Great Christmas Music You Might Not Know

I know, I know - the grocery store has been playing Christmas music for a month now and you're sick of it already. But in my house, Christmas music starts in early November and by Thanksgiving week it's all Christmas music, all the time. Of course, when you start that early, you need a huge variety of music so you don't get bored. And with our family's eclectic taste in music, we listen to all kinds of stuff that you might not be familiar with. So here are some suggestions of Christmas tunes from all genres that you should consider adding to your Christmas playlist.

Gaudete - The King's Singers

The King's Singers is a primarily a cappella male sextet founded at King's College in Cambridge, England, in 1968. Despite many changes in membership over the years, they always have a distinctive crisp sound with minimal vibrato, tight harmonies, spot-on pitch, and impeccable diction. Although their repertoire leans heavily toward classical and renaissance music, they cover all kinds of pop tunes and novelty numbers as well. They have multiple Christmas albums with both accompanied and a cappella pieces, and some with other choirs. One of my favorites from their Christmas repertoire is this lovely medieval Latin hymn, the refrain of which translates to, "Rejoice! Rejoice! Christ is born of the virgin Mary." This piece is from their album "A Little Christmas Music."

Similar songs you might also like include: In Dulci Jubilo - Guilford Cathedral Choir; Veni, Veni, Emmanuel - Calmus Ensemble; Resonet in Laudibus - Chorus Salvatoris


Somerset Gloucestershire Wassail - The Kingston Trio

I grew up listening to this album over and over all Christmas season, and there's not a cut I don't love, but this particular song so beautifully features the instruments, the harmony, and the simple repetitive melody. If you enjoy this song, be sure to check out the entire album, released in 1960.

If you like this song, you might also like: Silent Night - Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Comfort and Joy (God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen) - Simon and Garfunkel; The Virgin Mary - The Chad Mitchell Trio

12 Days to Christmas - from "She Loves Me"

This track has a special place in my heart since it's a part of a Christmas revue my family performs in every year. The musical is based on the same source material as the film "You've Got Mail," and this particular scene fast-forwards through the Christmas season as the two clerks begin to fall in love in person. As Christmas nears, the customers and the clerks become increasingly frantic and panicky, and the music speeds up accordingly. It's a funny scene and a funny song, and it's completely true to how most of us deal with Christmas approaching.

Similarly light-hearted Christmas songs include: The 12 Days of Christmas - John Denver and the Muppets; The Christmas Can-Can - Straight No Chaser; Pine Cones and Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - The Osmonds

Still, Still, Still - The Cambridge Singers

A chamber group originally formed by renowned composer and choral director John Rutter, these classically trained voices have released a number of Christmas albums: "Christmas Night" (1987), "Christmas with the Cambridge Singers" (1989), "Christmas Day in the Morning," (1993), "The Cambridge Singers Christmas Companion" (2000), "The John Rutter Christmas Album" (2002), and "A Christmas Festival" (2008). I love the sweetness of the boy sopranos and the contrast between the older singers' richer voices. This track, from their 1989 album, is a particular favorite of mine.

If you enjoy this piece, listen to: Coventry Carol - Westminster Cathedral Choir; In the Bleak Midwinter - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Adeste Fidelis - Choir of Christchurch Cathedral

A Tender Tennessee Christmas - Amy Grant

This may seem like a strange choice for a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander like myself, but the longing for the kind of Christmas you remember from your childhood is universal. Grant's mellow voice, with its hint of southern hospitality, strikes the right emotional chord for me. This track is from her first Christmas album, "A Christmas Album" (1983), but she has released 10 (!!) other Christmas albums since then, including "The Animals' Christmas" (with Art Garfunkel, 1986), "Home For Christmas" (1992), and "The Christmas Collection" (2008). Her holiday albums are a mix of covers of traditional songs and original compositions.

If this style appeals to you, try these similar recordings: Do You Hear What I Hear? - Carrie Underwood; Christmas Waltz by the Carpenters; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Kelly Clarkson

Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong

Backed by a rockin' jazz orchestra, Armstrong's distinctive raspy vocals and wailing trumpet will snap you out of the worst holiday funk. His laugh at the end is my favorite part. If you like this number, be sure to listen to the rest of the album, "What a Wonderful Christmas," featuring other great jazz artists like Lionel Hampton, Mel Torme, Lena Horne, and many others.

Other terrific jazz favorites for Christmas you might want to give a listen to include: Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald; The Man with the Bag - Jessie J; and Shake Hands with Santa Claus - Louis Prima, which gets its own entry below.

Shake Hands with Santa Claus - Louis Prima

You may not think you know who Louis Prima is, but if you've seen the Disney movie "A Jungle Book," you know him as King Louie, the king of the apes who kidnap Mowgli. Recorded in 1951, "Shake Hands with Santa Claus" was released as a single, but it's been included on multiple collections since, including "21 Jazz Christmas Favorites," "Jingle Bell Swing," "Christmas Don't Be Late...Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Breaking It Up!", and "The Sound of Christmas," among others.

This song is in the same category as Satchmo's Cool Yule, so check the list above for similar songs.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Harry Belafonte

Belafonte's slow, sweet version of this well-known carol reminds me just how glorious and controlled his voice was. This is a perfect song to play on Christmas Eve after all the presents are wrapped, the kids are asleep, and you're sitting back on the couch with your feet by the fire and your sweetheart by your side. Close your eyes, sip your mulled cider, and remember the peace and calm of Christmas. This song is the final track of his first Christmas album, "To Wish You a Merry Christmas," recorded in 1958.

Other soothing, relaxing Christmas songs featuring similarly mellow vocals include: Christmastime is Here - Diana Krall; My Grown-Up Christmas List - Natalie Cole; O Holy Night - Josh Groban

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Harry Connick, Jr.

Harry Connick, Jr. takes the classic chestnut made popular by Andy Williams and jazzes it up with a swinging band backing him up. The album, 'What a Night!" (2008) was Connick's third Christmas album, and contains a mix of Christmas standards and original songs.

For other jazzed-up arrangement of Christmas classics, check out these options: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan; Up on the Housetop - Pentatonix; We Wish You a Merry Christmas - New York Voices and Helsinki Swing Big Band

All Is Well - Voctave

Arguably one of the most beautiful a cappella albums ever recorded, the purity and harmony of the voices in this group gives their 2016 album, "The Spirit of the Season," a distinctive sound. Their recording of "Mary, Did You Know" (featuring lead vocals by the composer, Mark Lowry) may be the most well-known cut from this album, but the whole album is full of gorgeously scored traditional and lesser-known Christmas songs.

Other fabulous a cappella Christmas songs include: Christmas Carol Medley - The New Swingle Singers; Do You Hear What I Hear? - Home Free; Children, Go Where I Send Thee - Little Big Town