Top Five Christmas Albums and Christmas Movies
I love Christmas. I love everything about the holiday season, I love celebrating the Incarnation, I love spending time with family. I love eggnog, and I’m a sucker for coffee shops’ holiday-themed beverages.
I know that Jesus is the reason for the season, and I know a lot of holiday traditions are simply just traditions and might not be important in the grand scheme of life, but I enjoy these things because they help me set my mind on Christmas. When I’m in the Christmas spirit, I’m more focussed on the goodness of Christmas, the sweetness of Immanuel, God with us.
And a large part of getting into the Christmas spirit is through Christmas music and movies.
Obviously, this is incredibly subjective; this is not a “best-ever” list. Even so, I want to share with you some of my favorite Christmas movies and music albums. After you read mine, feel free to tell me your own on the Facebook or Instagram posts for this blog, or send me a message directly.
Without any further delay…
Jered’s Top Five Christmas Movies
Honorable Mentions
Elf and Christmas with the Kranks
Both of these films are worry Christmas classics, but since I wanted to limit my list to a top five, these two barely missed the cut.
Elf is Will Ferrel’s finest work. It’s hilarious, clever, and heart-warming. It was also the first time I head the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” One of my favorite aspects is how Buddy’s father is part of a children’s books publishing company, yet he completely misunderstands the childlike wonder of Christmas. Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s not how the children’s book publishing industry works. At all. Overall, it’s a fun film that captures the wonder of Christmas and how we can let its joy interrupt our boring adult lives.
Christmas with the Kranks is the classic Tim Allen movie about a couple who decides to skip Christmas because their daughter decided not to come home for the holidays. They face neighborly backlash and are heavily ostracized, but I promise, it’s really funny. You know, in a ridiculous way. It’s both a heartwarming film about family and a self-aware satire of the crazy culture of Christmas in America.
Five: Home Alone and Home Alone 2
I included these in the same slot because several years ago, I realized they’re basically the same movie.
I grew up watching Home Alone 2, but for the longest time I’d only seen Home Alone once or twice. When I finally watched both during the same year, and I was a little older, I was shocked to realize how formulaic the sequel is, down to the plot twist of a mysterious and scary stranger Kevin eventually befriends helping him at the end.
Even so, these are both gems.
They remind us to cherish our family. They remind us to be brave and to strive to do what’s right in impossible situations. And they give us a safe place to laugh at the pain to two bumbling burglars who fall into all of Kevin’s violent traps that would’ve killed them in real life.
Objectively, these movies aren’t technically great, but good laughs fueled by nostalgia and Christmas spirit rocketed the duo to my number five spot.
Four: The Santa Clause
“When I say ‘name,’ you say ‘Scott Calvin.’ Name?”
This is my favorite Tim Allen movie. Everyone should know this movie, and if you don’t, make it a point of watching it this year.
It’s the classic tale an ordinary dad who becomes Santa Claus after the real Santa falls off his roof. Though it definitely appeals to kids and can be considered a kids’ movie in many ways, the story and humor are layered enough where the depths of the story are only truly appreciated when you become an adult.
Three: Jingle All the Way
I almost put this at number one, yet I know several people offhand who would put this in the worst Christmas movie list. To a certain extent, it probably deserves to be on a worst movie list, but that depends on the criteria with which you judge holiday films.
Jingle All the Way is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most timeless performance. It’s a movie about a father who isn’t there forces son, a father always breaking promises. But when he sees the strain his actions have put on his family, he knows he wants to change. It’s a story about a father who decides to start keeping the promises he makes to his son.
Of course, this change hinges on the promise of a Christmas present—the Turbo Man action figure. But when Howard (Arnold’s character) finds the hottest toy of the holiday season sold out of every store, Howard’s determination gives way to desperation, and the story gets weird.
The reason I love this movie so much is because of its ridiculousness. I’m under no delusion that it’s brilliant. With this film, go along for the ride. Embrace the crazy.
Once you get past the crazy, you’ll find a heartwarming tale of a father who’ll stop at nothing to keep his promise and restore his relationship with his son. An inspiring story of reckless love.
Two: It’s a Wonderful Life
George Bailey lived a life full of duty, responsibility, and loyalty. He’s intensely loyal to his family and always looking to do what’s right. Consequently, he begrudgingly takes on the family business and never really gets to follow his dreams. Even so, his life isn’t bad; he gets married and has some kids, but they’re struggling to stay afloat.
One Christmas Eve, everything goes wrong and his whole life seems to be crumbling around him, and he finds himself at the edge of suicide.
Enter Clarence, an angel eager to earn his wings and help George find the will to live.
Here, we get the genesis of what has now become a classic plot: A man getting to see what the world would be life if he’d never been born.
This classic never ceases to inspire me and always invigorates the Christmas season with a joy for life itself, with a knowledge that life is beautiful and worthwhile, even in the struggle.
One: The Muppet Christmas Carol
There have been dozens of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas novella, but this one stands above them all. Michael Caine is a better Ebenezer Scrooge than any other actor I’ve seen. And the Muppets perfectly balance this dark ghostly morality tale with fun and whimsy.
And the songs are top-notch.
I don’t know what else to say; just know that this is the best. There are few words to describe how good The Muppet Christmas Carol is, so I’ll leave it at that.
Those are the films…
…but Christmas music even more powerfully gets me excited for the Christmas season. I LOVE Christmas music, and I listen to basically all genres of Christmas music. I like it all, from classic carols to Frank Sinatra to Michael Bublé, to the Trans Siberian Orchestra to everything in between, but these are my personal favorites.
And I also intentionally picked albums that aren’t on everyone else’s list, so if you’ve never listened to these, now you know they exist and can check them our for yourself.
My top five Christmas Albums are…
Honorable Mentions: Cross Movement’s Gift Rap, 116’s The Gift, Sleeping At Last’s Christmas Collection Vol. 1, and Folk Angel’s Entire Discography
The Cross Movement’s Gift Rap compilation isn’t perfect, but it’s diverse, deep, and a lot of fun. 116’s The Gift is in the same tradition and spirit as Cross Movement’s offering, but The Gift is more modern and polished with greater production and a more cohesive feel. The Gift barely missed this list, but one year might be higher; after all, it only released it 2018 with a deluxe version that just came out in 2019.
Experimental alternative indie rock trio Sleeping At Last is most well known for covers used on Grey’s Anatomy episodes and its Enneagram album with a song for each personality type, but in the background they’ve been recording new Christmas covers almost every year for over a decade. This collection compiles all of these singles in a surprisingly cohesive collection that shows softer, more unique renderings of some Christmas classics.
But on the true edge of this list is Folk Angel, a Dallas-based band who only does Christmas music. In fact, they released ten volumes of Christmas songs between 2009 and 2018. Their folk stylings breathe new life into Christmas classics, and their originals are equally refreshing. I know ten volumes of Christmas albums might feel excessive to the uninitiated, but please, please, please give them a chance. At least give Christmas Songs Vol. 3 a listen, and you’ll know from that if you resonate with their style.
Five: Family Force 5 — The Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant
I have to be honest: My mom hates this album with a passion. Not everyone will enjoy it, but the ones who do get it will love it. Family Force 5 is a Christian rock, crunk, dance, electronic, pop group that pretty much reinvented their own genre on every album. Christmas Pageant was released at the band’s height, and it has remained a staple in my Christmas music listening for the ten years since.
None of my descriptions can really accurately describe this album, so you should really just listen to it. It’s only ten tracks, and one listen-through might be the wildest audio-ride you take between now and the new year.
Four: Rend Collective — Campfire Christmas (Vol. 1)
Rend Collective is one of my favorite groups, and they cemented their spot on this list the moment they released Campfire Christmas. I think one word accurately sums up the Rend Collective crew: joy! They are energetic, unashamed, and passionate. Equal parts fun and serious, few artists remind me of the beauty of Christmas more quickly and vividly.
Three: Josh Garrels — The Light Came Down
Josh Garrels is an indie, folk singer and songwriter. Though this album has plenty of covers, it also boasts several originals. In the writing, production, arrangement, singing, and instrumentation, Garrels excels. The album is deep, poetic, and poignant. With mostly acoustic instrumentation, the album feels personal, organic, and intimate. It also inspires with a festive, celebratory tone.
Two: Lindsey Stirling — Warmer in the Winter
Lindsey Stirling is one my largest creative inspirations. She’s a violinist, composer, producer, and songwriter. Between YouTube and America’s got Talent, she forged a unique path for her career through her genre-defying brand of music, which fuses classical violin and orchestral music with electronic dance music. All of her albums are fantastically creative, but Warmer in the Winter is somehow even more special.
Her covers reimagine the likes of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.” On the deluxe edition, the song “We Three Gentlemen” is a unique mashup of “We Three Kings” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” She also has several originals that stand up incredibly well to the other arrangements on the project. It’s perfect holiday music.
But only one Christmas album is even better…
One: Relient K — Let it Snow, Baby…Let it Reindeer
Perfect. Equal parts silly, serious, festive, and contemplative, this is one project that never gets old to me. This album contains every emotion one feels during the holidays. It deserves at least one front-to-back listen every year.
It’s hard to overstate just how much I love Relient K, and this album is basically perfect.
That’s it!
Those are my top five Christmas movies and Christmas Albums. What are yours?
