7 Christmas Albums



It's the week before Christmas, so I'm going to do a countdown beginning today from 7 to 1, with 1 being on Christmas Day. Each day will have a different topic.

Today I'm sharing with you 7 Christmas albums worth listening to both leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ on Christmas and throughout the 12 days of Christmas (which begin on Christmas Day and end on January 5th).  I'm sure all of these are available on iTunes and Amazon, but I'm linking directly to the store of the artist when possible.

Also note that the order does not indicate any sort of ranking.

7. "O Holy Night" by Sara Groves

O Holy Night
Sara Groves has a beautiful voice and on this album she gives new voice to some familiar Christmas hymns, including "O Holy Night," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."  The rest of the album is great too, but parents will especially enjoy her song "Toy Packaging."

6. "Christmas Songs" by Fernando Ortega

See the source image


Fernando Ortega is one of my absolute favorites. He has a fantastic voice and he sings songs of great substance and depth.  This album has a mix of some Advent, some Christmas, and some songs that work for Advent and Christmas, but are really just wonderful songs of praise to Jesus.


5. "Christmas" by Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn 

Christmas

Don't let the differing last names fool you, Andy and Jill are married and this collaborative effort is quite well done. Some of the highlights of this album are "In the Bleak Midwinter" and a fantastic song based on one of Isaiah's prophecies about Jesus called "Nations That Long In Darkness Walked."  You also won't want to miss a very amusing redoing of "Baby It's Cold Outside." 

4. "Anno Domini" by Koine


Koiné - Anno Domini
Koine is a fantastic band that takes traditional hymns and gives them an updated interpretation by using the familiar tunes, but playing them with electric guitar, drums, etc. This album mixes in a lot of Advent hymns to go with some Christmas favorites.  "O Savior Rend the Heavens Wide," "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come" and "Hark the Glad Sound!" are some of my favorites on this album.

3. "Emmanuel Lux" by Koine

Yes, another album by Koine (they really are fantastic). On this one they do a great job with "Angels We Have Heard On High," "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel," and "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful."

2. "A Slugs and Bugs Christmas" by Randall Goodgame (with Andrew Peterson)

A Slugs & Bugs Christmas
This is the album for parents who are tired of terrible children's music.  The "Slugs and Bugs" albums were designed to be music that children would love, but parents wouldn't want to eject as soon as possible.  This album is filled with humorous songs ("The Camel Song" is fantastic), some classics (such as, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear") and also teaches biblical truths if a fun way.

1. "Behold the Lamb of God" by Andrew Peterson 


Andrew Peterson is one of the true gems in the current Christmas music scene. His music is deep, thoughtful, and rich in theology, yet easy and enjoyable to listen to and sing along with.  This album is actually a collaboration with several of his friends and it isn't your typical Christmas album, but is really an album that helps to share the story of the coming of Jesus and what His coming means.  "Behold the Lamb of God" is a genuinely beautiful song that will help you to think about the reason Christ came into the world. 

Bonus: "Handel's Messiah"

Handel: Messiah

It's a Christmas tradition for me to listen to this while preparing Christmas services and sermons. This work is like a miniature theology course and has tunes and words that will stick in your mind for days.  And yes, I do sing along with many of the songs, especially the Hallelujah Chorus. 

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