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Definitely A Charlie Brown Christmas tops my list. My brothers and I grew up playing the theme song on the piano.

My parents had the largest collection of Johnny Mathis Christmas records ever! I always feel a little nostalgic and sick to my stomach at the same time when I hear one of those tunes.

Maybe This Christmas, a compilation I bought a few years ago. Great, modern interpetations of favorites

If you like A Charlie Brown Christmas, there's a great production of it at The Annoyance Theater. It's a double show of A Charlie Brown Christmas and then Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It's a great show and really gets you in the mood of the season.

http://tinyurl.com/y7hxo7

Charlie Brown Christmas is definitely a fave. But I also love The Nutcracker, and anything by Bing, Nat, Mathis, and Andy Williams.

The more modern versions of Christmas tunes are good, but you just can't be the traditional.

Boney M all the way! A true classic...
Come on, don't be shy... you know the words! (:

I compile a XMAS cd every year to send to my friends so I've listened to A LOT of Christmas music...

If you like chill/lounge/electronica, I recommend:

"Merry Mixmas" from Capital Records
"Reindeer Room: Chillout" Vol 1

If you're looking for jazz:

"Jazz to the World" from Bluenote is a great compilation.
"Oscar Peterson Christmas" is great if you like piano jazz.

For folky music:
"Holiday Songs and Lullabys" by Shawn Colvin is a lovely album through and through.

Sufjan Stevens new Christmas release is very promising, too.

Wham! - Last Christmas. Over and over and over again.

The Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas, IS really nice— an early gift to my husband.
Always nostalgic to hear the Waitresses "Christmas Wrapping"!

I second the Nutcracker! And also just so I don't have to keep changing cds or repeating the same playlist, I put on the digital cable music channels, either Xmas (although that can get kind of cheesy sometimes-think Mariah Carey) so I usually have it on Big Band and swing, very old-timey and you know all the songs!

I have an XFM Christmas Compilation that I really like. I also like the three Maybe This Christmas CDs. The Saddle Creek Christmas Complilation is decent. The new Aimee Mann and Sufjan Stevens Christmas CDs are worth checking out this year.

There is also an old Motown Christmas CD that I really like too.

The Low Christmas CD is the most mellow, snowy-soundy soundtrack to the holiday. Along with the Sufjan, it is on constant rotation at my house after my husband's December 13th birthday (before which all holiday-ness is banned).

Last Christmas!!! YES YES YES!!

I will now have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

NPR had an interesting story on how this soundtrack came to be.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6545283

I LOVE Last Christmas by Wham. It never feels like the holidays until I hear it for the first time.

But, my very favorite Christmas album is John Denver and the Muppets Christmas. I had it as a record when I was little and I bought it a few years ago when it came out on CD.

I play the Charlie Brown soundtrack while addressing cards, every year. Two years ago I discovered Ottmar Liebert's Christmas CD, which is his guitar/jazzy/nouveu flamenco arrangements of traditional holiday tunes and jingles. I can play it in November and into early January as a seasonal background.

Charlie Brown has definitely been my fave this year, but I'm also loving Manhattan Transfer, Harry Connick, Jr., A Classic Cartoon Christmas, and I just picked up the soundtrack to Elf tonight. Love it already!! A Jazzy Wonderland is also GREAT.

Charlie Brown, definitely.
Last Christmas, yes. (I'm with Dora... over and over!)
"Do They Know it's Christmas?" (original and new BandAids)
Amy Grant's or Monica's "Grown Up Christmas List"
Love the (new?) James Taylor Christmas CD.
Disappointed by the Sarah McLaughlin one.
Jim Brickman
George Winston "December"
Celine Dion's Christmas album
A sucker for Josh Grobin "Believe" from Polar Express and his Oh Holy Night.
Harry Connick
Garth Brooks, SheDaisy and Rascal Flats for a country Christmas
Vanessa William's Christmas album.
Faith Hill "Where are you Christmas?"
And my fave by far is Linda Eder's Christmas album. Beautiful arrangements.

I got tired of the Charlie Brown Christmas CD a couple of years ago .... probably listened to it too much, and every seems to play at their Xmas parties .. so it is shelved at my house for a couple of years.

Right now I like:
NPR Jazz Christmas with Mary Mcpartland & friends
James Taylor at Christmas
Diane Krall's Christmas Songs
Harry Connick's Harry for the Holidays
Chris Isaak Christmas
The very best of Bing Crosby Christmas

Charlie Brown Xmas
Do They Know It's Christmas
Christmas Song - Nat King Cole (Classic)
Oh Holy Night - Yolanda Adams (makes you want to cry, it's so beautiful)
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town- Jackson 5
White Christmas - The Drifters and...

Silent Night by the Temptations...I should not have to explain...

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector - because it's not Christmas without Darlene Love!

Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas - no one has a more beautiful voice. No one.

A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra - I love those J-I-N-G-L-E Bells, OH!

My favorite Christmas album is A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. I highly recommend the Christmas A Go Go mp3 blog, too:
http://www.christmasagogo.blogspot.com/

Charlie Brown, definitely. However, my new favorite is Richard Cheese's "Silent Nightclub". His interpretation of modern and classic holiday songs is not to be missed.