  4. Dead, Dead, Dead (Juan Schwartz and the South Park Children's Choir)
  5. Carol Of The Bells (Mr. Mackey, The School Counselor)
  6. The Lonely Jew On Christmas (Kyle Broflofski with Special Celebrity Guest)
  7. I Saw Three Ships (Shelley Marsh, Stan's Sister)
  8. It Happened In Sun Valley (Stan Marsh and Wendy Testaburger)
  9. O Tannenbaum (Adolf Hitler)
  10. Christmas Time In Hell (Satan, The Dark Prince)
  11. What The Hell Child Is This? (Chef)
  12. Santa Claus Is On His Way (Mr. Hankey)
  13. Swiss Colony Beef Log (Eric Cartman)
  14. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (South Park Children's Choir)
  15. Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel (The Broflofskis, with Eric Cartman and Stan Marsh)
  16. The Most Offensive Song Ever (Kenny McCormick; Mr. Hankey)
  17. We Three Kings (Mr. Ose)
  18. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Mr. Hankey with Stan, Kyle and Cartman)

Southern Rock Christmas (Cleopatra, 2015) B0155PJKX
- reissued on CD (B09FBHCZM8) with new, quasi-racist cover art in 2021
- it incorporates elements of the Confederate battle flag, whereas the old one merely catered to regional stereotypes (whiskey, guns, loose women)
- by the end of the 2021 season, the old cover art had nearly been wiped from the planet, so I switched my link to the new ASIN, which is fairly well cross-linked...

  1. What Child Is This? (The Outlaws)
  2. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (The Artimus Pyle Band)
  3. We Three Kings (Steve Morse)
  4. Merry Christmas, Baby (Point Blank)
  5. It's Bad to Have the Blues (At Christmas Time) (Charlie Daniels)
  6. Run Rudolph Run (The Georgia Satellites)
  7. Please Come Home for Christmas (Adam Hood)
  8. Merry Xmas Everybody (Paul Nelson Band)
  9. Come & Praise Him / Christmas Must Be Tonight (Richie Furay)
  10. Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer (Blackfoot)
  11. That Spirit of Christmas (Sammy Kershaw)
  12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Pat Travers)
  13. Christmas Everywhere (Black Oak Arkansas)
  14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Oak Ridge Boys)

Southern Rock Christmas (Sanctuary, 2002)
- primarily latter day efforts by stars from the glory days of boogie

  1. Run, Run Rudolph (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
  2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Tractors)
  3. Rock And Roll Christmas (George Thorogood & The Destroyers)
  4. Christmas Time In Dixie (The Charlie Daniels Band)
  5. Jingle Bell Rock (38 Special)
  6. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (BR5-49)
  7. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Alabama)
  8. Winter Wonderland (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
  9. Christmas Blues (Canned Heat)
  10. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Foghat)
  11. Joy To The World (Steve Morse)
  12. Silent Night (Elvin Bishop)

Special Gift (1996)
- rhythm & blues, jazz, and rap, mostly from the 1990's

  1. Special Gift (The Isley Brothers)
  2. All I Want For Christmas (Angela Winbush)
  3. This Christmas (Dru Hill)
  4. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing (Myron)
  5. The Little Drummer Boy (Myron)
  6. Remember Love (Tanya Blount)
  7. Christmas Time Is Here (Will Downing)
  8. Silent Night (Ronny Jordan, 1993)
  9. Don't Give Up (Island Inspirational All Stars)
  10. Silent Night (Mona Lisa)
  11. Christmas Rappin' (Kurtis Blow)
  12. Christmas Time Is Party Time (Luke)

Spin Into Christmas (1999)
- Australian rockers compiled by Aussie label Festival Records

  1. (I Want A) Rockin' Christmas (Ol 55)
  2. Pretty Paper (Johnny O'Keefe)
  3. Christmas Guitar (The Joy Boys)
  4. Jingle Bells (Col. Joye)
  5. Sleigh Ride (Ray Melton)
  6. Silent Night Holy Night (Noeleen Batley)
  7. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Col. Joye)
  8. Christmas Roses (Jimmy Little)
  9. Ting A Ling A Jingle (Reg Lindsay)
  10. Happy Birthday Father Christmas (Rolf Harris)
  11. Christmas Alphabet (Mike Preston)
  12. Merry Christmas Land (The Aussie Singers)
  13. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (Dales Gang)
  14. The Lonely Hearts Club Christmas Party (The Love Machine)
  15. Little Saint Nick (Ol' 55)
  16. Run Rudolph Run (Jo Jo Zep And His Little Helpers)
  17. Another Rock N Roll Christmas (Red Hot Rockin Santas)
  18. Christmas Time In The Neighbourhood (Shirley)
  19. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Incredible Penguins)
  20. Reindeers On The Rooftop (Riff Raff)
  21. Christmas Children (Shirley)
  22. Mary's Boy Child (Dalvanius And The Fascinations)
  23. Little Drummer Boy (Ye En)
  24. Merry Christmas Mary (Mick Hamilton)

- not sure what, if anything, I want to do about this, but in 2016 I discovered through Discogs a massive series of albums called The Spirit Of Christmas, issued in Australia by retail conglomerate Myer Grace Bros. The series began in 1993 and ran through 2015 (when they did a "best of" volume) and usually, though not always, benefited the Salvation Army. Since it's not listed anywhere in Amazon (best I can tell), I have to rely on Discogs which, of course, depends on user input, but as of mid-2016, the 2015 volume was the last entry, and nothing was listed for 1997. The series is also documented pretty well in Wikipedia, which says that no volume was released in 1997 "due to the Diana tribute album" by which, I presume, they mean this. Further, the CD's are all over Australian eBay...

Anyway, to American eyes the track selection looks pretty obscure and mostly of local interest. That said, a number of names pop up - some repeatedly - that are familiar outside the Land Down Under. These include:

In addition, at least two decidedly non-Australian performers show up along the way. In 2006, Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty performs a song called "Great Big Man In Red" with the Wiggles, a popular children's group. Then, in 2011, British singer Leo Sayer pops up with a song called "Coming Home For Christmas." I believe these are Fogerty's and Sayer's only holiday-related recordings.

Spirit Of Christmas Past (1995)
- pop & rhythm nostalgia 1930-44 from British label ASV/Living Era
- complete contents included in Vintage Christmas Cracker (2003)

  1. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  2. Medley: Savoy Christmas Medley (Ray Noble)
  3. Medley: Christmas Carols-Vocal Gems: Intro: Once In Royal David's City/Good King Wenceslas/It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (London Church Carol Choir)
  4. The Santa Claus Express (Bbc Dance Orchestra)
  5. Medley: Say It With Carols: Intro: The Mistletoe Bough/Good King Wenceslas/Little Brown Jug/God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/Come, Landlord/Fill the Flowing Bowl (Billy Mayerl)
  6. Christmas Bells At Eventide (Gracie Fields)
  7. The Fairy On the Christmas Tree (The Three Sisters)
  8. Winter Wonderland (Lew Stone & His Band)
  9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tom Stacks)
  10. I'll Walk Alone (Thru Every Christmas) (Dinah Shore)
  11. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (The Glee Club)
  12. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller & His Rhythm)
  13. Coventry Carol (Elisabeth Schumann)
  14. Noel (Georges Thill)
  15. Sleep, My Savior, Sleep (The Celebrity Quartette)
  16. Christmas Message To the Empire 1932 (H.M. King George V)
  17. The Christmas Dinner (Max Miller)
  18. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  19. Christmas Night In Harlem (Johnny Mercer)
  20. Mary Had a Baby, Yes, Lord (Paul Robeson)
  21. Silent Night, Holy Night (Bing Crosby)
  22. A Charles Dickens Christmas... (Bransby Williams & Company)
  23. Auld Lang Syne (Peter Dawson)

Star Of Wonder: A Country Christmas Collection (1996)
- contemporary country from the Arista Records roster

  1. Rudolph The Red Nosed Rendeer (Alan Jackson)
  2. Silent Night (Steve Wariner)
  3. Swinging Home For Christmas (The Tractors)
  4. The Christmas Song (Radney Foster)
  5. We Three Kings (Star Of Wonder) (Blackhawk)
  6. Please Come Home For Christmas (Lee Roy Parnell)
  7. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Tammy Graham)
  8. Cabin In The Valley (Brooks & Dunn)
  9. Is Came Upon A Midnight Clear (BR5-49)
  10. What Child Is This (Brett James)
  11. White Christmas (Michelle Wright)
  12. Christmas Spirit (Diamond Rio)

Star Studded Christmas (2002)
- part of the American Movie Channel's "AMC Presents: Listen To The Movies" series, it compiles songs that have been featured in Christmas-themed films

  1. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
  2. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Anne Murray)
  3. Silver Bells (Wayne Newton)
  4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Lena Horne)
  5. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
  6. Happy Holiday (Peggy Lee)
  7. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing/It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Bing Crosby)
  8. Joy To The World (Nat King Cole)
  9. Silent Night (Karen Akers and Andrea Marcovicci)
  10. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Andre Pevin conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
  11. White Christmas (Jo Stafford)
  12. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting)
  13. Winter Wonderland (Dion)
  14. Merry Christmas, Baby (Charles Brown)
  15. Auld Lang Syne (Lou Rawls)

Star Wars
- see "Christmas In The Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album"

Starbucks: The first actual pop Christmas compilation came out in 1995 (“Winterludes”), but the series seems to have officially kicked off in 1998 (“Hi-Fidelity Holiday”). Note that “Holly Days” (2000) is subtitled “Hear Music Vol.3,” which fits with that theory, but volumes one and two are not the previous Christmas discs…

Before we start, other Starbucks-associated Christmas CD's....

Starbucks, 'Tis the Season (2013) B00GS86S7W

  1. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Frank Sinatra)
  2. Winter Wonderland (Cocteau Twins)
  3. Christmas (Teddy Thompson)
  4. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley)
  5. Good King Wenceslas (The Roches)
  6. Last Christmas (Wham!)
  7. Silent Night (Sarah McLachlan)
  8. What Child Is This (John Fahey)
  9. Il est né / Ça bergers (Kate & Anna McGarrigle)
  10. Christmas Must Be Tonight (Bahamas)
  11. The Little Drummer Boy (Dolly Parton)
  12. Ole Santa (Dinah Washington)
  13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tony Bennett)
  14. Home for the Holidays (Cyndi Lauper & Norah Jones)
  15. Deck the Halls (Peggy Lee)
  16. Christmas Island (Bob Dylan)

Starbucks, Under The Mistletoe (2012) B00A9XF3TQ

  1. Here Comes Santa Claus (Bob Dylan)
  2. Maybe This Christmas (Tracey Thorn)
  3. Jingle Bells (Dean Martin)
  4. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  5. White Christmas (The Drifters)
  6. The Christmas Song (Diana Krall)
  7. Silent Night (Sidney Bechet)
  8. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
  9. The Secret of Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald)
  10. Winter Song (Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, 2008)
  11. Everyone’s a Kid at Christmas (Stevie Wonder)
  12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (She & Him)
  13. Last Christmas (Puppini Sisters)
  14. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Mathis)
  15. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  16. Winter Wonderland (Bing Crosby)
  17. O Holy Night (Mahalia Jackson)
  18. Auld Lang Syne (John Fahey)

Starbucks: Let It Snow (2011) B00695X0HA

  1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Andrea Bocelli)
  2. Little Drummer Boy (Neil Diamond)
  3. Shimmy Down the Chimney (Fill Up My Stocking) (Alison Krauss)
  4. Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) (Duke Ellington & His Orchestra)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Aretha Franklin)
  6. Sleigh Ride (The Ronettes)
  7. Must Be Santa (Bob Dylan)
  8. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Death Cab for Cutie)
  9. Frosty the Snowman (Fiona Apple)
  10. White Christmas (Elvis Presley)
  11. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Rosie Thomas)
  12. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Dolly Parton)
  13. Jingle Bell Rock (Brenda Lee)
  14. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires/Bing Crosby)
  15. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Julie London)
  16. Silent Night (Yo-Yo Ma)

Starbucks: Sleigh Ride (2010) B004CQM96Q
- the Corinne Bailey Rae and Rosanne Cash tracks were recorded especially for this collection

  1. Happy Xmas (War is Over) (John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir)
  2. Jingle Bells (Frank Sinatra)
  3. Santa Baby (Pink Martini)
  4. Little Drummer Boy (The Temptations)
  5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Rosanne Cash)
  6. Thanks For Christmas (XTC)
  7. Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (Dean Martin)
  8. Someday At Christmas (Stevie Wonder)
  9. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley, 1957)
  10. This Christmas (Corinne Bailey Rae)
  11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Ella Fitzgerald)
  12. White Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  13. I Like a Sleighride (Jingle Bells) (Peggy Lee)
  14. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (Barbra Streisand)
  15. Silent Night (Nat King Cole)
  16. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Lena Horne)

Starbucks: All You Need Is Love (EP, 2009) B002XS05M0
- benefit for (RED)
- only one Christmas song, really...

  1. All You Need Is Love (Playing For Change)
  2. I Believe In Father Christmas (U2)
  3. You & Me (acoustic) (Dave Matthews Band)
  4. (Red)emption Song (John Legend)

Starbucks: Making Merry (2009) B002XS4OR2

  1. Baby It's Cold Outside (Willie Nelson and Norah Jones)
  2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Peggy Lee)
  3. Frosty the Snowman (Bing Crosby)
  4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Barbra Streisand)
  5. Buon Natale (Merry Christmas to You) (Nat "King" Cole)
  6. White Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald)
  7. The Christmas Waltz (Frank Sinatra)
  8. My Favorite Things (Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass)
  9. Blue Christmas (Dean Martin)
  10. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys)
  11. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
  12. Winter Wonderland (Doris Day, 1964)
  13. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Harry Belafonte)
  14. I'd Like You for Christmas (Julie London)
  15. Silent Night (Richard Hawley from Pulp, 2006)

Starbucks: Winter Wonderland (2008) B001M0446S

  1. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Pink Martini)
  2. Caroling, Caroling (Nat King Cole)
  3. The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Lena Horne Rudolph)
  4. Mistletoe And Holly (Frank Sinatra)
  5. 2000 Miles (KT Tunstall)
  6. Winter Wonderland (Goldfrapp)
  7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Dean Martin)
  8. Frosty The Snowman (Ella Fitzgerald)
  9. Greensleeves (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
  10. What A Wonderful World (Beth Orton)
  11. The (The Beach Boys Man With All The Toys)
  12. Little Drummer Boy (Peggy Lee)
  13. White Christmas (Diana Krall)
  14. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Mindy Smith)
  15. Holy Night (Mahalia Jackson Silent Night)

Starbucks: Stockings By The Fire (2007) B000YOELLQ
- commercially reissued in 2009
- I think the Hebie Hancock track is exclusive to this set; I got a copy off a Sony/ATV music publishing sampler

  1. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Ray Charles/Betty Carter)
  2. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Sarah McLachlan)
  3. I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only in My Dreams) (Frank Sinatra)
  4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Hem)
  5. Sleigh Ride (Ella Fitzgerald)
  6. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Rufus Wainwright)
  7. River (Herbie Hancock featuring Corinne Bailey Rae)
  8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Jack Johnson)
  9. Carol Of The Bells (The Bird And The Bee)
  10. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (A Fine Frenzy)
  11. Christmas Song, The (Merry Christmas to You) (Nat "King" Cole)
  12. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
  13. Winter Wonderland (Diana Krall)
  14. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Mahalia Jackson)
  15. It Don't Have to Change (John Legend)
  16. White Christmas (Aimee Mann)

Starbucks: Santa Baby (2006) B000KHVI36

  1. River (Sarah McLachlan)
  2. Have yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Tony Bennett)
  3. Sleigh Ride (Diana Krall)
  4. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley)
  5. Little Drummer boy (Pink Martini)
  6. L-o-v-e (Nat King Cole)
  7. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  8. The Christmas Blues (Dean Martin)
  9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Ella Fitzgerald)
  10. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Frank Sinatra)
  11. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Aimee Mann)
  12. White Christmas (Sonya Kitchell)
  13. Christmas Is (Lou Rawls)
  14. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Billie Holiday)
  15. I'll Be Seeing You (Peggy Lee)

Starbucks: Jolly Old Soul (2006) B004FXGAKC

  1. White Christmas (The Drifters)
  2. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  3. It's Christmas (Carla Thomas Gee Whiz)
  4. This Christmas (Donny Hathaway)
  5. The (King Curtis Christmas Song)
  6. Soul Santa (Brook Benton)
  7. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Cadillacs, 1956)
  8. Silver Bells (Booker T. & the MG's)
  9. Presents For Christmas (Solomon Burke, 1966)
  10. Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter)
  11. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (The Orioles)
  12. After New Year's Eve (The Heartbeats)
  13. Merry Twist-Mas (The Marcels)
  14. Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday (William Bell)

Starbucks: Comfort & Joy (2006) B001GMOAT8

  1. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  2. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  3. White Christmas (Rosemary Clooney)
  4. The Christmas Song (Mel Torme)
  5. Little Drummer Boy (Henry Mancini)
  6. My Favorite Things (Andy Williams)
  7. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Gladys Knight & The Pips)
  8. Jingle Bell Jamboree (Keb Mo)
  9. Little Saint Nick (Brian Wilson)
  10. Blue Christmas (Johnny Cash)
  11. Blue Holiday (Aretha Franklin)
  12. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Willie Nelson)
  13. Silent Night (Harry Belafonte)
  14. O' Holy Night (Mahalia Jackson)

Starbucks: Elton John’s Christmas Party (2006) B000COVEIG
- reissued to the general market in 2006 minus six tracks (*)
- I've already catalogued this in my database

  1. Step Into Christmas (Elton John, 1973)
  2. Feliz Navidad (El Vez)
  3. Frosty the Snowman (The Ronettes) *
  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen) *
  5. The Man With All The Toys (The Beach Boys)
  6. A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn't So) (The Flaming Lips)
  7. It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas (Pet Shop Boys)
  8. Spotlight On Christmas (Rufus Wainwright)
  9. Jingle Bell Rock (The Ventures)
  10. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Crystals) *
  12. Playa's Ball (Outkast) *
  13. Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding)
  14. Christmas Island (Jimmy Buffett)
  15. St. Patrick's Day (John Mayer) *
  16. Christmas Must Be Tonight (The Band)
  17. Please Come Home for Christmas (Eagles) *
  18. 2000 Miles (Pretenders, 1983)
  19. December Will Be Magic Again (Kate Bush)
  20. New Year's Day (U2)
  21. Calling It Christmas (Elton John & Joss Stone)

Starbucks: Baby It's Cold Outside (2005) B000ENOLJO

  1. Peace (Norah Jones, 2001)
  2. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Frank Sinatra)
  3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Diana Krall)
  4. Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me (Elvis Presley)
  5. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Dean Martin)
  6. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Ella Fitzgerald, 1960)
  7. White Christmas (Mahalia Jackson)
  8. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
  9. River (Aimee Mann)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Tony Bennett)
  11. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Dean Martin)
  12. Merry Christmas Baby (B.B. King)
  13. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  14. The Happiest Christmas Tree (Nat King Cole)
  15. Gounod's Ave Maria (Barbra Streisand)
    - previously unreleased English version of a song she recorded in Latin for her 1967 LP

Starbucks: Sleigh Full of Songs (2004) B001LBKH2S and B000LZCNU4

  1. I Like A Sleigh Ride (Jingle Bells) (Peggy Lee)
  2. Jingle Bells (Frank Sinatra)
  3. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Ella Fitzgerald)
  4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Empty Fire) (Tony Bennett)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Aimee Mann)
  6. The Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby)
  7. Feeling Good (Nina Simone)
  8. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong)
  9. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Dean Martin)
  11. White Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  12. The Christmas Waltz (Nancy Wilson)
  13. O Come All Ye Faithful (Nat King Cole)
  14. O Holy Night (Mahalia Jackson)

Starbucks: Mistletoe & Merriment (2003) B0006V6RXM

  1. White Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald With The Frank Devol Orchestra)
  2. My Favorite Things (Tony Bennett)
  3. All I Want For Christmas (Nat King Cole And The Starlighters)
  4. Jingle Bells (Dean Martin)
  5. Winter Wonderland (Peggy Lee, 1965)
  6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra)
  7. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys)
  8. Frosty The Snowman (Bing Crosby)
  9. Christmas Night In Harlem (Louis Armstrong With Benny Carter And His Orchestra)
  10. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Johnny Mercer & Margaret)
  11. Jingle Bells (Jimmy Smith)
  12. I'm Beginning To See The Light (Count Basie & Joe Williams)
  13. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Les Brown And His Band Of Renown)
  14. A Merrier Christmas (Benny Green)

Starbucks: Christmas Sparkle (2003) B001HK9BOS

  1. Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
  2. Let It Snow! (Dean Martin)
  3. Happy Holiday (Peggy Lee)
  4. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Johnny Mercer/Margaret Whiting)
  5. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Bing Crosby)
  6. That's What I Want For Christmas (Nancy Wilson)
  7. Merry Christmas Baby (Lou Rawls)
  8. Jingle All The Way (Lena Horne)
  9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jimmy McGriff)
  10. Little Saint Nick (Beach Boys)
  11. Jingle Bell Rock (Wayne Newton)
  12. I'd Like You For Christmas (Julie London)
  13. A Merrier Christmas (Benny Green)
  14. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Les Brown)
  15. Silent Night (Ella Fitzgerald)

Starbucks: By Golly Get Jolly (2002) B000BV38P2

  1. Jingle Bells (Diana Krall)
  2. The Little Drummer Boy (Lou Rawls, 1967)
  3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald)
  4. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Mathis)
  5. That’s What I Want For Christmas (Nancy Wilson)
  6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Dean Martin)
  7. The Christmas Song (Peggy Lee)
  8. The Christmas Waltz (Frank Sinatra)
  9. Winter wonderland (Chet Baker)
  10. Little Girl Blue (Nina Simone)
  11. Jingle All The Way (Lena Horne)
  12. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Bing Crosby)
  13. Silent Night (Nat King Cole)

Starbucks: Ornamental Holiday (2001) B000F4C3WY

  1. The Christmas Song (Aimee Mann)
  2. Caroling, Caroling (Nat King Cole)
  3. The Little Drummer Boy (Ray Charles)
  4. Christmas Time Is Here (Diana Krall)
  5. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer (Dean Martin)
  6. Mistletoe And Holly (Frank Sinatra)
  7. Silver Bells (Johnny Mathis)
  8. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  9. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Louis Armstrong)
  10. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Ella Fitzgerald)
  11. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Billie Holiday)
  12. I Wish You A Merry Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  13. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)

Starbucks: Holly Days and Mistletoe Nights (2000) B000BESTC6
- aka Hear Music, Volume 3

  1. Baby It's Cold Outside (Ray Charles)
  2. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  3. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Frank Sinatra)
  4. Good Morning Blues (Ella Fitzgerald)
  5. What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
  6. Frosty The Snowman (Cocteau Twins)
  7. It's Christmas Time (Part 1) (James Brown)
  8. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Eliane Elias)
  9. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Nat King Cole)
  10. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Bing Crosby)
  11. Blue Christmas (Dean Martin)
  12. Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown)
  13. Silent Night, Holy Night (Mahalia Jackson)

Starbucks: A Merry Affair (1999) B0018BMSNM

  1. Cool Yule (Kurt Elling)
  2. Jingle Bells (Frank Sinatra)
  3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Diana Krall)
  4. Sleigh Ride (Ella Fitzgerald)
  5. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé)
  6. Christmas Blues (Holly Cole)
  7. Christmas Time Is Here (Charlie Hunter)
  8. Winter Wonderland (Bing Crosby)
  9. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Lena Horne)
  10. What a Wonderful World (Kieran Kane)
  11. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (The Ray Brown Trio)
  12. I've Got Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
  13. Christmas Is (Lou Rawls)
  14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan)
  15. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Nancy Wilson)

Starbucks: Hi-Fidelity Holiday (1998) B000923FGA

  1. Jingle Bells (Esquivel)
  2. Jingle Bell Jamboree (Keb' Mo')
  3. Winter Wonderland (Cocteau Twins)
  4. Baby, It's Cold Outside (Dean Martin)
  5. Sleigh Ride (Combustible Edison)
  6. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
  7. Thanks For Christmas (The Three Wise Men, aka XTC)
  8. Christmas Wish (El Vez)
  9. Merry Christmas Baby (James Brown)
  10. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (The Alarm)
  11. Little Drummer Boy (The Temptations)
  12. I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells) (Peggy Lee)
  13. Christmas Must Be Tonight (Robbie Robertson)
  14. We Four Kings (Little Drummer Boy) (Blue Hawaiians)
  15. Christmas Auld Lang Syne (Bobby Darin)

Starbucks: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi, 1997) B000L97TT0
- special edition with amended cover
- other sources have other dates, but I saw the back of one on eBay…

  1. O Tannenbaum
  2. What Child Is This
  3. My Little Drum
  4. Linus and Lucy
  5. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental)
  6. Christmas Time Is Here (vocal)
  7. Skating
  8. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  9. Christmas Is Coming
  10. Fur Elise
  11. The Christmas Song

Starbucks: Snow Angels (A Hear Music Holiday Collection, 1996) B000002037
- might want to skip this one (too folk/new age)

  1. Winter Wonderland (Dave's True Story)
  2. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (James McCandless)
  3. Little Drummer Boy, The (Louise Taylor)
  4. Miriam (Pierce Pettis)
  5. Children, Go Where I Send Thee (Joan Osborne)
  6. O Come All Ye Faithful (Kevin Connolly)
  7. Merry Christmas, Baby (Laurie Sargent)
  8. Silent Night (Catie Curtis)
  9. Holly and the Ivy, The (Jim Infantino/Jonatha Brooke)
  10. Sans Day Carol / Christ Child Lullabye (Grace Griffith)

Starbucks: Winterludes (Cool Holiday Notes - Seasonal Jazz & Popular Favorites, 1995) B000FCH4U2
- note that there's also "Winterludes: Angel Holidays (Classical Holiday Favorites, 1995) B000LSS6QQ

  1. Frosty the Snowman (Cocteau Twins)
  2. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  3. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Bing Crosby)
  4. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953)
  5. If I Were a Rich Man (Zero Mostel)
  6. 2000 Miles (Holly Cole)
  7. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)
  8. Caroling, Caroling (Nat King Cole)
  9. That's What I Want for Christmas (Nancy Wilson)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Chet Baker)
  11. Sunrise, Sunset/The Yiddish Folk Melody (Mickey Katz)
  12. Little Drummer Boy (Marlene Dietrich)
  13. Silent Night (Benny Green)

Stars (WIAIWYA, 2018)
- long-awaited follow-up to 50,000,000 Elves Fans Can't Be Wrong (2002) and Christmastime, Approximately (2010)
- https://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/album/stars

  1. Whoa Melodic - Christmas Stars
  2. Scrabbel - Hiding In The Snow
  3. White Town - Say You'll Be Home For Christma
  4. Spaceship - Todmorden Bells
  5. Darren Hayman - Blue Tinsel, Red Tinsel
  6. Bill Botting - Ginger Wine (Just Like Christmas Day)
  7. the Catenary Wires - Christmas Tree (Burn Burn Burn)
  8. Spaceship - Todmorden Bells (reprise)
  9. Jeff Mellin - January's Bluff (2017)
    - previously released as a single

Stars & Snow : A Texas Country Christmas (CMH, 2005)
- iTunes and other online services dates this as 2005, but Amazon lists it as 2008
- I tried to confirm which was correct on the CMH website (www.cmhrecords.com), but they don't seem to list the album at all...
- solid, if unremarkable collection of country music - modern sounding without drifting too far away from its roots...
- the singular highlight is the lead track, Pauline Reese's twangy, resolute cover of Dolly Parton's seldom-covered "Hard Candy Christmas" from "The Best Little Whore House In Texas; Reese's track later included on "Holiday HAAM Jam Vol. 3" (2013)
- the least successful track is Cord Carpenter's odd, emo-folk cover of "Happy Christmas (War is Over)," mostly because it sounds entirely out-of-place on "Stars & Snow" but also because he unwisely renders the song almost unrecognizable by virtually rewriting the melody

  1. Hard Candy Christmas (Pauline Reese)
  2. Blue Christmas (Micky And The Motorcars)
  3. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Fallon Franklin)
  4. Pretty Paper (Matt Thigpen)
  5. Little Drummer Boy (Copperhead)
  6. Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy (WT Special)
  7. We Three Kings (Blake Powers)
  8. Silent Night (Steve Tenpenny)
  9. Happy Christmas (War is Over) (Cord Carpenter)
  10. Baby It's Cold Outside (WT Special)

Stars Come Out For Christmas
- the first of a number of series that benefit the Children's Miracle Network or similar organizations
- many are released on Children's Records or Kid's Records
- according to a much later article, the mysterious (and cheesy) "Beat Boys" group that shows up on every volume is series producer Steve Vaus and American bassist/singer Wayne Nelson, who has been a member of the Little River Band since 1980; turns out, the duo later released a couple of albums of Christmas music under that name - First Christmas (1995) and Glory (2000) - which Vaus reissued for download in 2010
- in an even funnier fact, Vaus initially passed off the Beat Boys as a "Finnish rock group"... in this November 8, 1989 wrap-up of the San Diego in the Los Angeles Times, writer Thomas Arnold recounts how Vaus rejected as inappropriate the Was (Not Was) contribution to the first volume, "Christmas Time In The Motor City" (originally recorded for ZE Records' A Christmas Album) and, instead, lucked into the Beat Boys track. "Their manager happened to be in San Diego a couple of weeks ago and read a newspaper article about the project," Vaus said. "He immediately called me up and asked whether his band could submit something, and I told him I thought we were full but I would be happy to listen to it." As fate would have it, Arnold wrote, no sooner had Vaus rejected the Was (Not Was) track than the Beat Boys' submission arrived in the mail. "The timing was perfect, and so is the song," Vaus told Arnold. "I was knocked out - it's going to be one of the most beautiful things on the album." Of course, time would prove this to be a complete - and self-aggrandizing - fiction.

The Childrens Miracle Network albums are a large, sprawling group of benefit albums that include some of the biggest names in pop, rock, and country music. Unfortunately, they suffers from a painfully high quotient of dull, generic Christmas music, and those recordings that would ultimately spread like the Ebola virus into department stores across America. This all grew (sort of) out of a series of telethons benefiting the charity going back to the mid-1980's, documented on another release called Children's Miracle Network: 10 Years of Musical Miracles (1993), which we won't bother with at all. But, for Christmas music buffs like us, these albums are certainly worth looking at, if only because of the celebrity attached to them. That said, after years of tracking them down and documenting the often murky origins of the tracks included - because, well, that's what I do - I found them to be mostly boring, predictable, tepid, and often unlistenable.

That wasn't the case in the beginning. I was a much younger, more impressionable man, and the first series - The Stars Come Out For Christmas - captured my attention, if only because Christmas records by artists like the Commodores, Stevie Nicks, or the Little River Band (all included on the first volume) were unusual back then. That is not the case anymore. The "modern era" to which I refer is basically the world after the release of A Very Special Christmas, the star-studded, 1987 album benefitting the Special Olympics. It was a huge success, and it changed the landscape, making Christmas music cool again, while proving that it could be enormously profitable (read more). The Stars Come Out For Christmas was one of the more obvious ripples caused by that big splash - the first volume even includes the version of "Silent Night" that Nicks previously had recorded for Very Special Christmas, and it even bears the not-so-subtle subtitle "A Very Special Benefit Album."

Many years later, the ripples continued, but any good caused by these albums has long ceased. Though, in retrospect, even the earliest volumes sound pretty dull, the Childrens Miracle Network albums got more and more generic over the years - both musically and physically. Worse, they recycled tracks chronically - though new ones show up along the timeline, often from unexpected or unknown sources. Even worse, they drifted from being pure benefits for specific organizations (mainly, but not exclusvely, the Childrens Miracle Network) to merely claiming that "a portion of the net proceeds benefits children's health charities," which means practically nothing. The last volume I ever collected (30 Christmas Stars, 2005) doesn't even say that, making no claim to benefiting anything.

But, anyway, back to our story. The Stars Come Out For Christmas, produced by Steve Vaus, was the first-ever such series, commencing in 1989 as a local effort to benefit the Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, California. It was quite successful, but disagreements over money and artistic control between Vaus and the hospital's foundation led to a parting of the ways. Vaus continued for five more volumes, while the hopital drafted Michael Lloyd to produce a new series starting with The Christmas Album... A Gift of Love (1990). That series was the first to be formally associated with the Children's Miracle Network, and it lasted for just three volumes. But, that's when new series started springing up like weeds.

Whereas the Stars Come Out and Christmas Album series were mostly (though not completely) newly recorded music, from here on out the albums were compiled almost entirely (though not completely) from the two original series or other previously released sources. The deluge began with Share The Wonder, a single-disc package sold through Nordstom's, and The Holiday Collection, a two-volume series released through MCA in 1993, cobranded and sold through Nordstrom's and other, similar stores. It continued with A Christmas Gift Of Love (1994), a two-disc set on Light Records. Both were almost wholly recycled from the Christmas Album series and, consequently, added little to the conversation.

These were followed by two additional, much more voluminous series: A Christmas Miracle, a five-volume series that commenced in 1995, and 20 Christmas Stars, an at-least seven-volume series that began in 1999. I say "at least" because volumes of that series got sliced, diced, rebranded, and reissued a number of ways - so much so that even an avowed obsessive complusive like me gave up tracking them. Nevertheless, I collected them, and I've documented nearly all of this crap for posterity - because, again, that's what I do. But, I’ve seen other series that even I couldn't be bothered with. These include Holiday Time, two volumes sold through Wal-mart in 1992 and 1993; Make A Wish For Christmas, two volumes recycled from Stars Come Out and sold at Target stores in 1993 and 1994; Holiday Classics, sold through Ace Hardware at, well, some point in history (here's an example); as well as the odd album like Smooth Yule (1996), sold through Blockbuster or A Holiday Miracle For Kids, sold through Toys R Us.

Nevertheless, as a group, the Childrens Miracle Network albums are pretty awful, despite the appearance of some reasonably cool people - and even the occasional great song. The accumulated effect is just so, well, middle-brow. By the time I gave up on the whole thing altogether, the albums had become so random in their track selection, so utterly uncompelling in their content, and so shabbily and generically packaged that I made copies of them and wrote these pages - because that's what I do - then banished them from my collection altogether. *

If you want to help sick kids, this is not the way.

* Well, sort of. Around 2016, I ripped everything into iTunes and cleaned it up, and documented it herein. That much is over and done. So, I have all this crap, if only for reference. Then, I got rid of the two later series that I collected, "A Christmas Miracle" and "20 Christmas Stars."

However, I mostly did not keep AIFF files from those CD's, and I did not enter the songs into my personal database. There were a few exceptions - about 20 tracks in which I had a personal interest (mainly, artists that I already collected) and that appeared nowhere else. But, I was pretty harsh, maybe more harsh than I would have been later on - after upgrading to a much bigger hard drive. Mainly, I didn't keep a lot of latter day tracks by artists I do, in fact, collect - e.g. Leon Russell, Helen Reddy - because they just don't really matter and/or are pretty awful.

As of 2024, I still own two earliest series, "Stars Come Out For Christmas" and "A Christmas Album," which are, generally speaking, the source material for the ones I got rid of (and all that other crap discussed above). Both series, however, have to be considered pretty "ephemeral," musically speaking...

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 1 (1989)
- new recordings except as noted

  1. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff)
  2. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band)
  3. Away In A Manager (Kim Carnes)
  4. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Jose Feliciano)
  5. The Christmas Song (Natalie Cole)
  6. Silent Night (Stevie Nicks, 1987)
  7. In A Manger (The Beat Boys)
  8. Do You Hear What I Hear (Commodores)
  9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Kenny Loggins)
  10. New Star Shining (Ricky Scaggs & James Taylor, 1986)
  11. Christmas Needs Love To Be Christmas (Juice Newton)
  12. Winter Wonderland (Barbara Mandrell, 1984)
  13. Greensleeves (Jose Feliciano)
  14. O Holy Night (Lee Greenwood, 1985)
  15. Shadrack, The Black Reindeer (Loretta Lynn, 1974)
  16. First Christmas Day (Oak Ridge Boys, 1986)
  17. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/What Child Is This?/O Come All Ye Faithful (medley) (Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, 1982)
  18. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Peter Paul & Mary, 1988)

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 2 (1990)
- new recordings except as noted
- in something of a thankfully rare maneuver, this album has two versions of the same song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"....

  1. When The Stars Come Out For Christmas (Commodores)
  2. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Randy Travis, 1989)
  3. I'll Be Home For Christmas (The Beat Boys)
  4. Little Drummer Boy (Ray Charles, 1986)
  5. Christmas Needs Love To Be Christmas (Juice Newton, 1989)
  6. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Don McClean)
  7. New Shining Star (Ricky Skaggs and James Taylor, 1986)
  8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Kim Carnes)
  9. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  10. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Peter Paul and Mary, 1988)
  11. Joy To The World (Johnny Cash, 198)
  12. The Christmas Song (Stephen Bishop)
  13. Everybody's Home Tonight (Karla Bonoff)
  14. Silver Bells (Ricky Van Shelton, 1989)
  15. Winter Wonderland (Barbara Mandell, 1984)
  16. A Baby Just Like You (The McCarters)
  17. White Christmas (Oak Ridge Boys, 1982)
  18. O Holy Night (Lee Greenwood, 1985)
  19. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Kenny Rankin)
  20. The Greatest Gift Of All (Nicolette Larson)
  21. Have Yourself A Merry Christmas (Kenny Loggins, 1989)
  22. Silent Night (Country Choir: Paul Overstreet, Juice Newton, Holly Dunn, Butch Baker, Patty Loveless, Irene Kelley, William Lee Golden, and Ronny Robbins)

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 3 (1991)
- new recordings except as noted

  1. The Bells of St. Victors (Andrew Gold)
  2. In a Manger (Baillie & The Boys, 1988)
  3. We Three Kings (The Beat Boys)
  4. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir)
  5. The Christmas Song (Kathy Mattea)
  6. Angels We Have Heard on High (Commodores)
  7. The Best Christmas (Christopher Cross)
  8. When the Stars Come Out for Christmas (Holly Dunn)
  9. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash, 1990)
  10. White Christmas (Earl Thomas Conley, 1983)
  11. Our Savior is Born (Steve Wariner, 1990)
  12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Stephen Bishop)
  13. Jingle Bell Rock (Stephen Bishop)
  14. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Don McLean)
  15. Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913 (The McCarters)
  16. O Holy Night (Reba McEntire, 1987)
  17. Just One Night (Mac McAnally)
  18. This Christmas Day (Nicolette Larson)
  19. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Ray Charles, 1986)
  20. Little Drummer Boy (Hank Williams, Jr., 1981)
  21. Blue Christmas (K.T. Oslin, 1988)
  22. Winter Wonderland (Harry Connick, Jr., 1989)
  23. Run Rudolph Run (Kim Carnes)
  24. Jingle Bells (Dolly Parton, 1990)

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 4 - The Best of The Stars Come Out for Christmas And More... (1992)
- mostly recycled from above, with five new songs, two of which appeared the same year on the artist's own Christmas albums
- this exact album, with modified cover art, was issued as Make A Wish For Christmas (1993)

  1. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Stephen Bishop, 1992)
  2. Jingle Bell Rock (Stephen Bishop, 1991)
  3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Stephen Bishop, 1990)
  4. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Commodores, 1989)
  5. Sleigh Ride (Commodores, 1992)
  6. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff, 1989)
  7. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  8. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir, 1991)
  9. Christmas Needs Love to be Christmas (Juice Newton, 1989)
  10. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Don McLean, 1990)
  11. A Baby Just Like You (The McCarters, 1990)
  12. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Kenny Rankin, 1990)
  13. In a Child's Eyes (John Tesh, 1992)
  14. On Christmas Eve (Andrew Gold, 1992)
  15. The Bell's of St. Victor's (Andrew Gold, 1991)
  16. We Three Kings (The Beat Boys, 1991)
  17. Just One Night (Mac McAnally, 1991)
  18. Run Rudolph Run (Kim Carnes, 1991)
  19. Greensleeves (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  20. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  21. Silent Night (Country Choir: Paul Overstreet, Juice Newton, Holly Dunn, Butch Baker, Patty Loveless, Irene Kelley, William Lee Golden, Ronny Robbins, 1990)
  22. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Kenny Loggins, 1989)
  23. Christmas is a Time for Giving (Nicolette Larson, 1992)
  24. The Best Christmas (Christopher Cross, 1991)

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 5 (1993)
- mostly previously released, with eight new songs including six recorded just for the project (though one of those is by Rush Limbaugh...)
- this album was issued as Make A Wish For Christmas Vol. 2 (1994) with barely cover art but a substantially different track list

  1. Twas the Night Before Christmas (Rush Limbaugh with Doc Severinsen, 1993)
  2. The Little Drummer Boy (Stylistics, 1992)
  3. Merry Christmas Darling (Glenn Medeiros, 1993)
  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Ray Charles, 1986)
  5. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Emmylou Harris, 1979)
  6. Deck the Halls (Commodores, 1992)
  7. Having A Tropical Christmas (Bellamy Brothers, 1993)
  8. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Kathy Lee Gifford, 1993)
  9. Two-Step 'Round the Christmas Tree (Michael Martin Murphy & Suzy Bogguss, 1991)
  10. I Believe in Santa Claus (Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, 1984)
  11. Light of the Stable (Beat Boys, 1993)
  12. Coventry Carol (Christine McVie, 1993)
  13. Upon a Christmas Eve (Michael Johnson, 1993)
  14. Feliz Navidad (Holly Dunn, 1993)
  15. Til Santa's Gone (Clint Black, 1990)
  16. Little One (Oak Ridge Boys, 1982)
  17. Country Christmas (Ricky Van Shelton, 1989)
  18. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir, 1991)
  19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/The First Noel/O Come, All Ye Faithful (medley) (Steve Wariner, 1990)
    - listed on the CD as " Traditional Christmas Medley"
  20. Children Go Where I Send Thee (Peter, Paul & Mary, 1988)

Stars Come Out For Christmas Vol. 6 (1994)
- mostly previously released, with just four new songs

  1. When the Stars Come Out for Christmas (Beat Boys, 1994)
  2. You Gotta Get Up (Rich Mullins, 1993)
  3. Grown-Up Christmas List (Natalie Cole & David Foster, 1990)
  4. The First Noel (Glenn Medeiros, 1993)
  5. Louisiana Christmas Day (Aaron Neville, 1993)
  6. Silent Night (Debbie Gibson, 1994)
  7. Emmanuel (Amy Grant, 1992)
  8. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Stylistics, 1992)
  9. Light of the Stable (Emmylou Harris, 1979)
  10. Away In A Manger (Kim Carnes, 1989)
  11. Christmas Cometh Carolling (Kenny Loggins, 1991)
  12. Christmas Memories (Steve Wariner, 1990)
  13. Deck the Halls (Mannheim Steamroller, 1984)
  14. Let's Make a Baby King (Wynonna Judd, 1993)
  15. Christmas in America (Kenny Rogers, 1989)
  16. It's So Close To Christmas (Bellamy Brothers, 1994)
    - new version of their 1981 single
  17. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Bryan Austin, 1994)
  18. Merry Christmas, Oh Happy Day (Commodores, 1992)
  19. Angels We Have Heard on High (Gloria (Michael W. Smith, 1989)
  20. Silent Night (Boyz II Men, 1993)
  21. Mary Had a Baby/Go Tell It On the Mountain (Vanessa Williams & David Foster, 1993)

- just in case it disappeared, I copied this article from the Los Angeles Times by Thomas Arnold, May 4, 1990, which details some of the history behind "Stars Come Out" and explains why, starting later that year, the separate series of albums sprung up starting with "The Christmas Album... A Gift Of Love," kicking off a profusion of poorly organized volumes continuing for roughly 20 years....
- http://articles.latimes.com/1990-05-04/entertainment/ca-204_1_children-s-hospital

S.D. Children's Hospital, Producer Part Ways on Fund-Raising Album

A falling out between the producer and the beneficiary of last year's "The Stars Come Out for Christmas" album has resulted in each party forging ahead with separate benefit Christmas album projects for this year.

Steve Vaus, who produced the 1989 album, and the Children's Hospital and Health Center, a nonprofit San Diego health-care facility that netted upward of $160,000 from its sales, both sides say, have parted ways after failing to resolve a protracted dispute over money and artistic control.

So now, they're working independently - although the game plan is the same: Both albums, like the first, will be compilations of Christmas tunes sung by big-name pop, rock, and country acts. They'll be sold primarily via mail-order during the coming holiday season, and all proceeds will go to charity.

The decision to sever ties with Vaus and find another producer was based on a "a whole variety of reasons," said Stuart C. Turgel, senior vice president and executive director of the Children's Hospital Foundation of San Diego. The primary one, he said, was Vaus' insistence on a $250,000 "production fee" for this year's album, substantially more than the $16,000 he charged last year, when the album was a local effort. This year, Turgel wants to expand marketing drastically and take it national.

"We don't believe an individual should enjoy financial gain, if you will, from this work," Turgel said. "The original idea was that all proceeds would go to the hospital."

Vaus, however, said his request for more money was prompted by necessity rather than greed.

"Let me shed a little light on that figure," he said. "The amount was to cover air transportation, lodging, and food for all the artists; roughly 1,000 hours of studio time; designing and printing the graphics; mastering and sequencing the tapes, and then promoting the album to 10,000 radio stations around the country.

"I'm not an independently wealthy person; I've got an operation to run and a staff to pay. And this year, we were talking about a significantly different animal, because it's no longer just a local project, it's a national project. It would have taken a whole year, from start to finish, and we would have had to bypass all our customary business, which generates well in excess of $250,000 in that same period."

Another reason for dumping Vaus, Turgel said, was the producer's demand for complete artistic control.

"We wanted a project that would represent Children's Hospital in the most appropriate way," he said, "and not having the ability to approve or disapprove certain artists, certain songs, was very problematic for us."

Said Vaus: "I'm in the business of music, they're in the business of fund raising, and it's difficult sometimes when the artistic world and the fund-raising world have to come together because you get people trying to do each other's jobs and it simply doesn't work."

In any case, Turgel said, "it became clear to us that we wanted to find somebody else to work with us," and that "somebody else' turned out to be Lloyd, who was not only willing to work for free, but didn't mind giving hospital officials final say as to what tunes would appear on the album."

Vaus took the news well.

"I agreed with him, telling him it sounded like a heck of a deal," Vaus said. "Still, I was disappointed, because we had had such success with last year's project and we had grand plans of working together again this year to raise a significant amount of money for many hospitals around the country."

"(But) I knew there were a number of other charities out there that were very interested in having me produce a second 'The Stars Come Out For Christmas' album with them as the beneficiary. So it wasn't as though all was lost."

To replace Vaus, Children's Hospital has enlisted the services of veteran producer Michael Lloyd - best known for his work with such 1970s artists as the Osmonds, Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett - to produce their album, which will include contributions from Wayne Newton, Andy Williams, Bobby Vinton and Air Supply.

Unlike last year, the album will be marketed nationally, not just locally, through the Children's Miracle Network, an association of more than 165 non-profit hospitals for children throughout North America. Turgel predicts sales of more than 500,000--as opposed to 22,000 last year--and revenues in excess of $4.5 million.

"If you consider that last year, we sold more than 20,000 units just in San Diego, then sales of half a million or more, all over the country, is a very appropriate number," Turgel said. "Even if the other hospitals sell half the volume we did in their respective cities, it won't take long before the numbers start to roll, before they get very large, very quickly."

Meanwhile, Vaus is busy working on "The Stars Come Out for Christmas 1990," which will benefit an undisclosed local charity and also be marketed nationally. The charity will purchase the entire stock at 50 to 60 cents per tape over the manufacturer's cost, Vaus said. The extra money will cover Vaus' expenses, including salary for him and his staff.

He already has firm commitments from 15 artists, including Kenny Rankin, Kathy Mattea, and returnees Kenny Loggins, Juice Newton, Kim Carnes and Karla Bonoff.

"This year, we're in the enviable position of having to turn away artists," Vaus said. "I've been working on this project all year, and in my mind, even though the beneficiary has changed, the album is the same--recruiting acts is so much easier because I've done it before."

- then, this article by John D'Agostino published November 7, 1991 picks up the story
- http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-07/entertainment/ca-1222_1_christmas-album

Benefit Albums Are Rivals for Holiday Sales Competition

What started out as a project to aid Children's Hospital has turned into a not-so-merry recording rivalry.

SAN DIEGO - In the coming weeks, two locally generated benefit albums featuring Christmas standards and original seasonal music will be available in area stores, where they will appeal to the generosity of holiday shoppers.

Both releases have merit and serve equally noble ends, but behind the scenes the competition isn't entirely friendly.

"The Christmas Album . . . A Gift of Hope" was produced in Los Angeles by Grammy-winning record producer Michael Lloyd and features major recording stars. It will raise money for a number of children's hospitals across the country, including the nonprofit San Diego Children's Hospital Foundation.

The other album--"The Stars Come Out for Christmas, Volume III"--was produced in San Diego by local performer and record producer Steve Vaus. It, too, features major recording stars and will benefit children's hospitals in a number of cities. San Diego Children's Hospital, however, will not be among those receiving proceeds from the "Stars" album, even though the foundation originated the project in 1989 as a fund-raiser. Instead, the local beneficiary of the Vaus album will be Casa de Amparo, a center that provides shelter and various services for abused or neglected children and their families.

Don't feel bad if you find all of this a bit bewildering. Because of the publicity both projects are generating, confusion arises not only from the obvious similarities between them, but also from the fact that, because the two originated from the same source, some of the names involved are frequently cross-referenced. The holiday shopper with a heart, therefore, will be well served by an explanation of the common origin of the separate enterprises, their residual differences and similarities, and what musical bounties can be expected from each.

Vaus coordinated and produced the first "Stars" album for the San Diego Children's Hospital Foundation in 1989. Pop, rock, and country recording artists such as Stevie Nicks, Loretta Lynn, the Commodores and Juice Newton contributed songs to the effort, which raised about $160,000.

When it came time to plan the 1990 effort, however, Vaus and the foundation's policy-makers parted company over terms. As a result, Vaus produced the second volume of "The Stars Come Out for Christmas" as a rainmaker for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, as well as for children's hospitals in other cities. Meanwhile, Lloyd, after being contacted by SDCHF, offered to donate his services for the group's 1990 project, "The Christmas Album . . . A Gift of Love." And the race was on.

According to the SDCHF's figures, their 1990 "Gift of Love" project involved 30 participating hospitals nationwide and generated sales of more than $1 million. Vaus estimates that the 1990 "Stars" recording raised "just under $2 million." Both parties expect to do much better in 1991, despite the recession.

In interviews conducted over the past several days, spokesmen for each side expressed a desire to downplay their differences for the greater good. Nevertheless, a cool undercurrent prevails.

"Unfortunately, there is some confusion out there about which album is which," said Sharon Ross, director of communications for the SDCHF. "It doesn't help when Steve's press releases mention his involvement with 'local children's hospitals,' which makes it seem as though he's talking about us."

According to Ross, the fact that San Diego Children's Hospital handles the medical care for Casa de Amparo further clouds the issue.

"I guess some of the confusion is unavoidable," she added. "But, for the record, it was us who contacted Steve to do this in the first place, in 1989, and not the other way around."

According to Ross, Vaus and the foundation reached an impasse over the producer's demand to be paid a hefty fee to do the second "Stars" album, which the foundation's nonprofit status wouldn't allow. Vaus remembers it a little differently.

"That's half-true," Vaus said. "We did ask for money the second time, just like we did the first time, and it was approved by their board. In fact, we framed the letter (of approval) and have it here in the office. The money goes to cover production and manufacturing costs and the travel expenses of the artists. But I am not paid a producer's fee--let me clarify that. We are paid for expenses incurred. And that's all we asked (SDCHF) for in 1990. But when things fell apart, they tried to characterize the money as a producer's fee."

In response to a question about the money demanded by Vaus, Mark Morelli, media relations coordinator for San Diego Children's Hospital and publicist for the "Gift of Hope" album, referred to a May, 1990 article in The Times, in which SDCHF senior vice president and executive director Stuart C. Turgel claimed that Vaus had demanded $250,000 to cover the cost of producing Volume 2 of "Stars," after having done it the previous year for $16,000.

Stars Come Out For Christmas: Greatest Hits (1994)
- above seven produced by Steve Vaus to benefit childrens charities
- while this would appear to be, formally speaking, part of the series, but it has absolutely no new music, so I never bothered collecting it...

  1. When the Stars Come Out for Christmas (Commodores, 1990)
  2. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff, 1989)
  3. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  4. Jingle Bell Rock (Stephen Bishop, 1991)
  5. Bells of St. Victor's (Andrew Gold, 1991)
  6. In a Child's Eyes (John Tesh, 1992)
  7. Christmas Needs Love (Juice Newton, 1989)
  8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Kenny Loggins, 1989)
  9. The Best Christmas (Christopher Cross, 1991)
  10. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir, 1991)
  11. Coventry Carol (Christine McVie, 1993)
  12. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  13. Light of the Stable (Beat Boys, 1993)
  14. Merry Christmas Darling (Glenn Medeiros, 1993)
  15. A Baby Just Like You (The McCarters, 1990)
  16. Little Drummer Boy (Stylistics, 1992)
  17. Deck the Halls (Mannheim Steamroller, 1984)
  18. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Rush Limbaugh, 1993)
  19. Christmas in America (Kenny Rogers, 1989)
  20. Grown Up Christmas List (Natalie Cole, 1992)
  21. Run Rudolph Run (Kim Carnes, 1991)

Stars Come Out For Christmas (EMI Special Products, 1995)
- budget CD compiled from Steve Vaus-produced series (above)

  1. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff, 1989)
  2. Coventry Carol (Christine McVie, 1993)
  3. The Best Christmas (Christopher Cross, 1991)
  4. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir, 1991)
  5. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  6. Deck The Halls (Commodores, 1992)
  7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Stephen Bishop, 1991)
  9. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Rush Limbaugh, 1993)
  10. Silent Night (Debbie Gibson, 1993)

Stars Come Out For Christmas 2 (EMI Special Products, 2002)
- ostensibly the sequel to above, but note the repetition...

  1. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer (Don McLean, 1990)
  2. Christmas Needs Love To Be Christmas (Juice Newton, 1989)
  3. The Best Christmas (Christopher Cross, 1991)
  4. Angels We Have Heard On High (Commodores, 1991)
  5. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  6. Greensleeves (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  7. Run Rudolph Run (Kim Carnes, 1991)
  8. Away In A Manger (Willie Nelson & The Country Choir, 1991)
  9. Coventry Carol (Christine McVie, 1993)
  10. The Christmas Song (Stephen Bishop, 1990)

Stars Come Out for Christmas: Special Edition I (2010)
- it's worth noting that the three above and two below seem to have been compiled from those tracks recorded exclusively for the series...

  1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Stephen Bishop, 1991)
  2. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Commodores, 1999)
  3. On Christmas Eve (Andrew Gold, 1992)
  4. Sleigh Ride (Commodores, 1992)
  5. Christmas Needs Love (to be Christmas) (Juice Newton, 1989)
  6. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Don McLean, 1990)
  7. Greensleeves (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  8. Everybody's Home Tonight (Karla Bonoff, 1990)
  9. Just One Night (Mac MacAnally, 1991)
  10. Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913 (The McCarter Sisters, 1991)
  11. Christmas Is a Time for Giving (Nicolette Larson, 1992)
  12. The Greatest Gift of All (Nicolette Larson, 1990)
  13. Run Rudolph Run (Kim Carnes, 1991)
  14. Jingle Bell Rock (Stephen Bishop, 1991)
  15. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Beat Boys, 1990)

Stars Come Out for Christmas: Special Edition II (2010)

  1. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Stephen Bishop, 1992)
  2. The Bells of St. Victor (Andrew Gold, 1991)
  3. Deck The Halls (Commodores, 1992)
  4. Angels We Have Heard on High (Commodores, 1991)
  5. The First Noel (Karla Bonoff, 1989)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Kenny Rankin, 1990)
  7. Away In a Manger (Kim Carnes, 1989)
  8. Mary's Boy Child (Little River Band, 1989)
  9. Upon a Christmas Eve (Michael Johnson, 1993)
  10. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Jose Feliciano, 1989)
  11. In A Manger (Beat Boys, 1989)
  12. When the Stars Come Out for Christmas (Holly Dunn, 1991)
  13. A Baby Just Like You (McCarter Sisters, 1990)
  14. This Christmas Day (Nicolette Larson, 1991)
  15. The Christmas Song (Stephen Bishop, 1990)
  16. Silent Night (Country Choir: Paul Overstreet, Juice Newton, Holly Dunn, Butch Baker, Patty Loveless, Irene Kelley, William Lee Golden, and Ronny Robbins)

The Stash Chrismas Album (Stash, 1985)
- original LP is subtitled "16 Blues and Jazz Classics," and the liner notes even restates that number, but there are, in fact, only 15 tracks on the album...

  1. Merry Christmas (Lightning Hopkins, 1953)
  2. Santa Claus Blues (Clarence Williams' Blue Five (1925)
    - with Louis Armstrong, Don Redman, Sidney Bechet or Buster Bailey, and Eva Taylor (vocals)
  3. Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back (Ozie Ware with Duke Ellington's Hot Five, 1928)
    - featuring Barney Bigard, Billy Taylor
  4. Santa Claus Came In The Spring (Putney Dandridge & His Swing Band, 1935)
    - featuring Red Allen, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson
  5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Harry Reser & His Orchestra, 1934)
    - vocals by drummer Tom Stacks
  6. Christmas Night in Harlem (Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, 1934)
    - featuring Jack Teagarden, Frank Trumbauer
  7. Winter Wonderland (Ted Weems & His Orchestra, vocal by Parker Gibbs, 1934)
  8. Jingle Bells (Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, 1935)
    - featuring Gene Krupa
  9. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller & His Rhythm, 1936)
  10. Merry Christmas Baby (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra, 1950)
    - vocals by Sonny Parker
  11. Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney (Ella Fitzgerald, 1950)
    - instrumental and vocal group backing including Charlie Shavers and Hank Jones
  12. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong and the Commanders, 1953)
  13. 'Zat You, Santa Claus (Louis Armstrong and the Commanders, 1953)
  14. Christmas In New Orleans (Louis Armstrong with Benny Carter's Orchestra, 1955)
  15. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Louis Armstrong, 1971)

Stax Christmas (2023)
- the big news is the Carla Thomas unreleased "Blue Christmas," though the liner notes provide zilch in annotation...
- the Otis Redding "alternate mix" is, in fact, a new remix that fades out 35 seconds longer than the "Soulsville" version...
- also Cix Bits' "Season's Greetings" gets included on a Stax Christmas album for the first time

  1. Merry Christmas, Baby (Otis Redding, 1967)
    - previously unreleased alternate mix of alternate take 1, first released on "Christmas In Soulsville" (2007)...
  2. Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas (The Staple Singers, 1970)
  3. Winter Wonderland (take 2) (Booker T & The MG's, 1966)
  4. Blue Christmas (Carla Thomas, circa 1966)
  5. The Mistletoe And Me (Isaac Hayes, 1969)
  6. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (Albert King, 1974)
  7. I'll Be Your Santa Baby (Rufus Thomas, 1973)
  8. Season's Greetings (Cix Bits, 1973)
  9. White Christmas (Rance Allen Group, 1974)
  10. It's Christmas Time Again (The Christmas Song) (Temprees, circa 1973)
  11. What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas (Emotions, 1974)
  12. That Makes Christmas Day (Rufus & Carla Thomas, 1973)

*** ALL OF THE STAX CHRISTMAS MASTERS (SO FAR) WHICH THEY STUBBORNLY REFUSE TO RELEASE IN ONE PACKAGE ***

  1. Black Christmas (Emotions, 1970)
  2. Blue Christmas (Carla Thomas, circa 1966)
  3. Christmas Comes But Once A Year (Albert King, circa 1974)
  4. I'll Be Your Santa Baby (Rufus Thomas, 1973)
  5. It's Christmas Time Again (The Christmas Song) (Temprees, circa 1973)
  6. Merry Christmas, Baby (take 1) (Otis Redding, 1967)
  7. Merry Christmas, Baby (take 1, alternate mix) (Otis Redding, 1967)
  8. The Mistletoe And Me (Isaac Hayes, 1969)
  9. Mom And Dad For Christmas (Lee Denson, 1973)
    - country song recorded for their Enterprise label
  10. Please Come Home For Christmas (Little Johnny Taylor, 1965)
  11. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (Albert King, 1974)
  12. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (Mack Rice, circa 1972)
  13. Season's Greetings (Cix Bits, 1973)
  14. That Makes Christmas Day (Rufus & Carla Thomas, 1973)
  15. What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas (Emotions, 1973)
  16. White Christmas (Rance Allen Group, 1974)
    - there was an instrumental version on the b-side of the original vinyl single
    - so far, it's not been included on any reissue, but it's probably the same basic track as the vocal version...
  17. Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas (Staple Singers, 1970)
  18. Winter Snow (Isaac Hayes, 1969)
  19. Winter Wonderland (take 2) (Booker T & The MG's, 1966)

Still Believing In Christmas (SeaSong, 2006)
- new recordings by (mostly) old country stars

  1. Merry Christmas To Me (Lorrie Morgan)
  2. Pretty Paper (Gene Watson)
  3. Ding-A-Ling (The Christmas Bell) (Lynn Anderson)
  4. The First Noel (Helen Cornelius)
  5. Happy Birthday Jesus (Porter Wagoner)
  6. Christmas In Mexico (T.G. Sheppard)
  7. Bethlehem (David Frizzell)
  8. Let In Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Tanya Tucker)
  9. My First Christmas Without You (Kelly Long)
  10. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Little Jimmy Dickens)
  11. Winter Wonderland (Lloyd Knight)
  12. One Little Star (Crystal Gayle)
  13. O Holy Night (Darryl Singletary & The Jordanaires)
  14. He Would Be King (Justin Ryan)
  15. Still Believing In Christmas (Bill Anderson & The Jordanaires)

Stingiest Man in Town (soundtrack, 1956)
- CBS-TV adaptation of Dicken's Christmas Carol with Vic Damone, Johnny Desmond, the Four Lads, and Basil Rathbone as Scrooge

  1. A Christmas Carol (The Four Lads)
  2. An Old Fashioned Christmas (Johnny Desmond)
  3. Humbug (Basil Rathbone & Johnny Desmond)
  4. The Stingiest Man In Town (The Four Lads)
  5. A Christmas Carol (The Four Lads)
  6. I Wear A Chain (Robert Weeds & Basil Rathbone)
  7. Spirit Theme (Basil Rathbone & Robert Wright)
  8. Medley: Golden Dreams / It Might Have Been (Vic Damone & Patrice Munsel)
  9. A Christmas Carol (The Four Lads)
  10. The Christmas Spirit (The Chorus)
  11. Yes, There Is A Santa Claus (Betty Madigan)
  12. One Little Boy (Basil Rathbone & Robert Wright)
  13. An Old Fashioned Christmas (Johnny Desmond)
  14. The Birthday Party Of The King (Johnny Desmond)
  15. A Christmas Carol (The Four Lads)
  16. I Wear A Chain (Basil Rathbone)
  17. Concerto Inferno (Fred Spielman)
  18. Mankind Should Be My Business (Basil Rathbone)
  19. The Christmas Spirit (Basil Rathbone)
  20. One Little Boy (Martyn Green & Basil Rathbone)
  21. Yes, There Is A Santa Claus (Betty Madigan)
  22. A Christmas Carol (The Four Lads)
  23. One Little Boy (Vic Damone)
  24. The Birthday Party Of The King (Johnny Desmond)
  25. An Old Fashioned Christmas (Johnny Desmond)
  26. Mary's Little Boy Child (The Four Lads)
  27. We're All Kids At Christmas (Betty Madigan)
  28. The Story Of Christmas (Betty Madigan)
  29. The Lord's Prayer (Johnny Desmond)
  30. Happy Holidays To You (Johnny Desmond)

Stony Plain's Christmas Blues (2000)
- indie label spotlights current and classic stars of the genre

  1. Duke's Christmas (The Duke Robillard Band)
  2. Christmas Time, Part 1 (Billy Boy Arnold with the Duke Robillard Band)
  3. Switchin' In The Kitchen (Asleep At The Wheel with The Roomful Of Blues Horns)
  4. Merry Christmas Everyone (Rosco Gordon with The Duke Robillard Band)
  5. Santa Come Down (Big Dave McLean)
  6. No Money, No Honey (Maria Muldaur with The Duke Robillard Band)
  7. Hootie's K.C. Christmas Prayer (Jay McShann with The Duke Robillard Band)
  8. What Do You Really Want For Christmas? (The Rockin' Highliners featuring Robert Dean)
  9. On A Christmas Day (Long John Baldry)
  10. Christmas 9-1-1 (Sonny Rhodes)
  11. Is This Gonna Last? (Kristi Johnston)
  12. Christmas Blues (Jimmy Witherspoon with The Duke Robillard Band)
  13. Crazy Little Kitten For Christmas (Paul James)
  14. Mama (David Wilcox)

Street Corner St. Nicks: A Doo Wop Christmas (Compass, 2007) B00129FAGC

- see Compass Productions

Stuff This In Your Stocking! Elves In Action...(1990)
- alternative rock produced by Veebltronics and Skyclad Records

  1. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Hello Disaster)
  2. Merry Xmas Everybody! (French Lemon Santas)
  3. It's Christmas (And I Love You) (The Electric Shoes)
  4. Father Christmas (The Leonards)
  5. White Christmas (Dirty Dogs)
  6. Santa Claus (Pink Slip Daddy)
  7. Happy Birthday (Russ Tolman & The North Pole Men)
  8. Oh Santa (Emma Vines & The Emotionals)
  9. I Believe in Father Christmas (Human Drama)
  10. I Got a Lot of Toys for Christmas (The Sterilles)
  11. Christmas in the Courtroom (Sky Saxon & Fire Wall)
  12. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (The Jigsaw Seen)
  13. Holiday Cheer (L-Status)
  14. Home for Christmas (The Characters)

Sub Pop Holiday Sound Spectacular (promotional, 1997)
- five track sampler hosted by Combustible Edison's The Millionaire; includes songs from Sub Pop's "Happy Holidays" series of promo CD greeting cards featuring Combustible Edison (1994), Thornetta Davis (1995), and Mike Ireland (1997)

  1. Sleigh Ride (Combustible Edison)
  2. Christmas Time Is Here (Combustible Edison)
  3. Funky Drummer Bou (Thornetta Davis)
  4. Christmas Past (Mike Ireland & Holler)
  5. I Wish You Heaven (Eric Matthews)

Sugar Plums: Holiday Treats from Sugar Hill (1993)
- folk and bluegrass from respected independent label; companion to Tinsel Tunes: More Holiday Treats (1996)

  1. Making Plans (Tim O'Brien)
  2. Christmas Time's A-Coming (Peter Rowan)
  3. The First Noel / It Came Upon a Midnight Clear / Joy To the World (Medley) (Doyle Lawson)
  4. Christmas Lullaby (Doc Watson)
  5. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem (John Starling)
  6. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) (Ranch Romance)
  7. What Child Is This (Dan Crary)
  8. Christ Was Born In Bethlehem (Tim O'Brien)
  9. Silent Night (The Seldom Scene)
  10. Nothing but a Child (Robin & Linda Williams)
  11. The Carpenter Shop (Bluegrass Cardinals)
  12. Away In a Manger (Jerry Douglas)
  13. That White Christmas Song (Red Knuckles And The Trailblazers)

Superstar Christmas (1997)
- Sony and other major labels benefit T.J. Martell Foundation; reissued as budget CD in 2008

  1. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon, Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band, 1971)
  2. O Holy night (Mariah Carey)
  3. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Frank Sinatra)
  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Michael Bolton)
  5. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Celine Dion)
  6. Merry Christmas Baby (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band)
  7. Early Christmas Morning (Cyndi Lauper)
  8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Luther Vandross)
  9. Silent Night (Boyz II Men)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Tony Bennett)
  11. You Make It Feel Like Christmas (Neil Diamond)
  12. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Amy Grant)
  13. White Christmas (Placido Domingo)
  14. What If Jesus Comes Back Like That (Collin Raye)
  15. Christmas Through Your Eyes (Gloria Estefan)
  16. The Lord's Prayer (Barbra Streisand)

Surfin' Kitty X-Mas (2020)
- presented by Mark Malibu, leader of Mark Malibu & the Wasagas, a Canadian surf punk band whose original run lasted from 1979 to 1982, but then they reunited in 2014
- originally released on a label called Sharawaji Records, but the affiliation disappeared on later volumes...
- proceeds benefit the Pinetree Stables Cat Sanctuary in Grand Bahamas
- the first volume appeared as a digital album in Amazon (B08S47CTVL), but, as of the end of the year, the second one did not; so, I stuck with Bandcamp links for consistency's sake, and because they also offer a CD, and, what the hell, it's for charity...
- I originally passed on this since it a) looked kinda cheesy b) was at the very end of my planned scope and c) it consisted almost entirely of bands I hadn't even heard of. When the second volume (see below) came out, I got dragged in (kicking and screaming), if only because this sort of music is just so on-brand with the website. Plus, there are at least a few bands that were on my radar (Urban Surf Kings, Tourmaliners, Huevos Rancheros, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet). So, while I think I'll still pass - my plate is pretty full when it comes to surfin' Christmas music - I guess I'll at least list this on the website and see what the future holds...
- I did download the Urban Surf Kings track, mostly because I already had a bunch of tracks, many of them on Double Crown Records' "Seasonal Favorites" series
- the Huevos Rancheros and Shadowy Men tracks, however, weren't really surf songs, and the Tourmaliners are out-of-scope...

  1. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Christmas Twist
  2. The Tourmaliners - O Little Town of Bethlehem
  3. Urban Surf Kings - Auld Lang Syne
  4. Hang-Ten Hangmen - Boogaloo
  5. Underwater Bosses - God Rest Ye Gnarly Gentlemen
  6. Green Wasagas - Cuckoo for Christmas
  7. The Terrorsurfs - Santa Muerte
  8. Voodoo Surf Tribe - A Voodoo Xmas (Comfort & Joy)
  9. Surf Aliens - On the Ice
  10. The Breakers - O Holy Night
  11. Frank Randazzo - Blue Mariachi Christmas
  12. Ukexotic - Silent Night
  13. Night Chill - Jolakotturinn
  14. Huevos Rancheros - Whiteout In Wyoming
  15. Green Wasagas Shakedown - Kitty Klaus
  16. Danger!! Death Ray - Public Domain Holiday Medley
  17. Mariachi Death Squad - Santa Vs The Luchadors
  18. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Lonely X-mas

Surfin' Kitty X-Mas 2 (2021)
- see notes above

  1. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Canadian Christmas
  2. Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - White Diamonds
  3. Young Barons - Little Drummer Boy
  4. The Aquaholics - Missile Toe
  5. The Terrorsurfs - It's Egg Nog
  6. Urban Surf Kings - The Elves Ride Again
  7. Green Reflectors - Reindeer Vacation
  8. The Surf Raiders - Little St Nick
  9. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Snow Day
  10. The Mitochondriacs - Happily
  11. The Breakers - Icicle Park
  12. Hang Ten Gallon Hats - Sarsaparilla Eggnog
  13. Night Chill - Night of the Wendigo
  14. Surf Hermits - Santa's Rant
  15. Shakedown Combo - Spread A Little Love
  16. Jim & the Sea Dragons - Santana's Little Helper
  17. Magnatech - Surf Gentlemen!
  18. Underwater Bosses - Gremlins Surf Rag
  19. Green Wasagas - Snowboarding
  20. The Kobanes - All I Want for Christmas
  21. Kay Firlito & the Sun-Dried Surf Band - Frosty's a Dead Man
  22. Voodoo Surf Tribe - Go (William) Tell It On A Mountain
  23. Danger!! Death Ray - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
  24. Girl Over Planet - Christmas at the Bolshoi Theater
  25. Frank Randazzo - One Too Many
  26. Sex Dream - Meow Mix

Surfin' Kitty Xmas 3 (2022)
- see notes above

  1. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Ice Rider
  2. Blackball Bandits - Yuletide Ride
  3. Krontjong Devils - Here Comes Santa Claus
  4. Jim And The Sea Dragons - Kringle All The Way
  5. Magnatech - Frohe Weihnachten
  6. Jason Janik - Oh Come Emmanuel
  7. Surf Zombies - Sleigh Ride
  8. The Swingin' Pussycats - Rudolph Don't Surf
  9. Green Wasagas - Toboggan Hop
  10. Miss Tammy Darling - I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas
  11. Underwater Bosses - Yuleride
  12. Terrorsurfs - Jingle 'Ho's
  13. Death Wave - Winterpain
  14. Surf Hermits - Midnight Ride on Santa's Sleigh
  15. Sys Malakian - Campana Sobre Campana
  16. Slimetones - Christmas Ranch
  17. The Jagaloons - BUMPUSES!
  18. Voodoo Surf Tribe - Burnt Turkey Sandwich
  19. Breakers - Oh Hanukkah
  20. Hermey & the Humbugs - Candy Cane Rock
  21. The Angry Red Planet - Santa's Hydraulic Nut Cutter
  22. Shaun Young - Blue Christmas
  23. Crab Bubbles - Ginchy Santa Claws
  24. Green Reflectors - We Wish You a Surfy Christmas
  25. The Space Agency - Boss Drag
  26. Hitchcocks - Lava
  27. Danger!! Death Ray – Hallelujah
  28. Urban Surf Kings - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

Surfin' Kitty Xmas 4 (2023)
- see notes above

  1. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - Super Sonic Santa
  2. The Tourmaliners - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
  3. Surf Hermits - Tank Slapper for Santa
  4. The Supraphonics - Come All Ye Faithful
  5. Whoa Nellie! Vera & Johnny - Japanese Guitar
  6. Magnatech - Winterbeach Sparkle
  7. Jason Janik - We Three Kings
  8. Voodoo Surf Tribe - Santa Empties His Sax
  9. Jim & the Sea Dragons - Candy Cane City
  10. The Angry Red Planet - When Santa Rules His World (All Hail Santa)
  11. The Slimetones - Neon Christmas
  12. Mark Malibu & the Wasagas - First Snow
  13. Crab Bubbles – Santa’s Flight
  14. Hermey & the Humbugs - Surfin Santa
  15. The Breakers with Dan Peters - Snow Storm Stomp
  16. Francis P Randazzo - Come Home It's Christmas
  17. The Surf Junkies - Missing You On Christmas
  18. The Terrorsurfs - One In A Taxi (Christmas Conga)
  19. Aquaholics – White Elephant
  20. Jason Janik – Silent Night
  21. Malibu & the Wasagas - Scary Christmas
  22. Hitchcocks - Escaping Ghost Town
  23. Thunder Glove - Lust for Battle

Surviving Christmas (soundtrack, 2004)
- a few holiday favorites plus Randy Edelman's score

  1. 1. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year (Andy Williams)
  2. Jingle Bell Rock (Chet Atkins)
  3. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Lou Rawls)
  4. Feliz Navidad (José Feliciano)
  5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
  6. Happy Holidays (Beef Wellington Remix) (Bing Crosby)
  7. Kissed By A Snowflake (Randy Edelman)
  8. House Arrival (Randy Edelman)
  9. Airport Madness (Randy Edelman)
  10. Telling A Story (Randy Edelman)
  11. Salami And Bagels (Randy Edelman)
  12. Pop The Old Head (Randy Edelman)
  13. By The Fireside (Randy Edelman)
  14. Shopping Spree (Randy Edelman)
  15. Ice Storm (Randy Edelman)
  16. Loving You All Over (Randy Edelman)
  17. Two-Fifty Large (Randy Edelman)
  18. Toboggans And Helicopters (Randy Edelman)
  19. I Like It (Randy Edelman)
  20. A New Phone System (Randy Edelman)
  21. Smelling Fear (Randy Edelman)
  22. Christmas Pageant (Randy Edelman)

Swamp Dogg & Friends: Your Not So Typical Christmas (Essential Media Group, 2014)
- assembled (the Essential Media Group from five albums produced (Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams
- see Xmas Balls (2004), Swamp Dogg, Moogstar, Charles Hayes, and Brenda Kaye Pierce (all 2009)

  1. An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year (Swamp Dogg)
  2. This Christmas (Brenda Kaye Pierce)
  3. The Little Drummer Boy (Moogstar & Company & Craig Kimbrough)
  4. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Charles Hayes)
  5. (All I Want for Christmas Is) A Soldier Coming Home (Xmas Balls featuring Monty Lane Allan)
  6. Santa Claus Has Fallen in Love (Swamp Dogg)
  7. My Favorite Things (Brenda Kaye Pierce)
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Via Compton (Reprise) (Moogstar & Company & Craig Kimbrough)
  9. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Charles Hayes & Kim Foley)
  10. She Left Me for Randolph (Xmas Balls featuring Swamp Dogg, Ned McElroy, and Monty Lane Allan)
  11. A Little Black Child at Christmas (Swamp Dogg)
  12. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Brenda Kaye Pierce)
  13. White Christmas (Moogstar & Company & Craig Kimbrough)
  14. You Lose, Mr. Scrooge (Xmas Balls featuring Ned McElroy and Monty Lane Allan)
  15. What Christmas Means to Me (Swamp Dogg)
  16. Auld Lang Syne (Charles Hayes, Swamp Dogg & Michael Wycoff)

Sweet Tracks 2003 (promotional, 2003)

  1. 2000 Miles (Coldplay)
  2. Make Someone Happy (Seal)
  3. Blue Christmas (Jewel)
  4. O Come All Ye Faithful (Chris Botti)
  5. Bethlehem Down (Sting)

Sweet Tracks 2004 (promotional, 2004)

  1. Do They Know It's Christmas? (Pete Yorn)
  2. Deck The Halls (Dave Koz)
  3. Christmas In America (Melissa Etheridge)
  4. What Child Is This? (Train)
  5. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Chris Isaak)
  6. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (Maroon 5)
  7. Carol Of The Bells (Phantom Planet)
  8. Makin' Whoopie (Elton John)
  9. Celebrate Me Home (For The Holidays) (Kenny Loggins)

Sweet Tracks (promotional, 2005)
- above three sold only in Best Buy electronics stores; all tracks exclusive, rare, or previously unreleased; packaged in specially-designed tin cannisters; series moved to digital-only in 2006 (see below), then discontinued altogether

  1. Santa Baby (The Pussycat Dolls)
  2. O Holy Night (Kaci Brown)
  3. Snowed Under (Keane)
  4. Silent Night (Lifehouse)
  5. Someday At Christmas (Mary J. Blige)
  6. Lullaby For An Anxious Child (Sting)
  7. Lo, How A Rose E're Blooming (Feist)
  8. Christmas Came To The Ghetto (Avant)

Sweet Tracks 2006 (promotional, 2006)
- includes tracks from previous editions (above)
- asterick indicates new track
- this was the first digital-only edition, and it proved to be the last edition ever (I'm pretty sure...)

  1. White Christmas (Keith Urban) *
  2. Ex-Miss (New Found Glory)
  3. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Feist)
  4. Christmas in America (Melissa Etheridge)
  5. Candy Maker (Holly Brook) *
  6. Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Dave Koz) *
  7. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Flyleaf)
  8. Silent Night (Lifehouse)
  9. Deck the Halls (Brian Wilson)
  10. Joy To The World (Nick Lachey) *
  11. What Child Is This (Train)
  12. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Chris Botti)
  13. The Holly and the Ivy (Lucy Walsh) *
  14. O Holy Night (Kaci Brown)

Sweethearts & Stolen Christmas Kisses (2010)

  1. Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me (Elvis Presley)
  2. Dig That Crazy Santa Claus (Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers)
  3. White Christmas (The Drifters)
  4. Christy Christmas (Brenda Lee)
  5. Mary's Boy Child (Nina & Frederik)
  6. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Perry Como)
  7. Winter Wonderland (Connie Francis)
  8. Jingle Bells (Pat Boone)
  9. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  10. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
  11. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Patti Page)
  12. Merry Christmas Baby (Johnny Moore's Three Blazers featuring Charles Brown, 1947)
  13. This Time Of Year (Brook Benton)
  14. Christmas Don't Be Late (The Chipmunks & David Seville)
  15. Silent Night (Dinah Washington)
  16. Mary's Boy Child (Harry Belafonte, 1956)
  17. Christmas Eve (Billy Eckstine)
  18. Christmas Is A Feeling In Your Heart (Andy Williams)
  19. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Johnny Mathis)
  20. O Tannenbaum (Paul & Nancy Steffen)
  21. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Beverley Sisters)
  22. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Elvis Presley)
  23. Christmas And You (Dave King)
  24. Santo Natale (David Whitfield)
  25. Christmas Alphabet (Dickie Valentine)
    ---
  26. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  27. The First Noel (Pat Boone)
  28. You're All I Want For Christmas (Frankie Laine)
  29. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Mathis)
  30. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Elvis Presley)
  31. The Little Drummer Boy (Johnny Cash, 1959)
  32. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Dean Martin)
  33. I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (Brenda Lee)
  34. Merry Christmas (The Cameos)
  35. The Bells Of St Mary's (The Drifters)
  36. The Son Of Mary (Harry Belafonte)
  37. The Lord's Prayer (Connie Francis)
  38. I'd Like You For Christmas (Julie London)
  39. In Dulci Jubilo (Paul & Nancy Steffen)
  40. Ave Maria (Johnny Mathis)
  41. Snow Coach (Russ Conway)
  42. Nuttin' For Christmas (The Fontaine Sisters)
  43. Must Be Santa (Joan Regan)
  44. Frosty The Snowman (Nat King Cole, 1950)
  45. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Elvis Presley)
  46. It's Christmas All Over The World (The Stargazers)
  47. Christmas Island (Dickie Valentine)
  48. I'm A Little Christmas Cracker (Diana Decker)
  49. Christmas Cards (Alma Cogan)
  50. Little Donkey (Beverley Sisters)

Sweethearts & Stolen Christmas Kisses 2 (2011)

  1. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley)
  2. Must Be Santa (Tommy Steele)
  3. Little Donkey (Nina & Frederik)
  4. O Come All Ye Faithful (Bobby Darin)
  5. The Bells Of St Mary's (Connie Francis)
  6. Winter Wonderland (Perry Como)
  7. Merry Christmas Baby (Chuck Berry)
  8. Silver Bells (Pat Boone)
  9. Christmas Cards (Petula Clark)
  10. Snowbound For Christmas (Dickie Valentine)
  11. Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop) (Adam Faith, 1960)
  12. Virgin Mary (Lonnie Donegan)
  13. Hey Santa Claus (The Moonglows)
  14. It's Christmas Time (The Five Keys)
  15. The Christmas Waltz (Peggy Lee)
  16. It's Christmas Once Again (Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers)
  17. A Five Pound Box Of Money (Pearl Bailey)
  18. Reindeer Rock (The Sportsmen)
  19. Jingle Jangle (Penquins)
  20. Rock Around The Christmas Tree (Big Bud)
  21. Christmas In Jail (The Youngsters)
  22. Ave Maria (Bobby Darin)
  23. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jimmy Boyd, 1953)
  24. Onward Christian Soldiers (Harry Simone Chorale)
  25. The Christmas Song (Johnny Mathis)
    ---
  26. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Pat Boone)
  27. White Christmas (Elvis Presley)
  28. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Cadillacs, 1956)
  29. The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Connie Francis)
  30. Blue Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  31. It's Christmas Time Again (Peggy Lee)
  32. While Shepherd's Watched (Bobby Darin)
  33. Little Drummer Boy (Michael Flanders)
  34. Christmas Date Christmas (Big Joe Turner)
  35. Christmas Spirit (Julie Lee And Her Boyfriends)
  36. Santa's Got A Coupe De Ville (Four Imperials)
  37. Rock 'n' Rudolph (The Uniques, 1963)
  38. We Three Kings (Mario Lanza)
  39. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Harmony Grits)
  40. A Christmas Prayer (Penquins)
  41. Jingle Bells (Les Paul)
  42. Mambo Santa Mambo (The Enchanters)
  43. Can This Be Christmas? (The Falcons)
  44. I Want To Spend Christmas With Elvis (Marlene Paul)
  45. Christmas Time Blues (Roy Milton)
  46. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Mabel Scott, 1948)
  47. Just A Lonely Christmas (The Moonglows)
  48. I Want My Baby For Christmas (Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy)
  49. Joy To The World (Perry Como)
  50. Silent Night (Elvis Presley)

Sweethearts & Stolen Yuletide Kisses (2012)
- above three part of series of nostalgic series of 2- and 3-CD sets from UK division of Delta

  1. Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me (Elvis Presley)
  2. Dig That Crazy Santa Claus (Oscar McLollie feat. His Honey Jumpers)
  3. White Christmas (The Drifters)
  4. Christy Christmas (Brenda Lee)
  5. Mary's Boy Child (Nina feat. Frederik)
  6. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Perry Como)
  7. Winter Wonderland (Connie Francis)
  8. Jingle Bells (Pat Boone)
  9. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry, 1958)
  10. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
  11. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Patti Page)
  12. Merry Christmas Baby (Johnny Moore's Three Blazers featuring Charles Brown, 1947)
  13. This Time Of Year (Brook Benton)
  14. Christmas Don't Be Late (The Chipmunks feat. David Seville)
  15. Silent Night (Dinah Washington)
  16. Mary's Boy Child (Harry Belafonte, 1956)
  17. Christmas Eve (Billy Eckstine)
  18. Christmas Is A Feeling In Your Heart (Andy Williams)
  19. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Johnny Mathis)
  20. O Tannenbaum (Paul & Nancy Steffen)
  21. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Beverley Sisters)
  22. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Elvis Presley)
  23. Christmas And You (Dave King)
  24. Santo Natale (David Whitfield)
  25. Christmas Alphabet (Dickie Valentine)
    ---
  26. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958)
  27. The First Noel (Pat Boone)
  28. You're All I Want For Christmas (Frankie Laine)
  29. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Mathis)
  30. I'll Be Home For Christmas (Elvis Presley)
  31. The Little Drummer Boy (Johnny Cash, 1959)
  32. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Dean Martin)
  33. I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (Brenda Lee)
  34. Merry Christmas (The Cameos)
  35. The Bells Of St Mary's (The Drifters)
  36. The Son Of Mary (Harry Belafonte)
  37. The Lord's Prayer (Connie Francis)
  38. I'd Like You For Christmas (Julie London)
  39. In Dulci Jubilo (Paul & Nancy Steffen)
  40. Ave Maria (Johnny Mathis)
  41. Snow Coach (Russ Conway)
  42. Nuttin' For Christmas (The Fontaine Sisters)
  43. Must Be Santa (Joan Regan)
  44. Frosty The Snowman (Nat King Cole, 1950)
  45. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Elvis Presley)
  46. It's Christmas All Over The World (The Stargazers)
  47. Christmas Island (Dickie Valentine)
  48. I'm A Little Christmas Cracker (Diana Decker)
  49. Christmas Cards (Alma Cogan)
  50. Little Donkey (Beverley Sisters)
    ---
  51. The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Connie Francis)
  52. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley)
  53. Silver Bells (Pat Boone)
  54. The Christmas Song (Johnny Mathis)
  55. We Three Kings (Mario Lanza)
  56. It's Christmas Time Again (Peggy Lee)
  57. Christmas Date Christmas (Big Joe Turner)
  58. Blue Christmas (Johnny Mathis)
  59. Hey Santa Claus (The Moonglows)
  60. Christmas Spirit (Julie Lee And Her Boyfriends)
  61. Santa's Got A Coupe De Ville (Four Imperials)
  62. While Shepherd's Watched (Bobby Darin)
  63. Rockin' Rudolph (The Uniques, 1963)
  64. I Want My Baby For Christmas (Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy)
  65. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Harmony Grits)
  66. A Christmas Prayer (Penquins)
  67. Just A Lonely Christmas (The Moonglows)
  68. Snowbound For Christmas (Dickie Valentine)
  69. Mambo Santa Mambo (The Enchanters)
  70. Can This Be Christmas? (The Falcons)
  71. I Want To Spend Christmas With Elvis (Marlene Paul)
  72. Christmas Time Blues (Roy Milton)
  73. Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop) (Adam Faith, 1960)
  74. O Come All Ye Faithful (Bobby Darin)
  75. Joy To The World (Perry Como)

Swing Celebration (Jazz Greats, 1996)

  1. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra, 1937)
    - featuring Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson, and Cozy Cole
  2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters, 1943)
  3. Freeze An' Melt (Eddie Lang & His Orchestra, 1929)
    - featuring Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey
  4. Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind (Bob Crosby's Bob Cats, 1939)
    - vocals by Marion Mann
  5. Jingle Bells (Benny Carter & His Swing Quintet, 1936)
  6. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller & His Rhythm, 1936)
  7. The Christmas Song (Dinah Shore, 1945)
    - orchestra conducted by Robert Emmett Dolan
  8. When The Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along (Bob Crosby & His Orchestra, 1939)
  9. It Happened In Sun Valley (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra, 1941)
    - vocals by Paula Kelly, Ray Eberle, Tex Reneke, and the Modernaires
  10. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Connee Boswell, 1945)
    - with Russ Morgan & His Orchestra
  11. Gin For Christmas (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra, 1939)
    - featuring Ben Webster
  12. When Winter Comes (Artie Shaw & His Orchestra, 1939)
    - featuring Buddy Rich; written by Irving Berlin
  13. Wild Party (Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra, 1934)
    - featuring Henry 'Red' Allen, Buster Bailey, Benny Carter, Russell Procope, Ben Webster
  14. Snowfall (Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra, 1941)
  15. Christmas Night In Harlem (Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, 1934)
    - featuring Jack Teagarden, Frankie Trumbauer, Johnny Mercer; vocals by Mercer and Teagarden
  16. Santa Claus Blues (Red Onion Jazz Babies, 1924)
    - featuring Louis Armstrong, Buster Bailey, Lil Armstrong
  17. Robins And Roses (Stuff Smith & His Onyx Club Boys, 1936)
    - featuring Cozy Cole
  18. Freeze Out (Clarence Williams & His Jazz Kings, 1929)
    - written by Fats Waller; featuring Russell Procope
  19. At The Christmas Ball (Bessie Smith, 1925)
    - with Fletcher Henderson
  20. Bounce Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (John Kirby Sextet, 1941)
    - based on the melody by Tchaikovsky; featuring Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope
  21. Santa's Secret (Johnny Guarnieri & Slam Stewart, 1944)
  22. Santa Claus Came In The Spring (Putney Dandridge & His Orchestra, 1935)
    - written by Johnny Mercer; featuring Henry 'Red' Allen, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson

Swing Into Christmas (Columbia, 1995)
- very nice, though contemporary collection
- not, as I originally thought, a compilation, but an original album recorded live in the Sony's New York studios in December 1994
- I suspect this was done for some sort of broadcast or special presentation (maybe PBS?), and it was, in fact, released as a VHS tape (ASIN 6303854966), so that makes sense though I have thusfar discovered no particulars...

  1. A Cradle In Bethlehem (Grover Washington Jr)
  2. Blue Christmas (Grover Washington Jr. & Terence Blanchard)
  3. O Come All Ye Faithful (Marcus Roberts)
  4. Winter Wonderland (Marcus Roberts)
  5. Christmas Time Is Here (Terence Blanchard)
  6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Terence Blanchard & David Sanchez)
  7. Amazing Grace (Tramaine Hawkins)
  8. The First Noel (Tramaine Hawkins)
    - Hawkins is accompanied by Eric Reed on piano (courtesy MoJazz)
  9. Carol Of The Bells (Wynton Marsalis)
  10. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Wynton Marsalis)
    - the Marsalis band features both Reed and alto saxophonist Wessell Anderson (courtesy Atlantic)

Swing Into Christmas (Columbia River, 2002)
- budget compilation with several rare jazz & blues tracks
- minimal packaging and frequently horrible mastering; Fats Waller's "Swingin' Them Jingle Bells," for instance, sounds absolutely horrible and it cuts off the first 30 seconds of the song...

  1. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Mel Torme, 1947)
  2. Good Morning Blues (I Want To See Santa Claus) (second take) (Count Basie, 1937)
  3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Vaughn Monroe, 1945)
  4. Frosty (Stan Getz, 1948)
    - very poor master... and defensibly not a Christmas song
  5. Let's Start The New Year Right (Bing Crosby, 1942)
  6. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller, 1936)
  7. Santa Claus Blues (Champion Jack Dupree, 1945)
  8. Christmas Island (The Andrew Sisters & Guy Lombardo, 1946)
  9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Harry Reser & His Orchestra, 1934)
    - purported to be the debut recording of this song
  10. Christmas Swing (Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli, 1937)
    - Grappelli doesn't play on this track - it's Michel Warlop...

Swing Time Christmas (1995)
- New York indie compiles 1950's R&B from Swing Time Records

  1. How I Hate To See Christmas Come Around (Jimmy Witherspoon)
  2. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Mabel Scott, 1948)
  3. Sleight Ride (Instrumental) (Lloyd Glenn)
  4. Christmas Everyday (Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers)
  5. Christmas Celebration (Jesse Thomas, 1951)
  6. Merry Christmas Baby (Charles Brown)
  7. Lonesome Christmas Part 1 (Lowell Fulson)
  8. Lonesome Christmas Part 2 (Lowell Fulson)
  9. Jingle Jangle Jump (Dexter Gordon)
  10. Christmas Date Boogie (Big Joe Turner)
  11. Pete's Holiday Boogie (Instrumental) (Pete Johnson)
  12. Christmas Eve Baby (Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers)
  13. Sleigh Ride (Instrumental) (Lloyd Glenn)
  14. Hello Santa Claus (Cecil Gant)
  15. It's Christmas Time Once Again (Cecil Gant)
  16. Christmas Party Shuffle (instrumental) (Lowell Fulson)

Swingin' Christmas (Definitive, 2005)
- 20 superb tracks of vintage jazz and blues from Spanish label

  1. Winter Wonderland (Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins)
  2. Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney (Ella Fitzgerald with Ray Brown)
  3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Woody Herman)
  4. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
  5. Ring Dem Bells (Lionel Hampton with Johnny Hodges)
  6. Great Christmas (Erroll Garner)
  7. Dixieland Band from Santa Claus Land (Jimmy Dorsey featuring Pat O'Connor)
  8. Jingle Bells (Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl and Orchestra)
  9. White Christmas (Charlie Parker featuring Kenny Dorham)
  10. Winter Wonderland (Chet Baker featuring Shelly Manne)
  11. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Paul Bley)
  12. You Don't Have to Be a Santa Claus (Mills Brothers, 1955)
  13. May Every Day Be Christmas (Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five)
  14. Winter Weather (Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman)
  15. Silent Night (Dinah Washington)
  16. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé)
  17. Christmas Swing (Django Reinhardt)
  18. All I Want for Christmas (Nat King Cole)
  19. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland with the George Stoll Orchestra)
  20. Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby (Amos Milburn, 1949)

Swingin' Christmas (Direct Source, 2007) *** NOT ON WEBSITE ***
- 4-CD boxed set, bottom-end budget packaging, no liner notes or anything, mystery mastering - but impressive track listing, cumulatively at least...
- not sure I'll ever want to do anything with this, but I had a chance to harvest the images and data, so I did...
- does not seem to be listed in Discogs, Amazon, or AllMusic, though while researching this I found the actual box on Oldies.com, as well as a very similar, though definitely different package

Disc One: Have A Swingin' Holiday

  1. Jingle Bells (Glenn Miller (with Tex Beneke, Ernie Caceres & The Modernaires)
  2. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Billie Holiday)
  3. The Christmas Song (Les Brown & His Orchestra with Doris Day)
  4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Woody Herman)
  5. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller & His Rhythm Orchestra)
  6. 'Zat You Santa Claus (Louis Armstrong)
  7. The First Noël (Bing Crosby)
  8. O Come, All Ye Faithful (Perry Como)
  9. You're All I Want For Christmas (Eddie Fisher)
  10. I Told Santa To Bring Me You (Bernie Cummins & His Orchestra with Walter Cummins)
  11. It's A Marshmallow World (Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald)
  12. Auld Lang Syne (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians)

Disc Two: A Big Band Holiday

  1. White Christmas (Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra)
  2. All Around The Christmas Tree (Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye)
  3. Good King Wenceslas (Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney)
  4. Christmas Chopsticks (Guy Lombardo (with The Lombardo Trio)
  5. I Want You For Christmas (Dick Robertson & His Orchestra)
  6. Midnight Sleighride (The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra)
  7. Sleigh Ride (Percy Faith's Orchestra & Chorus)
  8. The Christmas Symphony (Shep Fields & His Orchestra with Thelma Gracen & Ensemble, vocal)
  9. Mistletoe Kiss Polka (Margaret Whiting)
  10. The Mistletoe Kiss (Russ Morgan & His Orchestra with The Heartbeats, vocal)
  11. Silent Night (Bing Crosby)
  12. Don't Give Me No Goose For Christmas (The Korn Kobblers)

Disc Three: Big Band Christmas Hits

  1. Winter Weather (Benny Goodman & His Orchestra with Peggy Lee & Art Lund)
  2. The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters)
  3. When You Trim Your Christmas Tree (Les Brown & His Orchestra with Jack Haskell)
  4. (All I Want For Christmas Is) My Two Front Teeth (Danny Kaye & Patty Andrews with Vic Schoen's Orchestra)
  5. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Patti Page)
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra with Cliff Weston & Edith Wright)
  7. Santa Claus Is On His Way (Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye with The Three Kadets)
  8. The Santa Claus Parade (Tex Beneke & His Orchestra with The Mood Four, vocal)
  9. Christmas In My Heart (Percy Faith's Orchestra & Chorus)
  10. Blue Christmas (Russ Morgan)
  11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians with Kenny Gardner & Trio, vocal)
  12. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Kay Kyser with Harry Babitt & The Campus Kids)

Disc Four: Everybody's Swingin' This Christmas

  1. Merry Christmas Baby (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra with Sonny Parker)
  2. What Will Santa Claus Say? (When He Finds Everybody Swingin') (Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang)
  3. Winter Wonderland (Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra)
  4. Little Jack Frost Get Lost (Ray McKinley & His Orchestra with Ray McKinley, Jean Friley, and Some Of The Boys, vocals)
  5. Merry Christmas Polka (The Andrews Sisters)
  6. The Merry Christmas Waltz (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians with Kenny Gardner)
  7. Our Christmas Waltz (Larry Green & His Orchestra)
  8. Silver Bells (Shep Fields & His Orchestra with Thelma Gracen & Ensemble, vocal)
  9. Snowfall (Claude Thornhill)
  10. Medley: Deck The Halls / Away In A Manger / I Saw Three Ships (Bing Crosby)
  11. Santa, Santa, Santa Claus (Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye, vocal by the Kave Choir)
  12. The Christmas Choo Choo Train (Art Mooney & His Orchestra with Laura Lestie & The Skylarks, vocal)

Swingin' Christmas (Rhino, 2001)
- Rhino Records capitalizes nicely on lounge & swing revival
- as usual, Rhino includes a latter day track ("That Swingin' Manger"), though it's a brilliant parody by a fictional artist (Bob Francis), something that eluded me for years and, by all appearances, Rhino; if they were in on the joke, they hide it well...

  1. Shake Hands With Santa Claus (Louis Prima)
  2. (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag (Kay Starr)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Woody Herman)
  4. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong & The Commanders)
  5. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra)
  6. Sleigh Ride (Tex Beneke)
  7. White Christmas (Esquivel)
  8. Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season (medley) (Manhattan Transfer, 1992)
  9. That Swingin' Manger (Bob Francis)
  10. It's A Marshmallow World (Vic Damone)
  11. Christmas Night In Harlem (Louis Armstrong & The All Stars)
  12. Mistletoe And Holly (Jack Jones)
  13. The Christmas Blues (Jo Stafford)
  14. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Les Brown)
  15. Sleigh Ride (Jack Jones)
  16. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis)
  17. A Root'n Toot'n Santa Claus (Tex Beneke & His Orchestra/The Mood Four)
  18. 'Zat You Santa Claus (Louis Armstrong & The Commanders)

Swingin' Christmas Party (2002)
- Bluebird Records plucks 13 treasures from the rich BMG archives

  1. Jingle Bells (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra featuring Tex Beneke and The Modernaires)
  2. Winter Wonderland (Ralph Flanagan & His Orchestra)
  3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra featuring Cliff Weston and Edythe Wright)
  4. Sleigh Ride (Freddy Martin & His Orchestra featuring Merv Griffin and The Martin Men)
  5. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra)
  6. Snowfall (Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra)
  7. White Christmas (Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra featuring Johnny Ryan and Kaye Choir)
  8. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (Larry Clinton & His Orchestra featuring Ford Leary)
  9. Winter Weather (Remastered (2000) (Fats Waller)
  10. Santa Claus Came in the Spring (From "Beat the Band") (Benny Goodman & His Orchestra)
  11. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Fats Waller)
  12. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth (Spike Jones & His City Slickers)
  13. Auld Lang Syne (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians)

Swingin' Songs For Santa (2003)
- compiled by Collector's Choice from vintage radio broadcasts
- according to the AMG, the liner notes do not provide dates...

  1. Adeste Fidelis (Bing Crosby & The Rhythmaires)
  2. Jingle Bells (Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & The Modernaires)
  3. It's Christmas Time Again (Margaret Whiting)
  4. Christmas Medley #1: God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman / Away In A Manger / O Come All Ye Faithful (Jay Blackton Chorus)
  5. Send Me Your Love For Christmas (Dorothy Collins)
  6. Silver Bells (Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald)
  7. March of the Toys (Tommy Dorsey)
  8. Christmas Song (Peggy Lee)
  9. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (The Kingsmen)
  10. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters)
  11. Christmas Medley #2: We Three Kings / The First Noel / Angels On High (Jay Blackton Orchestra & Chorus)
  12. Toy Trumpet (John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra)
  13. White Christmas (Al Jolson)
  14. The Sleigh / The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Fred Waring)
  15. Blue Christmas (Roy Cardell & Jan Garber)
  16. Sleighride (Jan Garber & His Orchestra)
  17. Frosty the Snowman (Jan Garber & His Orchestra)
  18. Jingle Bells (Bing Crosby with Skitch Henderson & The Charioteers)
  19. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney & Johnny Mercer)
  20. Here Comes Santa Claus (Johnny Mercer & Rosemary Clooney)
  21. Littlest Angel (Rosemary Clooney)
  22. Frosty the Snowman (Johnny Mercer)
  23. Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby)
  24. Christmas Medley #3: Silent Night / I'll Be Home For Christmas / Jingle Bells / White Christmas (Sgt. Johnny Desmond with Glenn Miller & the Army Air Force Band)
  25. Silver Bells (Margaret Whiting & Bob Hope)
  26. The Nutcracker Suite (Les Brown And His Band Of Renown, 1958)
  27. December (Kay Starr)
  28. When Winter Comes (Artie Shaw featuring Tony Pastor)
  29. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Dick Haymes)
  30. High on a House Top (Larry Hooper)
  31. Skaters' Waltz (Bob Crosby)
  32. Look Out the Window (The Mello-Men)
  33. White Christmas (Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald)
  34. Winter Wonderland (Perry Como & The Satisfiers)
  35. Christmas Medley #4: O Tannenbaum / Jingle Bells / O Come All Ye Faithful / March Of The Toy Soldiers / Merry Doll Dance / Christmas Song / Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies / White Christmas / Auld Lang Syne (Guy Lombardo)
  36. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Harry Babbitt)