I love Christmas.  There’s really no other way to say it.  I absolutely love this time of year and everything that comes with it…minus the overcrowded malls and such.  I love the giving, the getting, the Salvation Army bell-ringers, the food, the music…everything.  As a rule, though, I try not to listen to any Christmas music before Thanksgiving.  I don’t want to burn myself out too early.  And then, when I do finally get ready to tickle my ears with “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph” and “Happy Christmas,” I have to figure out where to turn.  Luckily for me, there’s a local radio station that has been playing Christmas music 24/7 since well before Thanksgiving.  They play some great stuff, but sometimes I get a little tired of Nat King Cole and the like.  To my delight, I found the greatest Christmas tunes at my local record store.

The first CD I found was “Maybe This Christmas.”  I was immediately attracted by the Paul Frank-esque monkey on the cover art.  It full of songs from Phantom Planet, Coldplay, Vanessa Carlton, Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, Jack Johnson and a few others.  I didn’t hesitate to buy it with bands like those contributing.  From first listen, I knew I’d have to find other CDs like this one to get my Christmas fix.  My favorite song is probably “12/23/95″ by Jimmy Eat World, with Phantom Planet’s “Winter Wonderland” coming in a close second.

I was able to find the next two volumes of the collection in “Maybe This Christmas Too” and “Maybe This Christmas Tree.”  “Too” is very good with artists Rufus Wainwright, Avril Lavine, Eisley, Rilo Kiley, Guster, Dave Matthews Band and Badly Drawn Boy adding their Christmas renditions.  My favorite tracks are “O Holy Night” from Avril and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” by Sixpence None the Richer.  Not quite as good as the first, but still an excellent Christmas album. 

“Tree” is probably my favorite of the three albums.  It starts out with The Polyphonic Spree’s rousing rendition of “Happy Christmas (War is Over).”  A few songs later, you get a one from Death Cab for Cutie, then Pedro the Lion, then “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from Royal Crown Revue.  Lisa Loeb contributes her version of “Jingle Bells” before you get a song from Jars of Clay.  All in all, “Tree” is a fantastic compilation of Christmas songs. 

For me, there’s not a much better way to get in the Christmas spirit than a few good Christmas tunes.  These CDs are exactly what I was looking for and I think you’ll be pleased with them too!  Find them at Amazon by clicking the names of the albums.