Christmas Albums Tier List: Every Classic Ranked
Twenty-two of the most played, most debated holiday albums ever made, from Bing Crosby's fireside classics to Pentatonix's a cappella jingle bells. Some of these are so baked into December that you've probably heard them without knowing the artist. Others split rooms down the middle every year.
We ranked them based on cultural staying power, how often they actually get replayed each season, and plain old musical quality. Think we got one wrong? That's what the comment section is for.
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SS Tier: The holiday canon
Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey
This is the album that made "All I Want for Christmas Is You" an inescapable force of nature every single year. Released in 1994, it somehow still breaks streaming records decades later, which says everything about how well Mariah and Walter Afanasieff built these songs to last. No other holiday record has this kind of cultural chokehold.
About Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey's 1994 holiday album, co-written and produced with Walter Afanasieff, home to the modern classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You."
- Released
- 1994
- Key track
- All I Want for Christmas Is You
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio
Vince Guaraldi's jazz trio soundtrack to the Peanuts special is the rare Christmas album critics and casual fans both call perfect. "Linus and Lucy" isn't even a Christmas song and it still feels like the most Christmas thing ever recorded. Put this on during present-wrapping and nobody will complain.
About A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio
The jazz soundtrack to the 1965 Peanuts TV special, composed and performed by pianist Vince Guaraldi and his trio.
- Released
- 1965
- Genre
- Jazz
Merry Christmas – Bing Crosby
The template. Every warm, fireplace-and-eggnog holiday album owes something to this one.
About Merry Christmas – Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby's defining Christmas record, featuring his recording of "White Christmas."
AA Tier: Standards you can't skip
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound applied to sleigh bells, with the Ronettes and Darlene Love turning carols into actual pop songs. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" alone justifies its reputation as one of the best produced holiday records ever made. The man's personal history is ugly, but the record's influence on how Christmas music sounds is undeniable.
About A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
A 1963 compilation produced by Phil Spector featuring his Wall of Sound style, performed by artists like Darlene Love and the Ronettes.
- Released
- 1963
Christmas Portrait – Carpenters
Karen Carpenter's voice turns even the most overdone standards into something aching and lovely. This one gets less mainstream love than the Bing Crosby or Mariah tier records, but ask anyone who grew up with it and they'll defend it hard. A genuinely gorgeous, underrated entry.
About Christmas Portrait – Carpenters
A Christmas album by the Carpenters, featuring Karen Carpenter's vocals on holiday standards and original songs.
- Genre
- Pop/Easy listening
The Magic of Christmas – Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" is up there with "White Christmas" as one of the defining recordings of the holiday. That chestnuts-roasting voice is basically synonymous with Christmas radio at this point. A true standard-bearer, even if the rest of the tracklist doesn't always reach those same heights.
About The Magic of Christmas – Nat King Cole
A classic Christmas album by Nat King Cole, home to his definitive recording of "The Christmas Song."
Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis doing "Blue Christmas" is one of those recordings that just feels permanent, like it's always existed. This 1957 release was genuinely controversial at the time for how Elvis brought rock and roll swagger into a very buttoned-up genre. It aged into a classic precisely because of that risk.
About Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis Presley's first Christmas record, released in 1957, blending gospel, rock and roll, and traditional carols.
- Released
- 1957
A Pentatonix Christmas
An a cappella Christmas album shouldn't work this well for this many people, but Pentatonix's take on "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Hallelujah" became genuine streaming hits. It's the rare 2010s holiday record that actually broke into the old-school canon. Love it or find it a little too polished, you can't deny it connected.
About A Pentatonix Christmas
An a cappella holiday album by the group Pentatonix, featuring covers of standards like "Mary, Did You Know?"
- Released
- 2016
BB Tier: Reliable seasonal favorites
Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson's big, belty voice fits Christmas music better than you'd expect, especially on the title track written with Greg Kurstin. It's a strong modern pop entry that never quite broke through to the Mariah/Bublé tier of inescapability, but it's a genuinely well-made record that deserves more credit.
About Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson's 2013 Christmas record, co-written in part with songwriter Greg Kurstin.
- Released
- 2013
Christmas – Michael Bublé
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" from this record is a mall-playlist fixture for a reason. Bublé's whole career is basically built on being the acceptable modern version of a Rat Pack crooner, and this is where that bit works best. A little safe, extremely effective.
About Christmas – Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé's big-selling 2011 holiday record, full of crooner-style takes on standards plus original songs.
- Released
- 2011
A Holly Dolly Christmas – Dolly Parton
Dolly's warmth and wit translate perfectly to Christmas music, and this 2020 record leans into both. It's got genuine heart without tipping into syrupy, which a lot of these albums can't manage. Not essential, but a genuinely pleasant listen every time.
About A Holly Dolly Christmas – Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton's 2020 Christmas album blending original songs with holiday standards.
- Released
- 2020
Home for Christmas – Amy Grant
Amy Grant's take on the genre is sincere and well sung, sitting comfortably in that late-80s/early-90s wave of adult contemporary Christmas records. It doesn't reinvent anything, but it's dependable, cozy background music for decorating the tree.
About Home for Christmas – Amy Grant
An adult contemporary Christmas album by singer Amy Grant.
- Released
- 1992
Noël – Josh Groban
Josh Groban's big, operatic voice was practically made for Christmas ballads, and this record sold enormously well when it came out. Critics were lukewarm, calling it more polish than substance, but fans of his sound get exactly what they want here.
About Noël – Josh Groban
Josh Groban's Christmas album featuring his signature operatic pop vocal style on holiday standards.
- Released
- 2007
Christmas Eve and Other Stories – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
This is the Christmas album for people who want electric guitars under their carols. "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" became a genuine rock radio staple around the holidays, which is a wild thing for a classical-rock crossover record to pull off. Divisive, but it earned its niche.
About Christmas Eve and Other Stories – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
A rock-classical crossover concept album by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, home to "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24."
- Released
- 1996
CC Tier: Fine, but forgettable
Merry Christmas II You – Mariah Carey
Following up the most dominant Christmas album of all time was never going to be easy, and this 2010 sequel mostly proves that lightning doesn't strike twice. It's pleasant, competently made, and almost nobody remembers a single song from it next to the original.
About Merry Christmas II You – Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey's 2010 follow-up to her original 1994 Christmas album.
- Released
- 2010
Under the Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
This one actually hit number one on the Billboard 200, so clearly it connected with somebody. But it's mostly remembered now as a very 2011 artifact, with the Bieber-era R&B gloss dating it hard. "Mistletoe" is catchy, the rest is forgettable.
About Under the Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber's 2011 Christmas album, featuring the hit single "Mistletoe."
- Released
- 2011
These Are Special Times – Celine Dion
Celine's big voice and big production style works fine on Christmas standards, but this record never quite built the identity that the best entries on this list have. It sold well in the late 90s and then mostly disappeared from the conversation.
About These Are Special Times – Celine Dion
Celine Dion's Christmas and holiday-themed record from the late 1990s.
- Released
- 1998
A Legendary Christmas – John Legend
John Legend has a genuinely great voice for this material, and the production is smooth and tasteful. It just doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the dozen other R&B-leaning Christmas records that came out around the same time.
About A Legendary Christmas – John Legend
John Legend's R&B-leaning Christmas album, released in 2018.
- Released
- 2018
Christmas – Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller basically invented its own lane of synth-and-orchestra Christmas instrumentals, and this record is a staple of a certain kind of household. It's impressive production work, but it's also the definition of music you put on in the background rather than actually sit and listen to.
About Christmas – Mannheim Steamroller
An instrumental Christmas album by Mannheim Steamroller, blending orchestral and electronic sounds.
- Released
- 1984
DD Tier: Niche appeal only
A Very She & Him Christmas
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's stripped-down, retro approach has real charm if you're already a fan of their indie-folk thing. Outside that audience, it can feel a little twee and slight, more mood board than must-listen.
About A Very She & Him Christmas
An indie-folk Christmas record by the duo She & Him, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.
- Released
- 2011
Miracles: The Holiday Album – Kenny G
Smooth jazz saxophone covers of Christmas standards are exactly as elevator-music as they sound. It sold enormous numbers in the 90s, so plenty of people clearly wanted this in their lives, but it rarely comes up in any serious conversation about great Christmas records.
About Miracles: The Holiday Album – Kenny G
Smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G's holiday record, featuring instrumental covers of Christmas standards.
- Released
- 1994
FF Tier: A genuinely strange listen
Christmas in the Heart – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's gravelly growl applied to "Here Comes Santa Claus" is one of the most baffling vocal mismatches in recorded music. Dylan apparently made it as a genuine, heartfelt tribute to the standards he grew up with, and the proceeds went to charity, which is sweet. But as a listening experience, it's famously, almost legendarily rough.
About Christmas in the Heart – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's 2009 covers album of traditional Christmas songs, with proceeds donated to charity.
- Released
- 2009
How we ranked them
We weighed a mix of things: chart longevity (does it still climb the charts every December?), critical reception at release and since, cultural footprint (needle drops in movies, mall playlists, TikTok trends), and how well the songs actually hold up outside of nostalgia. Where fans and critics disagree, like whether a quiet jazz record beats a bombastic pop one, we picked a side and explained why.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best selling Christmas album of all time?
Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas (1994) is widely considered the most successful modern Christmas album, largely driven by the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You," though older records like Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas have sold enormous numbers over a much longer stretch of time.
What is the oldest Christmas album on this list?
Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas and Elvis' Christmas Album both date back to the 1950s, making them the oldest entries here, with Nat King Cole's recordings from the same era close behind.
Is A Charlie Brown Christmas actually a Christmas album?
Yes. It's the soundtrack to the 1965 animated TV special, performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and it's become one of the most beloved jazz Christmas records regardless of its origins as a cartoon score.
Why is Bob Dylan's Christmas album ranked so low?
Christmas in the Heart gets a lot of attention for how strange Dylan's voice sounds on cheerful holiday standards. It was made with good intentions and proceeds went to charity, but as a listening experience it's consistently cited as one of the odder entries in the genre.
What's the difference between Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II You by Mariah Carey?
Merry Christmas (1994) is the original record with "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Merry Christmas II You (2010) is a sequel released 16 years later that never came close to matching the original's cultural impact.
More rankings
Image credits
- Merry Christmas – Mariah CareyCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi TrioCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Merry Christmas – Bing CrosbyPhoto: Decca Records, 1947, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- A Christmas Gift for You from Phil SpectorCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas Portrait – CarpentersCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The Magic of Christmas – Nat King ColeCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Elvis' Christmas AlbumCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Pentatonix ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Wrapped in Red – Kelly ClarksonCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas – Michael BubléCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Holly Dolly Christmas – Dolly PartonCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Home for Christmas – Amy GrantCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Noël – Josh GrobanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas Eve and Other Stories – Trans-Siberian OrchestraCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Merry Christmas II You – Mariah CareyCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Under the Mistletoe – Justin BieberCover: Wikipedia · Source
- These Are Special Times – Celine DionCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Legendary Christmas – John LegendCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas – Mannheim SteamrollerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Very She & Him ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Miracles: The Holiday Album – Kenny GCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas in the Heart – Bob DylanCover: Wikipedia · Source