Now for my favorite kind of holiday music: Jazz and swing! These are the songs that truly make me feel festive and happy. The swingy ones make me want to dance and the jazzy ones are best enjoyed while sipping a holiday cocktail and gazing thoughtfully at a well-decorated tree. Personal faves off this list include "Cool Yule" by the great Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington's rendition of "Jingle Read more

Many people complain about the holiday tunes that drive them completely insane this time of year, especially since holiday songs are practically inescapable, no matter what you do. At the drug store, the gas station, restaurants — they're everywhere! So it's truly impressive that there are still some seasonal songs that don't make us want to grab the earmuffs. It may be because of my love for Read more

No, not every song on this playlist is "rock," but they all rock in their own ways, and they're all fun. I enjoy some of the new takes on old favorites that have come out over the past few years (Aimee Mann's songs, Sufjan Stevens's holiday CD box set), and of course, there are a few shout-outs to rockin' holiday tunes that aren't too recent ("Christmas in Hollis" and "Run Rudolph Run"). The one Read more

Every year on Thanksgiving, my dad hauls out his all-time favorite holiday albums: the Time-Life Treasury of Christmas discs, Nat King Cole's album The Christmas Song, and (his most recent favorite) Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. Sure, we're all driven mad by the repetition of these albums by the time Christmas arrives, but it is tradition that they begin their (heavy) rotation on Thanksgiving Read more