Christmas Classic!

It's just not Christmas without the soulful sounds of the Jackson 5. My family and I used to listen to this album every year. The vinyl record is somewhere at my parents house and kind of scratched up. I made a copy on tape when I went off to college and I can't seem to find that one. I have been unsuccessful finding it in any store. I'm 28 years old now and married. I can't wait to start the tradition again. :) I can listen to this album from beginning to end over and over. Other albums that I listen to every year include Nat King Cole and the Temptations. Also, my rendition of the Drifter's White Christmas is hilarious. As noted by my age, I'm obviously listening to my parent's Christmas music. :) Nonetheless it beats the new Christmas releases anyday like B2K or Ashanti. However, Boyz to Men's Let it Snow from the 90s is becoming a classic for me.

One of the best for the holidays

Anyone looking for automatic Christmas cheer need look no further than this pleasant album of holiday favorites and Motown originals. I've even found myself listening to this on occasion at all times of year, just because it's really a solid record. The arrangements are beautiful on traditionals like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," while the J5 add their own spunk to their well-known versions of "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," "Up on the Housetop," and "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Every member of the group is allowed some vocal solos, more so than on their other early albums. Michael just rips apart "Someday at Christmas" and "Little Drummer Boy," it's just amazing what he could do at such a young age. Perhaps the best song on here was not on its original release; "Little Christmas Tree" appears as a bonus track on this edition, which was originally issued on "Motown Christmas" in 1973 as a Michael Jackson solo. It's got a great melody and catchy chorus, but is quite sad! All in all, this Christmas music is among the best I've heard and would definitely make the holidays sound terrific.

The BEst Christmas Album Ever!

I have a collection of about 3,000 CDs and LPs, with maybe a couple hundred Christmas albums. Out of the entire bunch, there are maybe twenty that I give 5 stars. This is one of them. Through all of my family incarnations over the years, this disc has always been there at Christmas. My first wife came with 2 sons that grew up in the 80s, and they could perform every lyric and vocal inflection from every song. My current family (with daughters of 10 and 7), loves this music just as much. The girls love hearing the young Michael sing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." My personal favorite is "Up on the Housetop" - I get tears in my eyes every time I hear it. It's a great song, the added lyrics are hilarious, the music's great, and it brings back 25 years of Christmas memories. This is the album that started my Christmas music obsession. If you want to start a collection, I recommend starting here.