The Essential NOW That's What I Call Christmas

You know how you can't mess up making toast? (Well I'm sure someone can) How can you mess up classic Christmas music? You can't. This CD is the quintessential idea of what Christmas is all about. I dare you to buy this CD and not sing along...You can't do it. Its too holly and jolly.

The whole reason there is a Christmas is because of Jesus. In commercial musical works like this, Jesus often takes a backseat to Santa, Frosty and Rudolph the Red Haired Moose (or whatever). I gave the CD 4 stars because out of 25 tracks, 2 songs elude to Jesus.

This Christmas album truly does have "something for everyone." Really, I promise.

An overused cliche? Yes, but so is "do these make my butt look big?" after your wife tries on one pair of jeans after another, and we all know how to answer that one. So allow me to explain.

This album contains a wonderful mix of Christmastime favorites by famous, yet very different, artists, and therein is why I like it so much. Sure, I love an old Andy Williams album (on vinyl!) that I have had forever, and it still gets played each year, but this album contains my favorite Andy Williams Christmas song, "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and blends wonderfully with other Christmas favorites from performers such as the incomparable Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Burl Ives, Elvis, Brenda Lee, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates, Elton John, The Temptations, and several other well-known artists, as well as a relative newcomer, the lovely Colbie Caillat. Each track is a different style of a classic along with some that are signature songs, such as "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano, "Last Christmas" by Wham!, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy and the aforementioned Lennon and McCartney, both singing their own signature Christmas songs that became classics in their own right almost instantly.

If you enjoy a little variety in spreading Christmas joy and season's greetings through music, then you will like, if not love, this album as I do, too. It contains everything from the more spiritual, religious songs that most of us grew up listening to (and maybe even performing in Christmas pageants) to a little comedy, and still includes the more serious message delivered with Lennon's evocative "Happy Christmas (The War Is Over)."

If you're like me, and I know I am, you realize the nicest thing about digital tracks instead of a CD or vinyl is the ability to listen to your music on your smartphone, computer or tablet by streaming from the Cloud or even downloading some or all of the tracks, so you can have this Christmas album with you wherever you go. Just imagine, the next Christmas party you go to having so-so seasonal music, or lacking it all together, and you instantly become a party superhero by whipping out your smartphone or tablet, and linking to your party host's sound system with Bluetooth from your own device as you stream this album, thus saving the party and thrilling your host or hostess! Any doubt that you will be invited again next year? Perish the thought. People will be speaking of your Johnny-On-The-Spot powers of saving the day (or night) for generations to come.

Don't miss your chance to be a lifesaver. You might want to go ahead and get this Christmas album before Skynet awakens and takes over, keeping you from buying this at a later date and preventing you from spreading Christmas joy wherever you go.

I love this CD because it's a great compilation of some really good Christmas music. It has the old favorites (Holly Jolly Christmas sung by Burl Ives, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer sung by Gene Autry, Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley) and some newer favorites (Step into Christmas -- Elton John, Wonderful Christmastime -- Paul McCartney) and one of my favorites, Breath of Heaven sung by Amy Grant. Andy Williams, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Brenda Lee, Jose Feliciano, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Jackson 5, Beach Boys are all on this CD. Enjoy!

I got this CD because it has some of the classic Christmas songs that I did not have. This is a really nice compilation of classic holiday songs overall.

Great cd!

Wanted to buy some classics Christmas songs for a while but buying it separately was holding me back. After a few days I found that Amazon.com was offering this album as part of the daily deal for .99 which I bought it instantly. It has popular Christmas music that you would have hear in the radio. Only like 13 out of 25 songs but with a .99 price it was still a great deal. Very happy with the purchase and thanks Amazon!

Love it

great music at a great price.