Six Celebrity Holiday Albums to Start The Season

The winter season is finally here and it’s time to get into the holiday spirit. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, these albums feature songs that are sure to brighten your season. Continue below to see some of my favorite holiday albums!

SOULFUL SEASON

Promotional Picture for A Legendary Christmas.

A Legendary Christmas by John Legend

A Legendary Christmas is John Legend’s sixth studio album and first-ever holiday album. He released the album on October 26th, 2018. The album consists of 8 Christmas classics, including “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Legend also wrote 6 original songs for the album, including “By Christmas Eve” and “No Place Like Home.” The album debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200, eventually moving up to claim number 22. This album earned a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. A nomination like that is not an easy feat for a holiday album.

Elvis’ Christmas Album by Elvis Presley

Elvis’ Christmas Album was the singer’s third studio and first-holiday album. This album came out on October 15th, 1957, and is still played on the radio yearly. This album consists of several classic Christmas songs like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “Here Comes Santa Clause.” Presley also added two new songs, “Santa Clause Is Back In Town” and “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me).” Although a re-recording of Ernest Tubb’s 1949 song, “Blue Christmas” remains one of Presley’s most beloved and recognized Christmas songs. This was not the only Christmas-themed album released by the superstar. In 1971 he released Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas. 

Hollywood Holiday

Holiday Wishes by Idina Menzel

Holiday Wishes was released on October 14th, 2014, as Menzel’s fourth studio album. All songs on the album are cover songs written by other artists except for Track 7, “December Prayer.” Menzel, Charlie Midnight, and Walter Afanasieff wrote this song. This album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart before eventually reaching its peak at 6. This album includes songs like “Do You Head What I Hear,” “White Christmas,” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” ft. Michael Bublé. The Broadway star was quoted saying, “I know I’m Jewish. But many famous Jewish people have written Christmas songs, so I will try out some of their songs on the album.”

Christmas by Michael Bublé

Christmas was Bublé’s third album to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard 200 and his seventh album overall. It came out in October 2011 and claimed the title of Buble’s first Christmas album. 10 years after its release, this album has remained the singer’s most successful album. As of December 2021, Christmas has had over 12 million copies sold worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling Christmas albums. Bublé made history again with this album by being the first-holiday album to win a Juno Award. He covered well-known Christmas songs on the album, such as “Feliz Navidad” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” He also included one original song written with his writing partner Alan Chang called “Cold December Night.” In 2021, the Grammy Award winner released a 10th-anniversary disc. This new disc included two brand new songs, “The Christmas Sweater” and “The More You Give (The More You’ll Have).” 

CHRISTMAS BELONGS TO THEM

A Pentatonix Christmas by The Pentatonix

A Pentatonix Christmas is the group’s second-holiday album, released on October 21st, 2016, following their previous album, That’s Christmas To Me in 2014. Like many other Christmas albums, this album features an array of classic Christmas songs and a few original songs. On this album, the acapella group covers Christmas classics like “Hallelujah,” “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” and “Up On The Housetop.” It also features original songs “Good To Be Bad” and “The Christmas Sing-Along.”   The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 before quickly making its way to number one, the second Pentatonix album to do so. 

Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey

As of 2021, this album is one of the best-selling Christmas albums. It has sold over 15 million copies and reached number one in Japan, Latvia, and Lithuania. It has hit the Top 10 in several countries like the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia. As we’ve seen before with several Christmas albums, Merry Christmas is a mix of classic and original holiday songs. The classics that Carey recorded include “Joy To The World,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” and “Silent Night.” The originals that the Grammy Award winner recorded include “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time),” and “Jesus Born on This Day.” 

What is your favorite Holiday album to ring in the season?

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