No doubt you’ve been hearing the shopping soundtrack of Christmas carols upon every trip to the mall since the day after Halloween!

It gets you in the holiday spirit for sure, but are you getting tired of hearing the same few songs over and over again? To ward off the musical doldrums and help you build your own holiday playlist, we went to the experts in Mt. Lebanon to get their take on the Top Ten Holiday Vinyls.

Our panel of experts included: Mike Butala, of Needle and Bean, 320 Castle Shannon Boulevard, and Greg Anderson, of Vinyl Remains, 692 Washington Road.

“Having a good holiday record collection is just as important as having a good regular vinyl collection. It sort of shows any record enthusiast how you’ve catered to a specific sub-genre within your collection and therefore, a small representation, a Cliff Note, of your entire collection,” said Mike Butala, Needle and Bean.

For your enjoyment, Butala compiled a list of 10 essential holiday albums, not including multi-artist compilations, sure to impress your guests. Here they are in order and his reasons for picking them.

1. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Vince Guaraldi.  Jazz Pianist Vince Guaraldi is maybe best known for his eighth studio album “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and for good reason; it’s fantastic and timeless. A perfect addition to the holidays for children young and old.
2. “Merry Christmas” by Bing Crosby. Bing Crosby’s take on Christmas classics makes for a remarkable compilation. After more than 70 years, these songs still are the cornerstone to a well-rounded holiday collection. Bing’s deep voice fills any room with festive cheer during the holidays!
3. “When Harry Met Sally” The Soundtrack. My favorite soundtrack, “When Harry Met Sally,” is performed by Harry Connick Jr. The soundtrack is Connick’s renditions of songs used in the movie; however, many of Connick’s tracks are not used in the movie. This soundtrack, outside of “Winter Wonderland,” is good for any season and is just a great jazz album in general.
4. “Christmas with The Chipmunks” by The Chipmunks. This album doesn’t need an explanation on why it’s so incredibly great. But I want to warn against buying the copy about the Echo Harmonica, you don’t want THAT version, you want this one called “Christmas with The Chipmunks.” Big difference. #chipmunkfacts
5. “A Very She & Him Christmas” by She And Him. A dozen great songs from Zoey Deschanel and M. Ward. It’s great when an independent label can put out such a great album! I don’t know how to explain how they can harness such simple arrangement into such large sound. This album is on heavy rotation at home and the shop and never gets old.
6.  “A Christmas Together” by John Denver And The Muppets. Everyone loves John Denver and everyone loves The Muppets, therefore “A Christmas Together” makes the top ten list. I will preface if you can’t handle Miss Piggy’s personality, this one may not be up your alley. She makes herself known as she does in any social situation and the team does what they can to reel her in. Denver’s take on traditional and non-traditional songs will add a pleasant variety to any holiday music collection.
7. “A Very Special Christmas” Compilation. A 1987 Classic Christmas Compilation. The nice thing about compilations are they give you a break from an individual artist so you get automatic variety. Where else can you get RUN DMC, the Boss, The Pretenders, Cougs, U2, Madonna….I’m done! Too many great artists, too many great songs! And the money raised on this album went to support the Special Olympics. Nothing not to like!
8. “Michael Bublé Christmas” by Michael Bublé. This singer has a timeless voice ideal of holiday classics. His ability to add newer flair to old standards ensures your evening is filled with your favorite tunes with toe tapping energy to get the night going strong.
9. “Christmas With Slim Whitman” by Slim Whitman. Old school, country music icon Slim Whitman blesses our eardrums with his arrangements of ten Christmas classics. The songs are solid but what really makes this album go over the top is the cover. Slim, laid back against his piano, confidence in his eyes, knowing you’re going to love the album. Way to go, Slim!
10. “A Christmas Album” by Bright Eyes. The trio is joined with over a dozen others in this rendition of holiday classics. “Low Energy” may give this album too much credit so if you aren’t comfortable sitting down to a Christmas album with tears running down your face, this album may not be for you. Every good holiday involves a good cry and listening to this before the holiday will ensure you get it in early. Plus, my wife bought this for me for Christmas one year so it’s extra special to me.

Plus, for good measure, Butala offered up an 11^th album that can run the gamut from Halloween to Christmas: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” Soundtrack. This album is fantastic for many reasons. The soundtrack was composed by Danny Elfman who had contributed to many great soundtracks with Tim Burton. That coupled with the vocals of Kenneth Page makes for a tremendous sound. It’s also great because you get two holidays for the price of one. So, you can enjoy it from Halloween to Christmas without too much judgement.

Greg Anderson, of Vinyl Remains, is in agreement on the number one holiday album, with Charlie Brown topping his list, as well.

Here are Anderson’s Top Ten Christmas albums:

1. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Vince Guaraldi
2. “A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector” by Phil Spector
3. “Holiday Soul” by Bobby Timmons
4. “James Brown’s Funky Christmas” by James Brown
5. “Merry Ole Soul” by Duke Pearson
6. “Soul Christmas” by various artists
7. “Stax Christmas Album” by various artists
8. “Reggae Christmas” by various artists
9. “The Ventures’ Christmas Album” by The Ventures
10. “Christmas Album” by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

So, go ahead and light the fireplace, pop a few of these albums on your turntable, and sit back, relax and have a happy holiday!