Well, kids, it’s the end of the semester (my last fall semester ever!!!), and the holiday season approaches. Now I realize it might be incredibly uni-cultural of me (coining that term ASAP), but … I love Christmas carols. I really, really do. I grew up hearing them, and they inspire in me both the image of a sparkly, silent winter wonderland and the very “spirit of Christmas,” if you will. I can’t help it. I know nothing about good Channukah or Kwanzaa carols so you may want to Google them, or look up your favorite elementary school teacher, if you’re looking for something outside of our American Protestant worldview. I apologize most profusely for the birth accident that made me a member of the majority. I apologize also for my hypocrisy in loving Christmas carols — church isn’t even on my radar. Sorry Mom, love you (and happy birthday)!

So now that is officially December and it is socially acceptable for you to listen to Christmas carols (at last!), where to find some good ones? Let me share a few of my favorite Christmas albums with you. Yes, I do know Christmas albums are dorky, but some cosmetics company tells me to love the skin I’m in, so I’m just going to embrace the uber-nerd, and maybe spend some time with my Christmas albums in Duffield. Compiled below are not only my favorites, but some carols for every genre of music-lover. Attend.

For those of us alternative in spirit (hey you super indie types, focus your large eye-glasses in on this): Sufjan Steven’s Songs for Christmas, released in 2006. The “album” is actually a series of EPs, which altogether total somewhere between 20 and 30 songs. Sufjan, being Sufjan, made an album in which most of the songs are the religious carols, but Sufjan, being Sufjan, results in the fact that they are beautifully done. And he writes a couple of original carols as well, “It’s Christmas, Let’s Be Glad,” “Sister Winter” and “Star of Wonder,” among others.

For the jazz lovers at Cornell I have two choices, both of which I love: The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the indomitable Ella Fitzgerald’s Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas. Ella’s album is superb. Does my use of the word superb mean that I may or may not be 21-going-on-80? I love Ella Fitzgerald — there’s a high-class vibe to her music and her singing that has rarely been equaled. And of course, you can’t go wrong with Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas. Nothing can go wrong when Charlie Brown’s around.

If you’re a die-hard piano fan, try Jim Brickman, who has released multiple Christmas albums. I know the name is silly, but he does a mean “O Tannenbaum” rendition. By which I mean a very pretty “O Tannenbaum” rendition. If I had wanted to be entirely representative of my musical background in my column moniker, I should have called it something along the lines of “76 trombones and pianos and everyone in my life makes careers out of music.” In any case, as a piano player, I very much enjoy piano Christmas music. And you can too.

If you’re into old-timey kitsch, there ain’t nothin’ better than White Christmas by … wait for it … Bing Crosby! This is quite possible the silliest Christmas album ever made, but it is classic Bing Crosby, if that’s what you go for. Gotta love it. Or, if you’re into the kind of Christmas where you go out in fatigues and shoot some deers, like most of my hometown, try Kenny Rogers. He’s got seven Christmas albums, starting with Christmas (he’s creative, too!) in 1981, and ending with the 2006 release Christmas Collection (oh hey, the country creativity strikes again!). In there is also a collaboration with Dolly Parton, released in 1984, and the well-titled, Christmas in America and Christmas with Kenny. I’m sorry, does every Christmas album need to have the word Christmas in the title?

Last but not least, is my mama’s favorite The Christmas Album (okay, I guess I should pick on this title choice as well), by the Canadian Brass. For you lovers of well-done, classic holiday music, eh? This is definitely the album to put on while you decorate your family tree — I know you need something good to go with hanging your youthful macaroni creations on a delicious-smelling spruce. So, enjoy the holidays everyone: Christmas, Channakuh, Kwanzaa … are there any Islamic holidays in December? Or Hindu? In any case, let’s be happy, generous, loving, musical people this winter break … eh (sorry, can’t resist the eh)? See you next semester!