Best and worst Christmas albums

By Kevin Bartelt

November is almost over and it’s time to dust off that holiday CD…I mean, search “Christmas” in iTunes.

If you are hanging out with a couple friends, you obviously want to pick the best holiday music. Here are the best and worst Christmas albums.

The Best

Michael Bublé’s Christmas is a great choice. The album’s versatility can put you to sleep with one track and make you jump for joy (to the world) in another. In other words, Bublé can be soothing in songs like Silent Night and upbeat in Jingle Bells. The album also features Shania Twain in a duet of White Christmas. Christmas is a fantastic album to play during the winter season.

Who can top Michael Bublé? The boy who has been struggling to kick a football for 62 years, Charlie Brown. A Charlie Brown Christmas was released in 1965 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Simply put, this album is a classic. It’s creative, catchy and relaxing, all at the same time. If this music does not make you want to cuddle up with a Snuggie and some eggnog, then you’ll probably like these next two albums.

The Worst

A Chipmunk Christmas is the most uncomfortable compilation of songs I have ever endured. I would rather listen to a group of 12-year-olds in the prime of puberty attempt these tracks.

“But it’s so cute!” Cute? You think a 63-year-old man in California changing the frequency of his voice is cute? The person who brings this album to a Christmas party is that relative who wears the same tacky Christmas sweater every year. Don’t be that guy.

Speaking of high voices…I’m sorry, Justin Bieber, but I just can’t take you seriously. His Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe, is nothing short of unbearable. I said I’d rather listen to a group of 12-year-olds during puberty, not before it. I’m sure he’s a classy guy who doesn’t tweet pictures of his abs, but his credibility is interfering with my ability to enjoy his music.