Bing Crosby's Christmas Album released by Rebound gathers ten pleasant songs of the season, including "Christmas Is," "I Sing Noel," and "The Song of Christmas," delivered with the elegance and joy associated with der Bingle's best-loved holiday recordings. If you're looking for Christmas songs that have become synonymous with Crosby like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "Mele Kalikimaka," or "White Christmas," pick up Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs on MCA.

Christmas Here with You, marks the Four Tops' first Christmas album -- features classic holiday songs such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Away in a Manger," "Christmas Song," "Little Drummer Boy," "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and "Merry Christmas, Baby." Aretha Franklin supplies vocals on two tracks -- "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" -- which just adds to this predictable but festive holiday release.

A Classical Kids Christmas explores the holiday with over 30 traditional carols and Christmas songs as performed by children's choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists, as well as some of the season's classic poems. Highlights include "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Christmas Is I'cumin," "Here We Come Awassailing," "O Tannenbaum," and "What Shall We Bring?," along with readings of "The Night Before Christmas" and "A Christmas Carol." The liner notes include explanations of some of the archaic and ethnic terms in the songs, and the set also includes a Classical Kids Christmas ornament. Overall, A Classical Kids Christmas is a fun and festive introduction to traditional Christmas music.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas 25th Anniversary Collection marks the 25th anniversary of the very first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album -- the one that started the phenomenon. The new two-CD set features 25 tracks hand-picked by founder Chip Davis from the previous Christmas albums: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (1984), A Fresh Aire Christmas (1988); Christmas In The Aire (1995); Christmas Extraordinaire (2001); Christmas Song (2007); and Christmasville (2008). -- From the label

Despite her many abilities as chef, traveler, and television talk show host, Rachael Ray is in fact not singing or playing any sort of musical instrument on How Cool Is That Christmas. Rather, the album is a collection of her favorite Christmas songs, most of which fall into the "modern traditional" category ("Winter Wonderland," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") and are performed by older, classic artists like Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Elvis Presley, and Willie Nelson, though young jazz singer Jane Monheit is also present with the scatty "The Man with the Bag."

After an eight-year lay-off from the recording studio, the Smithereens released two albums in 2007. However, it doesn't bode well for their creative process that the first of those albums was comprised entirely of Beatles covers, and the second was a Christmas disc. However, Christmas with the Smithereens at least features three original tunes (which is three more than Meet the Smithereens!), and as rock & roll Christmas albums go, this is good fun and admirably eclectic.

With Christmastime comes recordings of Christmas music. And why not? There is plenty of appealing music out there for this popular holiday and there are apparently plenty of people willing to check out a new disc of Christmas music. For their entry into the Christmas music sweepstakes, Die Singphoniker -- a six-man a cappella ensemble from Bavaria -- has chosen Christmas songs from all over Europe from Catalonia through Norway with, naturally, many if not quite most of the songs from Germany.

Soul and bluegrass may seem like strange bedfellows, but they seem to get along just fine on this holiday collection from the venerable roots music label Rounder Records. Home for Christmas collects 12 yuletide tunes by as many artists from Rounder's back catalog, and most tracks either feature R&B greats bringing the funk to classic songs of the season, or bluegrass notables taking a more subdued approach with similar material. Wilson Pickett lends his feral growl to "Jingle Bells," Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) informs us that "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," the Persuasions serve up some tasty a cappella harmonies on "You're All I Want for Christmas," and the great Irma Thomas sings "Oh Holy Night" with the fervor of a true believer.

PolyGram Special Markets' 1994 budget compilation A Rock 'N' Roll Christmas is a nice little find. Elton John's relentlessly joyful rocker "Step Into Christmas" is the standout because this album is the easiest to find and most inexpensive source. Old-fashioned rock & roll is represented by Bob Seger's (technically Bob Seger and the Last Heard) "Sock it to Me Santa," which borrows more than a little from James Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Part I"; George Thorogood and the Destroyers' "Rock and Roll Christmas"; and Chuck Berry's bluesy "Merry Christmas Baby."

The Now series is known for crossing the boundaries of record labels in its attempt to provide definitive collections of hits -- usually from contemporary hits, but also of different eras and styles from the past (at least in its UK incarnation). Thankfully, the double-disc, 36-track collection Now That's What I Call Christmas! lives up to the series' reputation by collecting an abundance of pop holiday classics, from Bing Crosby ("White Christmas") and Nat "King" Cole ("The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)") to Britney Spears ("My Only Wish (This Year)") and Boyz II Men ("Silent Night"). While it's true that the modern material doesn't quite live up to songs that are proven perennials -- after all, they simply haven't had the time to become part of the national play list -- this is still a very impressive collection because it does hit almost all of the familiar radio staples while providing some good modern-day cuts.