Pretty Paper, Willie Nelson – I’ve got this on vinyl. It’s killer.

Merry Christmas Strait to You, George Strait – I can appreciate why Leeann would favor his third Christmas album, but I dig his first; it reflects that western swing aesthetic that King George rocked in the 80s.

Father Christmas, Deana Carter – Just Deana’s lovely voice and an acoustic guitar. It’s as close to having her there on the couch as you can get without violating the law. It’s a very intimate and informal Christmas album, and maybe the best album in her discography.

Christmas in America, Kenny Rogers – Often overlooked because of that other, more iconic album he released with Dolly Parton, this was “my” Kenny Rogers Christmas album. My mom introduced me to it, and I’ve always enjoyed it. Today, I’d probably balk at a new album shoehorning patriotism into a Christmas album, but in the pre-9/11 world it just felt like part of a stage show meant to juxtapose the bounty of the season with the humility of gratitude. Plus, it features my favorite recording of “Silver Bells.”

More recently, I’d pick:

Brad Paisley Christmas, Brad Paisley – solid from start to finish. “Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday” hasn’t worn thin yet, his duet with his younger self on “Born on Christmas Day” is too cute by half, but Paisley does that kind of corny well so it works.

It Won’t Be Christmas Without You, Brooks & Dunn – THE Christmas party album, a rollicking good time. The title track slows things down (and would be a complete downer, if Ronnie Dunn wasn’t such a compelling vocalist).

Also, I’ve pieced together a Christmas EP compiling all of Gary Allan’s Christmas recordings to date that I like to pull out each December. I’d really like to see an official Gary Allan Christmas album some day.

Love the John Prine love. “It was Christmas in prison and the food was real good, we had turkey and pistols carved out of wood.”

Obviously Linda, Dolly, and Neil do provide something different for Emmy’s album. Linda’s own Christmas contribution, however, is far removed from her pal’s.

Now, there’s also the little matter of a pair of Christmas albums made, respectively, in 1957 and 1971 by that Presley guy (LOL). They kind of define Christmas pop music for the second half of the 20th century, just as nearly everything else the King did defined American pop culture.

After her take on her old friend Joni Mitchell’s 1971 classic “River”, however, the album takes an unexpected turn into largely sacred, often unaccompanied choral territory with “O Magnum Mysterium”, “Lo, How A Rose E’re Blooming”, and “I Wonder As I Wander.” Understandably, for a lot of people, this sudden jump from Nelson Riddle-type arrangements into classical/choral on the same album is likely to be jarring and maybe off-putting. And truth be told, I think Linda waited some twenty years too long to do a Christmas album.

Still, this shows her willingness to make her own individual stamp on the Christmas music world, as she has done in every other form of music she has touched upon over the last 44 years.

Some modern picks:
Christina Agulira, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
Shedaisy, “Deck The Halls”
Carrie Underwood, “Hark The Hearald Angels Sing & “Do You Hear What I Hear”
Whitney- “Do You Hear What I Hear”
Elvis & Carrie Underwood- “I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Katherine McPhee, “Christmas Is Time” (album).